VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese fast food market has heated up after BBQ Vietnam announced the plan to open more shops, while McDonald’s has been intensively looking for Vietnamese partners.

Setting foot on the Vietnamese market in 2006, the South Korean BBQ Chicken brand has cemented its firm position there with the opening of a lot of new fast food shops in big cities.

BBQ Vietnam, which now has 13 shops in Hanoi, plans to set up 8-10 more in the city by 2013, especially on bustling streets such as Hai Ba Trung, Ly Thuong Kiet and Hang Bong. It is also conducting market surveys to serve the plan to open shops in the satellite cities around Hanoi, like Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh.

In 2015-2020, BBQ Vietnam would move towards to other big cities such as HCM City, Can Tho, Bien Hoa, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Hue, Da Nang and Nha Trang.

According to VietQ, a website of the national quality and standard directorate, there are three most popular restaurant models. Small restaurants have the small area of 30-90 square meters and have the investment rate of 54,000 dollars. Medium class ones (100-190 square meters) have the total investment capital of 83,000 dollars, while the big ones (more than 200 square meters) need 108,300 dollars.

When answering the questions of VietQ, Sim Hwang Jin, Director of BBQ revealed the ambitious plan to become the Number One in the Vietnamese fast food sector.

A senior executive of McDonald’s last week paid a working visit in Vietnam, which aimed to seek Vietnamese partners for franchising deals.

In fact, McDonald’s came to Vietnam several times in the past, but no official statement was made after the trips. However, people hope that more detailed information would be released this time.

Analysts believe that once McDonald’s joins the Vietnamese market, it would lead to the big changes on the market.

A representative of McDonald’s said the fast food giant is seeking the partners in Vietnam through some service providers in Asia. He also said that McDonald’s would be officially present in Vietnam in two years, while HCM City would be its first destination, where one or two shops would be set up.

The shops with McDonald’s brand would also appear in Hanoi, the biggest city in Vietnam. Meanwhile, in the long term development strategy of the fast food group, the number of McDonald’s shops in Vietnam may reach 100.

McDonald’s network has covered 119 countries and territories all over the world. The giant’s success has been brought by the strategy on exporting the business management model developed and tested in the US.

The fast food giant has also spent money and time to conduct market surveys to find out the specific tastes of different customers. Therefore, in every country where McDonald’s sets foot in, it offers the specific dishes that fit the native consumption habits.

In Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, for example, McDonald’s provides the drinks with durian favor. In India, pork is replaced with lamb. It plans to serve 2-3 new dishes that fit Vietnamese customers.

As such, after Starbucks Coffee, The Johnny Rockets, another US brand would be present in Vietnam, which promises the big changes in the fast food market which is now being dominated by KFC, Lotteria and BBQ.

There are three specific things in the Vietnamese fast food market. First, Vietnamese people choose fast food shops for the parties which last many hours.

Second, fast food is understood as cheap food products. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, they are very expensive.

Third, the market is being controlled by foreign chains.

Compiled by C. V