Vietnam's first McDonald's opens in Ho Chi Minh City

 The wait is over for Ho Chi Minh City residents and travelers in need of a Chicken McNugget fix.

Vietnam's first McDonald's restaurant officially opened for business this weekend.

Located in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam's commercial center, the McDonald's branch has a 24-hour drive-through service and will feature the usual menu classics, plus some items to cater to local tastes (McPork, anyone?), according toVietnamese media.

The chain joins other Western fast food chains already present in the country such as Subway, Burger King and KFC, catering to an increasingly brand conscious local middle class.

Menu items at the McDonald's are priced at an average VND40,000-VND60,000 ($1.90-2.84).

MORE: Golden chains: 20 best franchises for travelers

With the addition of Vietnam, McDonald's now operates in 119 countries.

Last year, McDonald's announced that Nguyen Bao Hoang -- or Henry Nguyen as he's known in the West -- would be the developmental licensee for Vietnam to build the brand.

A businessman and son-in-law of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dun, Nguyen has experience in the trenches of the famed fast food chain.

Hundreds came out on February 8 to be among the first to try Vietnam's first McDonald's restaurant.

"I have been a big fan of McDonald's my whole life and have had so many wonderful experiences there, including one of my first jobs when I was a teenager," Nguyen said in a statement released by McDonald's announcing the deal.

"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."

MORE: Burgers challenge baguettes in French fast food stakes

Second branch to come

Although Nguyen has not unveiled detailed expansion plans, a second branch is soon to follow in HCMC (referred to as "Saigon" until 1975), reports Voice of Vietnam.

Global reaction to the opening is predictable, with media skeptical over whether Vietnamese will be keen to replace culinary classics like pho and banh mi with Big Macs and Fillet-O-Fish.

Though many on social media have lamented the introduction to Vietnam of a brand that many in the West equate with unhealthy lifestyles, the country already has its fair share of fast food chains.

These include Burger King, Subway, Domino's Pizza, Starbucks, Dairy Queen and KFC.

美國連鎖快餐企業麥當勞今天在越南開設了第1家餐廳。開幕首日，越南民眾蜂擁而至。據悉，1個大麥克漢堡售價約2.85美元，不過越南街頭都買得到的傳統河粉僅約1.50美元。


越南首家麥當勞開張

1個漢堡2.85美元

麥當勞這家分店開設在越南南部城市胡志明市奠邊府路。當天數百人在餐廳門口排起長隊，食客大多是年輕人，也有不少父母帶著兒童來就餐。　

40多年前越南戰爭結束時，美軍恰從舊稱西貢的胡志明市撤軍，如今麥當勞重返這一城市，是“追隨”漢堡王、星巴克、肯德基等其他美國企業的腳步，希望在越南富有的中產階級身上“撈金”。

麥當勞這家分店中，一個巨無霸漢堡的價格為2.85美元，而越南一碗普通河粉的價格大約是1.5美元。

越南知名經濟學家黎登營說，漢堡價位高，說明對消費者的定位是中產階級。

25歲的食客阮黃龍（音譯）說，他在美國加利福尼亞州留學時喜歡上快餐。“我喜歡快餐，不喜歡越南菜，不喜歡魚露……麥當勞在越南屬高檔餐館，在美國只是一般（的餐館）。”

黎登營說，越南人“仍然習慣吃大米和面條……不過麥當勞可能會根據市場作出調整”。