Coffee holds a significant place in Vietnamese culture, and it is deeply ingrained in everyday life. Vietnamese people have a strong affinity for coffee, and it plays a central role in their social interactions and daily routines. We believe traditional café should take good business in Vietnam. However, according to the information from Euromonitor International, Starbucks got only 2% of Vietnam's $1.2bn coffee-drinking market in 2022. Why?
According to the writer of Thuong Le by BBC, the expensive Starbucks coffee cost is one of the reasons that making Starbucks not competitive than local coffee maker, but one major reason could be 100% Arabica coffee in Starbucks, but Vietnamese like Robusta coffee which is stronger bitter taste and more caffeine. And as we know, about 97% of the coffee Vietnam consumes every year - about 200,000 tons, or 2kg per person - is of the Robusta variety. It might explain the reason of coffee drinkers do not go to Starbucks, which doesn’t like “Coffee” in Vietnamese point of view.