Starbucks signs landmark partnership to scale inside Vietnam’s top destinations
A global coffee chain best known for city corners is moving deeper into Vietnam’s mountaintops, cable-car stations, and beachfront promenades. On August 23, 2025, at Sun World Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh, Starbucks inked a strategic agreement with Sun Hospitality & Entertainment Group (SHE) to expand across Sun Group’s hotels, resorts, and amusement parks nationwide.
The deal formalizes a model that’s already been tested. Starbucks currently runs four outlets inside Sun Group properties: Sun World Ba Na Hills in Da Nang, Sun Plaza in Sa Pa, Sun World Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh, and Sunset Town in Phu Quoc. Under the new exclusive chain partnership, that footprint will widen across Sun World destinations and other landmark Sun Group projects.
What makes this notable isn’t just store count. It’s where those stores will sit. Sun Group controls some of Vietnam’s most visited leisure assets—the places where domestic travelers and international tourists converge: hill stations, theme parks, cable-car hubs, and coastal town centers. For Starbucks, this places the brand in high-footfall locations that blend tourism, culture, and commerce, the same logic behind spots it has chosen in city icons like the Hanoi Post Office or beside Dalat Market.
The partners are going beyond real estate. The agreement includes co-branded product development, with plans for signature, locally inspired items aligned with Sun Group’s image. Expect joint marketing and social media campaigns, plus themed events such as Coffee Festivals staged inside Sun World destinations—think a mix of tasting pop-ups, limited-run merchandise, and programming tied to local culture and seasonal travel peaks.
SHE, part of Sun Group, describes the partnership as a way to raise service levels across its properties through tighter online and on-site coordination. That means guests checking into a Sun resort or arriving at a Sun World gate could see clearer offers, bundled promotions, and more consistent experiences—from breakfast coffee to late-afternoon pick-me-ups—integrated into the broader trip.
Why this matters for Vietnam’s tourism and the coffee market
Vietnam’s leisure sector has picked up momentum, driven by strong domestic travel and a steady return of international visitors. Sun Group has been at the center of that push, building destination infrastructure—Ba Na Hills’ mountaintop village, Sa Pa’s transport hubs and attractions, and the reinvention of Phu Quoc’s southern tip into a walkable coastal town. Placing a global brand inside that network gives both sides an obvious lift: Starbucks taps predictable tourist flows; Sun Group adds a familiar, consistent service touchpoint.
For travelers, this removes friction. Families navigating theme parks and cable-car lines want quick, reliable choices, and global coffee brands fit neatly into that routine. Business travelers mixing work and leisure, a rising trend in Vietnam, also benefit from standardized menus, payment, and a known place to pause between activities.
For Starbucks, the partnership hedges against the challenge of Vietnam’s crowded coffee market. Local chains like Highlands Coffee, The Coffee House, and Phuc Long dominate office districts and neighborhood corners. Sun Group’s destinations are different terrain: curated, controlled environments with heavy seasonal peaks and all-day traffic, from breakfast queues to sunset crowds. Access to those venues offers scale without fighting for every street corner lease.
Co-branded products matter, too. Visitors increasingly look for souvenirs with a sense of place. Drinks or merchandise tied to specific destinations—mountain motifs for Tay Ninh, coastal palettes for Phu Quoc—can travel well on social media and in luggage. Coffee Festivals add another layer, turning a routine purchase into an experience that fits the mood of a holiday or weekend escape.
The economics also line up. Destination venues have predictable flows thanks to ticketing and event calendars. That helps staffing, inventory, and marketing. On the developer side, known brands can raise dwell time and spend per visitor, while anchoring public spaces with recognizable service standards.
The signing site—Sun World Ba Den Mountain—underscores the strategy. Ba Den’s cable car has become a symbol of Sun Group’s approach: build access to dramatic natural settings and then layer hospitality and entertainment around it. Replicating that model with coffee and food partners is a logical next step.
Expect the rollout to prioritize prime vantage points: arrival plazas, transit nodes, scenic lookouts, and mixed-use promenades where tourism meets retail. The agreement signals a preference for landmark placements, similar to how Starbucks has sought out postcard-worthy urban spots in Vietnam’s big cities.
There is also a branding play at work. Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer, and while most of that is robusta aimed at export and local cafés, the country’s travel boom is turning coffee into part of the visitor journey. By pairing international familiarity with destination storytelling, the partnership rides both waves at once.
Guests should see benefits beyond a cup. Joint communications will likely show up in app notifications, hotel welcome materials, and on-site signage that stitch together itineraries—morning cable car, museum stop, late lunch, an afternoon latte during a performance or parade. Bundled offers could make it easier to plan a day without bouncing between separate platforms and promotions.
What isn’t spelled out yet is the exact number of new stores or a timeline. But the intent is clear: scale inside Sun Group’s network, create signature products that feel local, and use marketing muscle to turn each opening into an event. In a market where location and experience often decide winners, this gives both partners an advantage where it counts—at the moment of choice, when travelers are on the move and ready to buy.
