VietNamNet Bridge - Before opening its third restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, McDonald's announced that it had received its one-millionth customer after six months of operation in Vietnam.

A McDonald's Vietnam representative said that the figure was based on the data systems of its two restaurants in Ben Thanh and Da Kao, HCM City as of August 26. In the next few days, the fast-food company will launch its third store in District 6.

According to VnExpress online newswire, in the second quarter of 2014, McDonald's restaurants in Saigon were not as crowded as the first days. The scene of 5,000-6,000 people jostling in line to buy fast food during the opening day of the first shop in Da Kao did not occur on opening day of the second store near Ben Thanh Market.

Investors in food and breweries in the city say that even though services and facilities of McDonald's are modern, with the highest standard, it is very difficult to be successful in the diverse food market as Saigon.

Speaking to the media at the opening of the first restaurant, Nguyen Bao Hoang, who brought McDonald's to Vietnam, said he anticipated this scenario. Hoang admitted that despite being well-received in the early days, McDonald's challenge in this new market is not insignificant.

Answering questions about the long-term development plan in Vietnam, Hoang said: "In the Philippines, McDonald's has 400 stores, while in Singapore, which has a much smaller population compared to Vietnam, the number is 150. I believe that Vietnam can achieve high coverage but we should wait for the response of the market."

Vietnam is the first country that McDonald's has entered in the last 15 years (after Pakistan), and is the 38th country in Asia where the brand is present.

McDonald's has a presence in 119 countries across the globe. Vietnam is one of 65 markets in the world where McDonald's applies its franchise mode.

S. Tung