In 2004, though one in five households lived in poverty, per capita expenditures were steadily rising for all including the ethnic minorities. This has taken place even as Vietnam was posting strong economic growth in the past decade. In 2020, they accounted for 20 percent of that groups consumer spending and this will rise to nearly 25 percent in 2030. In Burberrys new flagship store in Beijings Sparkle Roll Plaza, for example, customers are surrounded by giant video screens for projecting fashion shows, musical performances, and elaborate holograms. It is easy to see the attraction. Reaching Next Mile aspirations:The millions who have escaped poverty over the last decade now need to continue climbing up to higher economic classes. Vietnam Le Labo, for example, hand blends perfumes in front of customers, enabling them to share in the experience of preparation. "It may be a mobile phone or a premium beer, or a credit card that suggests the owner travels internationally. Such material is made available in an effort to advance understanding of country or topic discussed in the article. As of 1 March 2019: 1 USD = 23,196.66 VND For many companies, the prospect of reaching a relatively niche market that is dispersed across a vast region with a wide variety of languages and cultures may seem daunting. But in Myanmar and Vietnam, it comprises only the established middle-class and affluent segments. HANOI In a recent survey by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Vietnam was found to have the fastest growing middle class in Southeast Asia. Vietnam "I'll never forget how we had to queue for any necessity during the (post-war) subsidised period," said retired teacher Tran Thi Hoa, 56, pushing her shopping trolley through Hanoi's new Citimart. Beneath the club's flash veneer though lurks the slightly troubling question of how people in their 20s and early 30s can afford such extravagance in one of the world's poorest countries. Other major crops are sugarcane, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), sweet potatoes, nuts, banana, coconut, mango, jackfruit, citrus, coffee and tea. A few doors down is the furniture business Cuong's mother helped him set up.