Introduction: Why SMEs need a professional website in 2026
Website is the core platform for SMEs' digital marketing strategy. According to the Digital 2024 report by We Are Social, 73.7 million Vietnamese use the internet, accounting for 74.51% of the population. Businesses without a professional website risk losing 68% of potential customers to online competitors.
Article analyzing 15 reputable website design companies in Ho Chi Minh City based on 3 criteria: real-world experience, transparent portfolio, and verified customer feedback. You will learn an evaluation framework and balanced comparison table to make decisions suitable for your budget and business scale.
Important statistics on website design in Vietnam
74.51% of Vietnam's population uses the internet (We Are Social Digital 2024)
Ho Chi Minh City website design market grows 28% annually. SMEs investing in quality websites achieve an average ROI of 4.2 times after 12 months, according to VCCI 2023 survey.
What you will learn
- How to evaluate real portfolios instead of marketing brochures
- 3 common mistakes when choosing a design company
- Comparison table of 15 companies by 5 specific criteria
- Checklist of 7 safe contract signing steps
Criteria for evaluating reputable website design companies
1. Real-world experience and transparent case studies
Prioritize companies with at least 5 years of experience with SMEs. Example: Grok.vn has designed 1,247 websites since 2015, focusing on B2B manufacturing. Real case study: Vinbartools.com website increased organic traffic by 320% after 6 months (public Google Analytics data).
Limitation: Many agencies only show mockup demos, lacking measurement data. Check Google Analytics integration in the portfolio.
2. Technology and scalability according to the business
WordPress holds 64% CMS market share in Vietnam (W3Techs 2024). However, SMEs need custom themes supporting multilingual and CRM API integration.
Avoid companies using only free templates. Prioritize agencies with DevOps teams ensuring 99.9% uptime.
5-point evaluation framework
- View portfolio: At least 10 similar industry SME projects
- Check case studies: Specific traffic and conversion rate data
- Test demo: Request admin access to check backend UX
- Read reviews: Search on Google My Business, Facebook with check-in photos
- Compare quotes: Calculate expected ROI after 12 months
| Criteria | High quality | Average | Needs improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transparent portfolio | 50+ projects with live links + analytics | 10-20 demo projects | Photoshop mockup only |
| Technology used | Custom WP + Laravel + API ready | Template Astra + Elementor | Static HTML 2018 |
| Maintenance after handover | 12 months free + SLA 99.9% | 3 months basic | Hourly fee |
Top 15 reputable website design companies in Ho Chi Minh City 2026
Group 1-5: Enterprise level (Revenue 50-100 billion/year)
1. Grok.vn – 10 years experience, 1,247 projects. Strengths: AI chatbot integration, SEO on-page 95 Ahrefs score. Case study: Tiki Trading increased conversion 42% after 2023 redesign.
Weaknesses: High price (80-150 million), deployment time 45 days. Suitable for export businesses needing multi-language.
2. DTS Communication – Google Cloud partner. Strengths: Progressive Web App (PWA), load speed 1.8s. Limitations: Few B2C case studies.
Group 6-10: In-depth SME (Revenue 10-50 billion/year)
6. Sapo.vn – Sales platform integrated with ERP. Real case: Phuc Long coffee chain increased 180% mobile orders after 4 months. Strengths: All-in-one commerce.
Weaknesses: High templatization, hard to customize deeply. Price from 35 million suitable for F&B startups.
7. KiotViet.vn – Used by 150,000 businesses. Online revenue growth 250% for SMEs retail.
Group 11-15: Niche & Boutique Agency
11. Webico.vn – Real estate specialist. Case: Novaland.com redesign increased leads 67% Q1/2024. Competitive price 25-45 million.
12. Mona Media – Portfolio 800+ projects. Strength: UI/UX Figma prototype before signing contract.
Detailed comparison table of Top 5 by industry
| Company | Strengths | Disadvantages | Reference price | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grok.vn | AI integration, SEO 95 points | High price, slow implementation | 80-150tr | 45 days |
| Sapo.vn | ERP integration, in-depth F&B | Limited template customization | 35-60m | 20 days |
| DTS | PWA, speed 1.8s | Few B2C cases | 60-100m | 30 days |
| Webico | In-depth real estate | Narrow industry | 25-45m | 25 days |
| Mona Media | Figma prototype, 800+ projects | Weak post-handover support | 30-55tr | 25 days |
Real case study: 3 successful projects and lessons
Case 1: Vinbartools.com – Grok.vn (Manufacturing)
Challenge: Old website load 8.2s, bounce rate 73%. Solution: Laravel + Redis cache, mobile-first redesign. Result: Traffic +320%, bounce rate reduced to 41% after 6 months (public Google Analytics).
Lesson: Prioritize Core Web Vitals before beautiful design.
Case 2: PhucLong Coffee – Sapo.vn (F&B)
Challenge: Mobile orders only 12% total. Result: Increased to 180% after integrating Sapo POS + website. ROI time: 4 months.
Checklist for evaluating case study
- Check if live link is still working
- View Google Analytics public data if available
- Contact reference customer directly
- Measure speed with PageSpeed Insights
- Assess SEO score via Ahrefs/Semrush free tool
- If similar industry, prioritize top 3
How to negotiate website design contracts effectively
7 mandatory clauses
1. Source code ownership: 100% source code ownership after final payment. 2. 12 months free maintenance with SLA uptime 99,9%. 3. Milestone payment: 30-40-30%, only pay next after approving stage.
Smart price negotiation framework
- Get quotes from 3 agencies in the same segment → take the average as baseline
- Request detailed breakdown: Design/Dev/SEO/Content
- Propose to reduce 15% if signing additional Digital Marketing package
- Add penalty clause if delay >7 days/milestone
- Sign NDA to protect business ideas before design
Based on experience DPS.MEDIA serving 5,400 SMEs since 2017, clear contracts reduce 92% disputes after handover.
Common mistakes SMEs often make
- Choose the cheapest price (<15m) → poor quality, cannot scale
- No demo test → messy backend UX, employees cannot use
- Forget maintenance → website down frequently, lose customer trust
Conclusion: The right decision for your business
There is no “best” website design company for every business. F&B SMEs should prioritize Sapo/KiotViet (all-in-one commerce). Manufacturing choose Grok/DTS (custom tech stack). Real estate suitable for Webico/Mona.
5 final deciding factors:
- Budget: 25-45m (niche), 50-100m (enterprise)
- Industry: Choose agency with 5+ similar cases
- Timeline: 20 days (template), 45 days (custom)
- Team size: 5-10 devs to ensure quality
- Post-sale support: 12 months is minimum
Next action: Create shortlist of 3 companies, request detailed proposal and demo within 7 days.
