Starbucks opened its 100th store in Vietnam on the weekend in Hanoi’s West Lake district, Vietnam News is reporting. It’s taken Starbucks ten years to get to this point on average opening only ten stores a year. For comparison, it opened more than 6,500 stores in China over 24 years or an average of 270 stores a year.
Why it matters: There are probably a lot of reasons Starbucks has expanded relatively slowly in Vietnam, but one particular point stands out. Vietnam has its own unique coffee culture and in similar markets where coffee is a cultural practice–think Italy or Australia–Starbucks has also struggled to penetrate the market. This begs the question: how much bigger can Starbucks get in Vietnam?
Some food for thought, Starbucks stores vs population
| First Store | Population | Starbucks | Pop to Starbucks | |
| Italy | 2018 | 59,000,000 | 25 | 1:2,360,000 |
| Australia | 2000 | 26,000,000 | 66 | 1:393,939 |
| Vietnam | 2013 | 100,000,000 | 100 | 1:1,000,000 |
| USA | 1971 | 332,000,000 | 16,095 | 1:20,627 |
See also: How to Open a Cafe in Vietnam: Ultimate Guide 2023