McDonald's announced plans on Tuesday to open its first restaurant in Vietnam, making it the latest U.S. brand to move into the communist country that was once at war with the United States.
There are already other popular Western consumer brands, like Starbucks, Subway and Pizza Hut in Vietnam.
McDonald's first restaurant in Vietnam is planned to open in Ho Chi Minh City in early 2014. The menu will include the brand's signature items such as the Big Mac.
McDonald's new franchise owner in Vietnam will be Henry Nguyen, a Vietnamese businessman who was born in Vietnam but came to the United States as a child with his family. He attended Harvard University as an undergraduate and received a medical and business degree from Northwestern University, the company said.
"I have dreamed of one day opening a McDonald's restaurant in my native country ever since my return to Vietnam more than a decade ago," Mr. Nguyen said. "I have been in contact with McDonald's over the years sharing the opportunity that exists in our country."
McDonald's operates in more than 100 countries across the world, including 38 in Asia. Vietnam is one of more than 65 markets worldwide where the McDonald's Development Licensee (DL) structure has been deployed. The developmental license model is a form of franchising that McDonald's has been using for more than 30 years.
