McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) is making its most ambitious push yet in Vietnam, with a plan to add about 100 outlets over the next three years. That would more than triple the restaurant company’s current presence in Vietnam and signal a renewed commitment to a market where its growth has lagged rivals.
The expansion drive in Vietnam by McDonald’s (MCD) focuses on broadening geographic reach beyond core urban centers and repositioning the chain away from a premium image toward more everyday, value-oriented consumption in a country where chicken-focused brands like KFC (YUM) and Lotteria have long dominated.
The fast-food giant’s Vietnamese story began with the 2014 opening of its first restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, operated by developmental licensee Henry Nguyen, a U.S.-educated entrepreneur and son-in-law of then–Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The debut outlet generated intense curiosity as one of the few 24/7, drive-thru concepts in the country at the time and helped position McDonald’s (MCD) as a modern, aspirational Western brand.
McDonald’s (MCD) currently operates restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Binh Duong, and Nha Trang, giving it a small but visible presence that can serve as a base for franchising and further rollouts.