"I visited some Starbucks outlets in the United States. I think Starbucks and Trung Nguyen share some similarities. But we are planning to make Trung Nguyen coffee shops with typical Vietnamese features, which reflect our culture, design and service style," he said.
His company is now negotiating with partners in 15 countries, including the US, Germany, Taiwan, Russia, Hong Kong, Australia and Canada, to offer the franchise, he said.
For the time being, Vu plans to stop franchising within Vietnam and concentrate instead on setting up 15 larger, luxury cafes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City which he believes would outshine Starbucks if, as seems inevitable, the coffee giant arrives in his country.
"We see Starbucks as a potential competitor in Vietnam and we are not afraid of competing with Starbucks," he said.
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