The Better Choice Awards: Nurturing a Green, Smart and Consumer-Centric Revolution

In the ever-evolving landscape of consumer behavior, simply “selling a product” no longer equates to “getting it right.” Today’s Vietnamese consumers prioritize the overall experience, long-term value, environmental responsibility, and harmony with local lifestyles. In response to this shift, many technology brands are reevaluating their approach and asking themselves: “Are our products truly aligned with the needs and preferences of Vietnamese consumers?”

Better Choice Awards 2025 aims to address this very question by serving as more than just an awards ceremony. It strives to be a ranking system that recognizes smart devices and platforms while promoting a greener, more intelligent, and localized market. Unlike awards that solely focus on technical specifications or global reputation, Better Choice Awards prioritizes relevance to the Vietnamese context, taking into account consumption patterns, cultural behaviors, and market expectations.

Catalyzing New Consumption Trends: Green, Intelligent, and Relevant

Now in its third year, Better Choice Awards is doing more than just recognizing achievements. It is decoding new consumer behaviors and providing insights for brands aiming to connect with Vietnamese users.

The “green” aspect of the awards goes beyond marketing jargon. Across various categories, such as “Outstanding Energy-Efficient Device,” “Electrified Service Vehicle,” and “Green Technology Solution,” environmental considerations are evaluated based on practical data: consumption levels, production processes, repairability, and product lifecycles. Better Choice Awards encourages brands not just to meet standards but to fundamentally restructure their products toward sustainability, as Vietnamese consumers are increasingly scrutinizing and asking questions.

Regarding intelligence, the awards don’t promote AI integration as a trend but emphasize understanding user needs in practice. Personal devices, automobiles, and platform solutions are assessed based on the actual value they deliver, including intuitive interfaces, behavior learning capabilities, and personalization. A product doesn’t have to be the most powerful to win; it can excel by being user-friendly, easily repairable, and accessible to the masses.

The concept of “relevance” is at the core of Better Choice Awards’ orientation. In the race for specifications, technology, and media attention, this aspect has often been overlooked. By categorizing awards according to extremely specific target groups (tech-savvy Gen Zers, families with limited budgets, new female drivers, service drivers, creatives, etc.), Better Choice Awards reveals that each user group requires a unique solution. Victory lies not in trying to be all things to all people but in providing the right answers to the right people.

An Ecosystem That Shapes the Market

What sets Better Choice Awards apart is its active involvement in the consumer journey, becoming an integral part of product development, brand building, and shifting social perceptions.

Through a two-round evaluation process involving expert panels and community votes, along with stringent criteria tailored to each product group, Better Choice Awards has established a data-rich and influential feedback platform. With the participation of over 40 experts, reviewers, and KOLs in the automotive, technology, and consumer finance industries, as well as hundreds of thousands of community voters, shortlisted brands are compelled to reassess their products from the perspective of local users.

In practice, many brands have adjusted their marketing campaigns or product offerings based on feedback from the Better Choice Awards ecosystem. Some new car models now have special editions tailored for the Vietnamese market, and some wearable devices have been modified to be more user-friendly for seniors or first-time users. By setting new selection criteria, Better Choice Awards is inadvertently becoming a partner in the R&D process for major brands.

Going beyond scoring and awarding, Better Choice Awards has successfully conveyed to the market that “just enough” and responsible products are the smart choices. This message is a clear call to action for brands: “To win, you don’t need to be the most prominent globally; you need to be the most relevant to Vietnamese consumers.”

As the market evolves and consumers become more discerning than ever, Better Choice Awards is no longer just a platform for the technology industry. It is evolving into a benchmark for the new consumer society. A “Make in Vietnam” award, organized by Vietnamese, judged by Vietnamese, and chosen by Vietnamese, is helping brands reshape their product mindset: it’s not about being technologically advanced; it’s about being green, intelligent, and aligned with Vietnam.