'Make a Priceless Moment with Mastercard' launched in Vietnam

Winnie Wong, Mastercard Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for Mastercard. Photo by Mastercard

Two years into the pandemic, what are the most significant changes in consumer behaviors that you have noticed from the perspective of a global payment technology company?

The pandemic has evidently altered the way consumers shop, spend and pay. Around the world, consumers are making a rapid and lasting shift to a "digital by default" mindset, showing accelerated enthusiasm for a broader range of payment technologies as a result of the pandemic. It is clear that they aren't just adopting the new digital trends - but in fact making deliberate shifts in accordance with their changing demands for necessity, safety and convenience.

Apart from the evident shift in terms of digital-first lifestyle, the pandemic has evidently driven people to redefine their expectations. After two years of lockdowns and uncertainty, human connection has never been more important and in demand. With companionship and quality time with loved ones becomes the new priority in life, today's "priceless" experiences are redefined as the ones that build connections, strengthen relationships, expand horizons and inspire us in ways that last.

In line with the rise of the experiential economy and growing consumer preferences for unique experiences over material purchases, Mastercard is bringing our Priceless platform to life by connecting consumers with their passions.

Could you share more about Mastercard’s Priceless program?

Since its first launch, the Priceless campaign has evolved from Mastercard observing priceless experiences to creating and now inspiring them. Today, the award-winning "Priceless" Platform is an experiential lifestyle hub that hosts a global marketplace of lifestyle experiences that are exclusive for Mastercard cardholders – whether physical or digital - across all aspects of life, from travel, music and entertainment, culinary, to wellness, arts and culture, sports, and more.

Mastercard has long been an organization that brings people together and closer to their passions. For the past 25 years, our Priceless platform has lied at the heart of our business, aiming to curate passion-based experiences that allow people to strengthen their relationships with family and friends, expand their horizons, and enrich their lives, and in doing so, create special and "priceless" moments in life.

The commitment continues to extend to Vietnam through our latest campaign "Make a Priceless Moment with Mastercard", which commences with the gastronomy festival "Flavors Vietnam", in partnership with Vietcetera.

What led Mastercard to sponsor and be part of Flavors Vietnam 2022?

Bringing Priceless to Vietnam for the first time ever, the idea stems from our mutual passion for food and meaningful flavors. In a place with such exquisite cuisine like Vietnam, where the F&B landscape is thriving and constantly expanding, the love for food has become a natural leading passion point for Mastercard. Some of our most important moments have always revolved around the dining table and delightful meals, whether it's a home-cooked meal with family or a lavish five-course at a renowned eatery.

In a joint effort by Mastercard and Vietcetera, Flavors Vietnam brings people together for a celebration of the distinctive tastes that will remind us of the special moments in life. But more importantly, it is also a chance to shine a spotlight on the passion, perseverance and agility of Vietnam’s F&B scene, despite impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the 2022 gastronomy festival, Mastercard hopes to bring forth an opportunity for industry leaders and players to connect and exchanges valuable "recipes" for steady growth and adaptation, in order to best cater to the emerging changes in the F&B landscape; creating bespoke culinary experiences for customers in a different and most meaningful way, so that the industry can rest assured of a strong recovery when domestic and international travel return.

Apart from Flavors Vietnam 2022, what are some other experiences that Mastercard brings to the Vietnamese?

The four-month program Flavors Vietnam is only the initial stage of our bigger campaign, and customers can surely set their expectation for more experiences to come in 2022. Throughout the course of "Make a Priceless Moment with Mastercard", our cardholders may enjoy exclusive access to a collection of carefully selected offers, spanning culinary, travel, shopping and payments from Mastercard Priceless Specials, specially created for the Vietnam market.

Mastercard hopes to continue our commitment in Vietnam as an enabler of meaningful moments and opportunities that fuel people’s passion, the same way we have been creating "priceless moments" around the globe.