Vietnam's consumer confidence index ranks 10th in the world.

Vietnam's consumer confidence index increased slightly in the third quarter, reaching 105 points and ranking 10th globally in terms of optimism.

According to the latest report on the Consumer Confidence Index published by Nielsen - a global information and measurement company, while the consumer confidence index (CI) in many countries in the Southeast Asian region tended to decline in the third quarter of 2015, Vietnamese consumer confidence increased slightly, reaching 105 points, ranking 10th globally in terms of consumer optimism.

Meanwhile, despite a 5-point drop from the previous quarter, the Philippines remains the third most optimistic country globally with a score of 117. Indonesia ranks fourth with 116. Thailand remains fifth globally with 111 points (the same as the previous quarter). Singapore rose 2 points to 101 in the quarter. Malaysia, meanwhile, saw the biggest drop in the region, down 11 points from the previous quarter to 78, making it the most pessimistic country in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam's consumer confidence index increased slightly, reaching 105 points, ranking 10th globally. (Photo: Nielsen)

Nielsen's survey results in 6 Southeast Asian countries also show that the common characteristic of consumers in these countries is to focus on building a solid financial foundation for the future, with 71% of those surveyed saying they prioritize saving their idle money.

The survey also shows that when it comes to saving, Vietnam is still the leading country globally with 78% of consumers affirming this, followed by Indonesia (74%), Philippines (67%), Singapore (66%), Thailand (64%) and Malaysia (64%).

Vietnamese consumers still tend to limit spending on household expenses. 86% of those surveyed said they adjusted their spending habits in the past 12 months to save money because most of them believed that the economy has not yet escaped the current crisis.

The majority of Vietnamese consumers surveyed said they saved on gas, electricity and out-of-home entertainment expenses. They also cut back on spending on new clothes and phone bills.

However, Vietnamese consumers also said that after covering essential living expenses, they are also willing to spend money on other expenses such as vacations/travel, home decoration/repair, and buying new clothes.

According to Nielsen's report, the current state of the economy and health are major concerns of Vietnamese consumers in the next 6 months (17%). In addition, 15% of Vietnamese consumers are worried about their work situation, 10% are concerned about essential bills (electricity, water, internet, gas...) and 9% are concerned about work/life balance./.

According to VOV.VN