Delegates at the launch of the Ho Chi Minh City Brand Awards in HCM City on December 1. — VNS Photo

 HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Industry and Trade and Saigon Times magazine launched the Ho Chi Minh City Brand Awards on December 1 to honour enterprises who have succeeded in building brands for their products and services.

The awards also seek to raise businesses’ awareness of the role and importance of building brands, encourage firms to enhance innovation, develop sustainably, and improve the competitive advantage of HCM City-based brands in the domestic and international markets, Bà Tá Hoàng Vũ, the department’s director, said.

The award is open to product and service brands built by HCM City-based firms at least for two years.

The awards will focus on brands in four key industrial (food processing, chemical rubber, mechanics. and information technology) and nine main service sectors (finance - banking - insurance; commerce; travel; transportation, port and warehouse; post and telecommunications, ICT; real estate; advisory; science and technology, health; education and training).

The criteria for scoring brands are based on compliance, evolution, creativity, brand investment and management, product/service quality and safety, and responsibility towards the community.

Trần Minh Hùng, Saigon Times’ editor-in-chief, said the award would be given annually.

The awards ceremony is expected to be held in January next year. — VNS