But are Hanoians really ‘lovin’ it? And what will be the effect on the bottom line?

Telling people what to do or think can be a mistake

It’s Valentine’s Day 2014, and a week after its grand opening the hottest restaurant in town is as busy as ever.

If last year’s market entry of Starbucks can be viewed as a prototype, then by the time you read this piece there will have been extraordinary queues outside McDonald’s. Using the Drive-Thru model to enter the Vietnamese market, images of motorbike logjams trailing back down Saigon’s Dien Bien Phu come to mind.

All the burger talk this past month has centred on McDonald’s long-awaited entrée into the chain-hungry Vietnamese market, with a three-property location and 24-hour drive-thru service in downtown Ho Chi Minh City set to debut after Tet. It’s a move that’s been years in the making.