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CULTURAL WINDOW
A
fter standing in the queue
at the Starbucks on Ba Trieu
street, Nguyen Thanh Trung, a
39 year old businessman who
often starts his day with a cup of strong
black coffee at Nang or Lam Cafe, told
Timeout he was curious to see why it
had crated such a stir: “I don’t know
what others think, but I feel very un-
comfortable when I queue up to wait
for a cup of coffee that does not fit my
appetite. It reminds me of my childhood
in the subsidized period, waiting in line
after school to buy meat, fish, tofu,
vegetables, rice and fuel for my parents
who were busy at work.”
In contrast, Phan Thu Huong, a pro-
ject manager at Children of Vietnam
NGO, was excited to wait in line with
her friends. “When Starbucks opened its
first stores in Ho Chi Minh City, I headed
there right from the airport. I feel more
confident and a bit proud when more
and more global brands set their busi-
nesses in Vietnam,” she said.
After a year running eight stores
in Ho Chi Minh City, Starbucks opened
its first Hanoi outlet at the Lan Vien
Hotel on the corner of Ly Thuong Kiet
and Hang Bai streets. The second one
opened on Ba Trieu street and the third
is housed in the Hanoi Press Club.
Compared to Saigon, where queues
snaked around the block on opening
day, the first day of operation in Hanoi
was rather subdued. This may be be-
cause Hanoi has its own rich culture of
coffee, with locals who are passionate
about strong brews and family-owned
coffee shops.
“In the past, I would have said it’s
a shame to see so many flocking into
the new cafe, not for real coffee, but
for sweet syrups and whipping cream.
But now I understand and have sympa-
thy for them - these venues are for the
youth who are curious about new and
strange things coming from the USA,”
said another customer.
Patricia Marques, general manager
of Starbucks Vietnam, told Timeout: “At
the heart of the experience are the
passionate, knowledgeable partners,
who proudly wear the iconic Starbucks
green apron every day – and are key to
our continued success in Vietnam.”
“At Starbucks, we are always looking
to engage our customers in a meaningful
and relevant way that adds value to their
personal Starbucks experience. There is
no one type of Starbucks customer, and
in Hanoi, we look forward to welcoming
customers to our stores and engaging in
individual moments of connection over
coffee,” Marques continued.
She added: “We are excited and at
the same time humbled by the chal-
lenges to navigate a market like Hanoi
that has a rich coffee heritage. Our
pursuit of quality and excellence and
the emotional bond we have formed
with our customers has earned us their
trust, and we will work to earn the same
trust with customers in Hanoi. We know
that coffee is such a big part of culture
in Vietnam, and customers often like to
spend time with their friends and family
in a coffeehouse environment. And this
is exactly what we strive to create in
each of our stores. Our stores in Hanoi
are designed to bring together custom-
ers and the community in a way that is
reflective of their individual locations
and neighborhoods.”
in Hanoi
Starbucks
With the opening of three stores in Hanoi, Starbucks is aggressively expanding in
a city that is famed for its coffee fanatics.
Duc Hanh
visited one of the new stores,
gathering views from customers and staff.