Dining out culture in Vietnam
Dining out, in many cases, is not a luxury but rather a necessity for many Vietnamese people, especially in bigger cities where a faster pace of life, long working hours, and commutes are more common. Besides casual dining restaurants, street vendors, the second most favored dining option among Vietnamese consumers in a 2022 survey, cater to a wide range of customers, from students to office workers, offering diversified menu options at reasonable prices. One can quickly grab a loaf of bánh mì on the go, sit down for a piping hot bowl of phở, or even for a barbeque dinner, all at street stalls.On the other hand, the growing middle class, urbanization, and higher living standards have boosted the patronage of full-service restaurants and fast-food outlets with thousands of locations across the country. Golden Gate, a restaurant chain corporation owning almost 400 full-service restaurants across Vietnam, recorded impressive growth in its consolidated revenue and profit in 2022 after two years of being impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown. Meanwhile, international fast-food chains, such as Lotteria, KFC, and Jollibee, had the most coverage among food service chains, despite struggling to gain profits in a market dominated by small local businesses.
