On March 18, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety issued a fine of VND146 million ($6,549) to South Korean fast food store-Lotteria Vietnam and three of its restaurant units due to violating food safety regulations, according to nld.com.vn.

Notably, Lotteria Vietnam at the seventh floor of Paragon Building in District 7 and three of its restaurant units at Thu Duc district and District 9 violated food safety regulations  leading to poisoning, maintaining an unhygienic food processing section, as well as operating without a certification of safe food, and proper equipment for food preservation.

On March 12,  60 workers of Sonion Vietnam Co., Ltd., a Danish company operating at the Saigon High-Tech Park, showed signs of food poisoning, such as nausea and vomiting and diarrhea after having a lunch consisting of beef, omelette, and vegetable soup, provided by Lotteria.

A total of 60 workers had to be rushed to hospitals in District 9 and the neighbouring Thu Duc district.

On December 23, 2014, the Hanoi unit of the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) collected four samples of food and beverage at the Lotteria store in Nui Truc street in Ba Dinh district, following complaints from local customers that the place serves unhygienic food.

Test results found that the lemon tea sample was tainted with coliform and the cacao milk had an excessive amount of enterobacteriaceae, causing diarrhoea.

Thus, a fine of VND4 million ($179) was imposed on the store for selling substandard food.

Lotteria, a subsidiary of multinational food and shopping corporation Lotte Co., Ltd., was founded in February 1972 by Korean entrepreneur Shin Jun Ho.

The franchise is currently present in China, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Its menu includes typical fast-food items, such as burgers, fried chicken, chicken wings, and chicken fingers.