Vietnam’s photography enthusiasts might be glad to find out that German high-end camera brand Leica Camera AG has established an official store in the country.
According to a post on the brand’s official Facebook page, the outlet, called Leica Boutique Vietnam, opened its doors to fans on November 30. The boutique is located at 14 Ngo Quyen Street in Hanoi and features a retail section along with the brand’s signature Leica Akademie and Leica Galerie.
In an interview with Matca, Sunil Kaul, Managing Director of Leica Camera Asia Pacific, elaborated on his company’s decision to establish a formal presence in Vietnam.
“Leica users all over the world form into little clubs on their own, it’s almost like a little family that goes out together and shoot [sic],” Kaul told the photography news site. “Vietnam has had those clubs since 10 years ago and the poison was slowly spreading.”
He added that Leica couldn’t expand to Vietnam before because the company’s production struggled to catch up with demand, as the cameras are all handmade in Germany.
According to Kaul, this changed when a new factory went into operation and Leica was able to improve both the quantity and quality of products.
A review on tech website Tinhte shares that the German brand brought to Vietnam a wide array of cameras from compact to full-frame, including well-known models such as the TL and SL to the newer CL.
With the first Vietnam store, Kaul expressed his wish for the location to become a hangout for the local photographer community.
“Otherwise, this is not a store, our goal is not selling hundreds of camera [every day]. This is a destination where like-minded people can just come, sit down and share their stories,” he told Matca. “Here it doesn’t matter if you come in with shorts and buy nothing. This is really like a photographic community club if I may say so.”
Leica Vietnam’s Facebook page also hinted in March that after the Hanoi store launches, the company will work on a boutique in Saigon in the near future.
[Photo via Leica Vietnam]
