McDonalds in Vietnam
JW Sherman ponders the march of the golden arches
Fast food giant McDonald’s is slated to arrive in Vietnam this month, with the first store located at the top of Dien Bien Phu Street in District 1 and another at the intersection of Tran Hung Dao and Pham Ngu Lao. There have been numerous stories over the years as to why the chain has not entered the Vietnam market, from securing supplies to issues around their buy-and-lease-back property business model. The company itself said they have been waiting to find the right local partner to be the master franchisee.
Well, they certainly have that now, and, regardless of the reasons for the time it has taken, the fact is they are the latest entrant in a burgeoning fast food market. Look around, there seems to be a KFC on every other corner, Burger Kings have sprouted up all over Saigon seemingly overnight, Carl’s Jr, Popeye’s, Texas Fried Chicken and even Dunkin’ Donuts all have restaurants in Vietnam.
And yet the arrival of McDonald’s here has been greeted in some quarters as if it were the coming of the four horsemen. I’m not sure why this is. I mean, there is no shortage of international corporations doing business here. My only guess is that it is kind of a default reaction of the chattering classes who like to use McDonald’s as the symbol for all corporate evil. All the while chatting away on their Apple products made in Chinese sweatshops.
Sure, there are health concerns about eating too much fast food, but there is already enough food here, both western and Vietnamese, that must be consumed in moderation. There is a place for fast food, it’s convenient and we all indulge from time to time. It also just tastes good. Whenever my good wife and I touch down in another country we always make for a Mickey D’s to grab a burger. And it sure tastes a damn sight better than what you get at Lotteria.
But, it’s a treat, a once-in-a-while thing. I’m a believer in personal choice and personal responsibility, and, as such, I think people should be able to have a cheeseburger if they want. In the same way, if you over indulge, get fat, clog your arteries and have a heart attack, then you need to take responsibility for that.
Right about now some of you will be asking the ‘kids’ question. So, what about the kids? Last time I checked parents were responsible for their kids, so same goes. Keep it to an occasional treat and there isn’t really a problem.
There is also a somewhat troubling element to the criticism of McDonald’s coming to Vietnam, particularly from the expatriate community. Even if it is unconscious, the argument that McDonald’s is ”bad for Vietnam” carries the implication that the people of this country are not capable of managing the responsibility of living in an environment with corporatised fast food, and therefore are better off not having the choice in the first place.
I can’t help but detect a whiff of condescension in such arguments. If some folks overdo the fast food and suffer the consequences, well, Vietnam will be no worse or better than every other country in the world where these establishments operate. But the people should be free to choose.
JW Sherman is an American management consultant who has been living in Southeast Asia for more than 20 years.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of AsiaLIFE’s editorial team or management. To contact directly mail jwshermanator@gmail.com
JW, you have a valid point of view. Nice article. Yes McD has become a bit of an icon of the junk food industry and a whipping boy by many. To be fair, they did do their best to bring it on…remember who it was that put super-sized cash into a super-sized marketing campaign called “Super Size Me”? Perhaps McD is just living out some corporate karma?
As for already having lots of fast food corps in VN, yup that’s true too. Like most things in life, moderation is key. Now, one concern about the concept of moderation, with so much junk food available is that rather than meaning “eat junk food once in a while” the behavior in developing societies often turns out to be eat a burger once in a while + fried chicken once in a while + pizza once in a while which starts to add up to eating a lot of junk food every week. No surprise we end of with lots of + sized clothing on store racks! And let’s not even get into the talk about loss of native culture!
I’m also a believer in personal choice and personal responsibility, JW. Totally agree. Have that cheeseburger, even super-size it if that turns you on. Of course the unavoidable societal consequence of that personal freedom and “sell-them-what-we-can-make-them-want” philosophy is that when citizens of society indulge in unhealthy eating habits it ends up being society as a whole that picks up a lot of the tab for the health consequences that inevitably follow. Last time I checked, in our “free societies” there isn’t an opt-out choice (at least legally) for picking up that tab. Yes, parents are responsible for their kids. It should be that way. But once again, when little Thuy grows into an obese adult, based in large part on poor choices of the parent in those formative years it is society that picks up a lot of the tab, monetarily and otherwise.
It is indeed a troubling element as you stated, JW that there seems to be an implication (on the part of expats) that the people of this country are not capable of managing the responsibility of living in an environment with corporatized fast food, and therefore are better off not having the choice in the first place. In fact, there is NO reason whatsoever that we should think Vietnamese should have ANY problem managing the responsibility of living in such an environment. All we have to do is look at the Western world, especially such an advanced country as the US to see how easy it is!
“If some folks overdo the fast food and suffer the consequences, well, Vietnam will be no worse or better than every other country in the world where these establishments operate.” This is a very accurate observation, JW. Now, if you also observe, the state of most developed countries in the world isn’t in terribly good shape and much of the problem comes from diminishing health and its direct and indirect costs. And adding more and more countries to the pile of troubled countries is not a very strong argument for Laissez-faire.
We can take the argument of the right to do what we want further and further if you like, JW. I should have the right to smoke in my office if I will be responsible for paying my doctor bills when I get sick (oh, YOU might end up with doctor bills too?) I should be able to drive as fast as I want and will take responsibility and pay the price if I screw up (oh, will that help the psychological misery of the family of the kid who ran into the street in front of my speeding car?). I understand I will go to jail (hopefully) if I commit rape. I accept that responsibility (doesn’t help much the girl though, does it). I know I am exaggerating the point, JW. Yes, people should be free to choose. It just so happens that there isn’t a society on the planet where people REALLY have the total right to choose.
As wise men have said over time, with great freedom comes great responsibility. This not only holds true for the people citizens, it also holds true for corporate citizens. And corporate citizens must live by an even higher standard. 1 individual (a normal citizen) can influence how many people by their actions and choices? 1 corporate citizen (for instance McD) influences a great many more individuals, with much more opportunity for “personal” gain. Therefore it should have a much greater responsibility. For a corporate citizen to hide behind a fair claim to individual rights is a bit …irresponsible and phony.
JW, while you find it somewhat troubling that so much of the expat community is criticizing McD as they finally arrive in Vietnam I see this as a real show that more and more people in the West are realizing that we have a world-wide health problem and that our eating habits are a big part of it. I would say this is even taking greater personal responsibility! Also, at least partly due to that criticism McD is now supposedly investing in more sustainable types of agriculture for sourcing supplies. We can all be glad, burger lovers and vegans alike if this is truly happening.
Of course, no matter what side of the issue we are on, you and I aren’t going to stop the wheel of evolution, JW. A curious part of human beings is the seeming need to reinvent the wheel over and over again. History does indeed repeat. No matter it seems that people in a developed society have learned from certain mistakes. Those in emerging societies inevitably appear to need to go through the exact same growing pains. But for an individual or a corporation to take advantage of this apparent reality for their own profit motives, is irresponsible, condescending and a poor use of freedom of choice.
I could begin a long science-base explanation here of why nobody should visit those golden arches. Instead, I’ll just sum it all up with this so there are no misunderstandings:
Burn it! Burn it with fire before it multiplies and kills unsuspecting victims!!
Well written Mr Guy. In addition, it is not the fact that they mix cellulose into the meat, it is Mac Donald’s years of extensive marketing targeting children that is the source of their corporate greed moniker.
Mr. Sherman, not so well done sir. I do not have or have ever had an iphone nor do I ever buy ANY products from China. Thinking back on my life, I can say that I have been to Mac Donald’s at least 3 times, but surely less than 10. Obviously I am not a fan. When going on long trips alone, with family or with friends, we would most likely stop and eat at a diner. But if keeping to the road was a priority, then Naugles, Del Taco, In&Out, Burger King in that order. Fried chicken is too hard/messy to eat while driving. Mac Donald’s is not on the list. Meaning we would go hungry rather than eat there. My friends and family feeling as I do, Mac Donald’s food is rubbish as are there business practices. I admit that they are popular, their marketing campaign is effective. Then again, Most people voted for George Bush. What do Most people know? Is it possible that a large percentage of the expat community here is here because they like the scene? A scene that includes neither Starbucks nor Mac Donald’s. And that this group of people may also resent those that are “here” and wish to make it the same as “there”. Please enjoy your next Mac Donald’s burger on your next home. I hope that it is soon.
2Dear Asia Life, Please hire Mr. Guy Gonyea. This Guy writes cogently.
It seems the comments are based in the country that the postee originated from where everyday foods are already very high in calories. People forget that the fast food places in VN are seems as middle to high end dining out places. The prices of the food are above and beyond a normal working class person can afford. Only people from upper middle class upwards can afford to eat at those places. Besides, Asians food are low in calories and nutrition, so having these foods every so often can help to increase the nutritional value intake. For comparison, look at other Asian country of similarity or better economically to VN. They have thousands of American fast food, but you don’t see them having overweight kids problems in school and colleges…. To conclude, western food are high in dairy, protein and calories, whereas Asians food are not, so fast food high calories compliments it. As an Asian growing up in a western society all my youth, living and working in VN, I try to eat western food, including junk food at least once a week to upkeep the high calories intake that I’m used to that Vietnamese food don’t have….