Apple announced on Friday that it would establish its first online store in Vietnam the following week, as the iPhone maker doubles down on emerging markets to fuel growth in the face of declining sales in China.
The May 18 inauguration comes only a few weeks after the Cupertino, California-based corporation built its first Apple stores in India, in Mumbai and Delhi.
Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that emerging nations, which have younger populations and fewer iPhones, will present more prospects for growth.
Apple has not stated when it intends to create physical stores in Vietnam, a country with a population of 100 million people.
“We’re proud to be expanding in Vietnam,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail.
Apple usually opens online stores before physical stores. Apple already sells its products in Vietnam through licenced dealers, and it has a number of suppliers who assemble its devices in the nation for export.