Are supermarkets poor-friendly? Scientific literature offers a controversial answer to this question, and this study compares the viewpoints of different authors for the case of Vietnam. Surveys of the access of poor consumers, traders and farmers to different food retailing points in the country's main cities show that supermarkets are not adapted to the specific constraints of poor consumers. Street vending and informal markets generate more employment than supermarkets, especially for the poor. Poor farmers have no direct access to supermarkets because of the high volume, stringent payments and quality requirements they impose. Recommendations aimed at maintaining the diversity of retail trade and supporting supermarket access for poor producers emerge from this analysis.