Sahmyook, Dewdap, Face Republic and 16 Korean brands were voted by Vietnamese people in the consumer, character and culture category at "Brand of the Year 2026".
The "Brand of the Year 2026" award ceremony took place at Shilla Hotel (Seoul, Korea) on September 1, honoring Korean brands and personalities that shine this year. In the framework of the category "Consumer Brand voted by Vietnamese consumers", Sahmyook topped the category "Most Popular Soymilk", marking the third consecutive year receiving this title.
With 44 years of experience, Sahmyook provides a variety of products that meet the trend of healthy living such as sugar-free and protein-rich. In particular, the black bean, walnut and almond milk line is refined to be low in sugar, fragrant, suitable for Vietnamese taste.
Next, Dewdap won the "Skin Soothing Cream of the Year" award thanks to the ingredient cicatea - which helps soothe, moisturize, and is suitable for sensitive skin. After Vietnam, the brand continues to expand globally with markets in the US, Romania, and Japan.
Face Republic was named "Sunscreen Serum of the Year" thanks to its response to Vietnam's hot and humid climate. The company adds pure sunscreen essence, featuring a light, fresh texture and sun, water, and sweat protection.
In the "Character and culture" category, 16 brands were voted by Vietnamese people. Specifically, for two consecutive years Faker dominated the "Esports Athlete" category. According to the representative of the organizing committee, with the increasing attraction of the game LCK (League of Legends Korea), Faker and the T1 team have built a strong fan community in the Vietnamese market. T1's fan meeting in Vietnam last year attracted 13,000 fans. In addition, a series of videos supporting Faker was shown at Trang Tien Plaza, a busy area around Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi.
Cortis leads the vote for "Male Idol Group" (Hot Trend) thanks to "dominating" music charts in Vietnam with the song Redred. Meanwhile, "K-Drama of the Year" called Teach you a lesson. The work once topped the "TV Show" category on Netflix, attracting 34,000 views in the first week of its release on digital platforms in Vietnam.
Other brands and characters honored include: HanQuocBros (Korean Youtuber), Agents of Mystery season 2 (Reality show), Allday Project (Male idol group), Byeon Woo Seok (TV actor), Hearts2Hearts (Female idol group), IU (TV actress), Izna (Female idol group - Promising), Jennie (Female solo singer), Ji Chang Wook (Movie actor). movie), Jung Kook (Male solo singer), Kim Hye Yoon (Movie actress), Larva (Cartoon character) and Zerobaseone (Male idol group).
According to the representative of the "Brand of the Year" organizing committee, K-Brands (Korean brands), especially K-Beauty (beauty) and K-Food (food), are gradually increasing their influence in Vietnamese people's lives. Amid that context, Korea Customers Council coordinated with VTV Times to survey local consumers to select and honor the top K-Brands in each field.
Based on local consumption trends and extensive brand surveys, preliminary round candidates are gradually revealed - from home appliances, health, beauty/fashion, food/F&B to characters/culture. From June 29 to July 12, the "Brand of the Year 2026 Vietnam" homepage opened a live voting portal, attracting millions of participants.
Mr. Jun Jae Ho, representative of the Korea Customers Council, commented: "Beyond K-Beauty and K-Food, the influence of Korean brands is increasingly spreading to the content field and many other industries. We continue to introduce a highly competitive K-Brand series to Vietnamese consumers, and continuously support these brands to create new opportunities in the global market."
"Brand of the Year" initiated in 2002, is the largest brand awards ceremony in Korea. Each year, more than 100 brands are honored, including global corporations such as LG, Amorepacific, Heinz or artists representing the Hallyu wave including IU, Tempest, Blackpink, Yoo Jae Suk.
