Hair, skin care and cosmetics products are seeing surging sales, and while cosmetic surgery is not yet widely developed in Viet Nam, many other beauty services are very much in vogue, particularly in urban areas.

A Nielsen survey conducted in 2008 indicates that, in recent years, the domestic cosmetics market has maintained a strong growth of about 16 per cent per year. In 2006, consumers dished out nearly US$82 million for beauty care products.

According to cosmetics industry experts, consumers paying over $500 for some high-end products and famous brands like Shiseido, L'Oreal and Estee Lauder is becoming more common place, as evinced by the growing number of international retailers in shopping centres such as Vincom and Diamond Plaza.