Trung Nguyen, Highlands Coffee vie for top spot in Vietnam

By Quang Tue September 9, 2022 | 06:00 pm PT

A Highlands Coffee shop in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Trang Bui

Trung Nguyen and Highlands Coffee are the leading coffee chains in Vietnam in terms of number of outlets, recognition, and popularity, a Q&Me survey has found.

The survey found that only Trung Nguyen and Highlands Coffee have more than 400 outlets in the country, far surpassing nearest competitor The Coffee House, which has 150.

Trung Nguyen is the most recognized and popular coffee chain, with 75% of 405 respondents saying they have been to it, and 34% saying they visit it most.

It is also the most popular chain outside of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and the most visited by those in their thirties and above, with good taste and prices cited as its main selling points.

However, Trung Nguyen’s staff and locations were evaluated among the lowest of all top chains.

Highlands Coffee, meanwhile, was more popular in the two major cities and visited the most by those in their twenties. It also has 503 outlets, 21 more than Trung Nguyen and is most praised for convenient locations.

Global coffee giant Starbucks did not fare well against its competitors in the survey. It only operates 79 stores, and just 6% of the respondents said they visit it the most.