Filipino cafe chain Figaro will open first cafe in Vietnam before the end of next year.

Figaro describes its model as European-style cafes catering to discerning coffee lovers. Besides coffee, it offers pastries, salads, rice meals, pizza, pasta, bakes, sandwiches, among others.

Vietnam will be joining the company’s international markets including China, Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea, Dubai and Malaysia.

The newcomer will face a challenge establishing a foothold in what is becoming an intensely fought battle for coffee drinkers in the two main cities. Starbucks’ arrival is imminent, home grown chain Trung Nguyen is rolling out new upmarket franchised stores in downtown Ho Chi Minh City at a rate of almost one a week and foreign chains Gloria Jean’s and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf have already established beachheads there.

It remains unclear where Starbucks will make its debut with the latest rumour a site near the New World Hotel on the edge of the CBD.

GB