The automobile industry in Vietnam was born in the 1930s. At that time, local manufacturers created their own versions of passenger, specialized, and cargo transport on the chassis of French cars. Why from there? Because the independent Vietnam appeared in part of the French Indochina territories. During the Second World War, the car industry fell into decline: local craftsmen only converted old cars to run on wood gas rather than scarce oil.
Another factor that negatively affected the industry was the First Indochina War. Vietnam did not get its own domestically produced passenger transport, the small Chiến Thầng car, until late 1958. Further development of the automobile industry was very slow due to ongoing hostilities and underdeveloped infrastructure. In recent years, the situation has improved, but the country’s own automobile brands remain very few. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Vinaxuki
Vinaxuki, also known as Xuan Kien Auto JSC, entered the market in 2004 and operated for 11 years before closing down. It produced various types of vehicles, including mini-trucks and passenger cars. Its logo consisted of two parts: a geometric composition and a word mark. The emblem looked like an oval ring with the letter “V” in the middle, which was crossed by a descending arc. The stripes were connected, forming a single design. A bold sans-serif font similar to Avalon Demi Condensed by FontSite Inc. and Tool Medium by Suomi Type Foundry was used for the word “VINAXUKI.” All elements, including letters, were blue on a white background.
TMT
TMT Motors Corporation is a part of the Indian company Tata Motors. The abbreviation of the name stands for “Trading and Manufacturing Equiment Materials for Transportation”, which hints at the core business. The corporation’s logo contains a blue inscription: “TMT MOTORS.” The designers used a geometric grotesque for it, which is something between the Galano Grotesque Bold Demo by Rene Bieder and Soin Sans Neue Black by Stawix. Above is an oval ring in the same blue hue. The sides of this figure have an uneven thickness: they are slightly wider on the right and left and thinner on the top and bottom. Inside the frame is the brand name’s abbreviation.
VinFast
VinFast is a representative of the modern automotive industry. This company was established in 2017 and, in fact, became the first independent car manufacturer in Vietnam. In 2022, it moved to Singapore but kept its homeland’s memory in its name, as the letter “V” stands for “Vietnam.” The same symbol is depicted in its emblem, which resembles a V-shaped metal badge. The element looks voluminous and multi-layered due to the alternation of dark and light colors. At the bottom, the word “VINFAST” is written in black. The designers have developed an individual set of glyphs with irregular strokes and single serifs.
La Dalat (Sud Du Vietnam)
La Dalat is a Vietnamese car brand based on the Citroën Méhari utilitarian SUV and produced at the Saigon Automobile Company factories. Production of these jeep-like vehicles lasted only five years: from 1970 to 1975. They are considered antiques, and their emblem is well known to collectors. The iconic graphic is two triangular arrows pointing upward. They are painted in a dark golden color and obviously symbolize speed.
Mekong
Mekong Auto Corporation was officially registered in Vietnam in 1991 and started production the following year. It does not develop its own cars; its lineup is limited to imported models only. South Korean trucks DFM, SUVs SsangYong, North Korean small cars Pyeonghwa, and Italian trucks IVECO are often hidden under Mekong emblems. The latter are produced under the license of Fiat.
The company’s logo expresses the idea of an “infinite universe”. Expanding black stripe with three gray stars, gradually increasing, creates the illusion of flight and forward movement. On the other hand, it may be a reference to shooting stars that fulfill any wishes. The drawing is placed in a white circle and surrounded by a light ring with two-sided dark contours.