bibigo Kimchi is moving from Korean restaurants to Vietnamese dining tables as CJ Foods Vietnam localizes K-food for everyday meals
The culinary landscape of Vietnamese dining tables is undergoing a dynamic transformation. Kimchi, once considered an exotic side dish only occasionally enjoyed at Korean restaurants, is rapidly becoming an everyday staple in local households. Its status has changed remarkably, especially in southern Vietnam, where a growing number of Generation Alpha now refer to pickled vegetables as kimchi.
The Vietnamese kimchi market recorded a remarkable 16% year-on-year growth last year. At the heart of this surge are bibigo, the leading brand in the market, and Lê Khánh An, the Kimchi Brand Manager at CJ Foods Vietnam, The Vietnamese subsidiary of CJ CheilJedang. We sat down with An, who is seamlessly weaving kimchi into the daily lives of Vietnamese consumers, to learn about her deep insights and strategies for embedding a foreign food into the local culture.
From Product Planning to Sales: A Journey Begun with CJ’s Vision
“What initially drew me to CJ was how the company was modernizing the Vietnamese lifestyle through high-quality chilled and frozen foods. It was also experiencing dynamic growth. In particular, the company’s vision to make people’s lives around the world taste better deeply inspired me.”
Since joining the company, An has broadly expanded her expertise across ambient, frozen, and chilled food categories. Currently, she oversees the marketing for bibigo Kimchi. While leading the kimchi category, she analyzes how Vietnamese consumers perceive the product and develops strategies to incorporate it into their everyday diets.
Her role extends far beyond traditional brand management. Due to kimchi’s unique characteristics—its fresh crunchiness and relatively short shelf life—her core responsibility is to meticulously manage the entire value chain. This ranges from upstream tasks like product development and ingredient sourcing to downstream activities such as marketing and sales execution.
“I joined the company with the mission of bringing Vietnamese consumers closer to Korean food. That means ensuring kimchi retains its traditional Korean roots while seamlessly blending into everyday Vietnamese life. Creating this simple yet fascinating and meaningful connection is the most enjoyable and rewarding part of my work.”
A New Leap for bibigo Kimchi: Three Pillars Driving the ‘Everyday Consumption of Kimchi’
Now in her fourth year at CJ, An’s driving force is stronger than ever, fueled by a Vietnamese kimchi market that is hotter than ever before. As rising health consciousness and awareness of probiotics shift Vietnamese dietary habits, kimchi is emerging as a dynamic, fast-growing category.
“I can definitely feel the shift in consumer perception toward kimchi. A few years ago, it was something people only ate occasionally when dining out. Now, more people are buying it for home consumption. They are experimenting with it in various ways—pairing it with meat or rice, or adding it to instant noodles. Kimchi is transitioning from a foreign food to a familiar food.”
In this environment, An is exploring new possibilities. She sees this as an opportunity not only to solidify bibigo Kimchi’s number one position but also to firmly and naturally establish kimchi as part of everyday Vietnamese meals. Under the clear goal of making kimchi an everyday staple, CJ Foods Vietnam is sustaining its growth momentum based on three core strategies:
Authentic Localization: This respects local palates without compromising the taste of authentic Korean kimchi. The brand is building a diverse portfolio that includes classic Korean varieties like sliced kimchi, whole cabbage kimchi (Pogi Kimchi), and diced radish kimchi (Kkakdugi), as well as mild and vegan options. They also plan to introduce innovative products soon, utilizing vegetables familiar to the Vietnamese to maximize freshness and crunch.
Everyday Consumption and Penetration: Breaking away from the Korean side dish framework, kimchi is being positioned as a food that pairs perfectly with popular Vietnamese dishes like fried foods, grilled meats, and noodles. The plan is to shift it from an occasional dining-out experience to a daily dietary habit enjoyed at home.
From Farm to Table: By utilizing an integrated supply chain—such as procuring freshly harvested local vegetables through the CJ Eco Hub for production bases in both the north and south—they deliver the freshest products possible. This is a powerful, uniquely CJ weapon that guarantees top-tier quality while simultaneously strengthening win-win partnerships with local farmers.
A Thrilling Challenge: Bringing an Unfamiliar Foreign Food to the Daily Table
Marketing a foreign food locally is a tricky endeavor. Dietary habits are deeply ingrained, making it incredibly difficult to turn mere awareness into a daily habit. However, An views these differences not as barriers, but as opportunities. As a Vietnamese herself, she possesses a profound understanding of what might feel new or unfamiliar to local consumers.
“While Vietnamese cuisine also features fermented vegetable foods, Korean kimchi has a more intense and complex flavor profile. Surprisingly, it pairs exceptionally well with the everyday meals Vietnamese people enjoy. In fact, a preference for intensely flavored kimchi is emerging as a new lifestyle trend in southern Vietnam. Our task is to help consumers comfortably enjoy a wide variety of kimchi.”
When asked about her future goals, An’s eyes sparkled even more. Professionally, her objective is to grow bibigo Kimchi into the undisputed number one brand, but the personal dream she holds in her heart is much more emotional and ambitious.
“I dream of a day when Vietnamese people, feeling like something is missing during a meal, casually say, “Eating meat without bibigo Kimchi feels like something is missing.” If I hear those words… it means we haven’t just built a product category but created a cultural shortcut that connects food, lifestyle, and emotion into one.”
Transforming an unfamiliar foreign dish into an everyday food that people place on their dining tables without a second thought—through this process, An is creating a legacy of a new lifestyle within Vietnamese food culture. Her challenge will continue toward that thrilling moment when once-unfamiliar kimchi seamlessly melts into the lives of the Vietnamese people under the name of a tastier experience.
