Major beverage firms intensify global goals

Vietnamese beverage chains are accelerating their expansion into international markets to expand their scale and increase brand value.

- By Oanh Do

Trung Nguyen Legend, the beverage brand with the largest number of stores in Vietnam, opened its first store in Taiwan three weeks ago, marking a shift from an indirect presence through retail channels to a direct operating model in oversea markets.

Trung Nguyen coffee has been available in Taiwan since 2012 through supermarkets and convenience stores, but can only now offer a complete consumer model.

Ha Giang, communications director at Trung Nguyen Legend Group, said that in addition to traditional Vietnamese filter coffee and its variations, the store in Taiwan also serves Vietnamese food such as pho and banh mi, aiming to spread Vietnamese culture.

“We plan to open at least four new stores, including locations in downtown Taipei,” she said. “We also aim to develop around 100 stores in the United States.”

As of the end of last year, Trung Nguyen owned approximately 1,110 coffee shops globally. The number of the brand’s stores in China has exceeded 20, mainly located in major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Dongxing.

The corporation plans to rapidly increase its number of retail locations, aiming for 130 stores in China and 100 stores in the US, following its launch in Houston in March of this year.