Narrowing down the right brand is no easy task. Vietnam solicited the help of an Australian firm and the domestic outcry with the Aussie outcome forced officials to look for the right solution at home.

In 2005 Vietnam officially changed it’s slogan and logo following domestic criticism that the the previous creations were vague and lacked inspiration.

They were:

• “Welcome to Vietnam”
• “Vietnam –Destination for a new Millennium”

Hardly the kind of stuff to make you run down to the airport and fly straight to Vietnam.

The Vietnamese public’s legitimate complaint was that their slogans were lacking the punch of those from nearby neighbors such as, “Amazing Thailand”,  “Uniquely Singapore”, “Your Singapore” and the jingle that is near impossible to get out of your head: “Malaysia, Truly Asia”.

In 2005 “Vietnam: The Hidden Charm” campaign was announced.

People were relatively happy with that for a few years until the call came for another change.

Committees were formed, experts from Australia were brought in and a new logo and slogan were finally announced in 2011: Vietnam: A Different Orient.

Ouch. I’m not even really sure what that means.

Shortly after its release, a wave of domestic criticism spilled forth in online chat rooms and discussion boards. Some even worried (oddly enough) that the star symbol could be mistaken for something from and African country. Bottom line, the people again weren’t happy, and while Vietnam is hardly a democracy, you gotta keep the masses somewhat in awe.

The people had spoken and the people were heard.

And now Vietnam has a new logo and a new slogan.

Designed by Vietnamese artist Tran Hoai Duc, the “V” has been turned into a lotus flower with five petals in different colors. These five colors were designed to represent different kinds of tourism, for example green for eco-tourism and orange for culture and history.

While I would have liked to have seen a return to the ‘Hidden Charm’ slogan, this design far exceeds the previous incarnations and overall, the slogan and logo work.

Let’s see if this one lasts.