Vietnamese cafe chain Viva Star Coffee is set to enter Malaysia, with its first store scheduled to open in October at Wyndham Acmar Klang.

The store is launching in partnership with local firm GinsengWorld Biotech Berhad. Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop the Viva brand in Malaysia, combining Viva’s experience in coffee sourcing, operations and franchise development with GinsengWorld’s local market capabilities.

“For Viva, franchising goes beyond expanding stores; it is about scaling a proven system and the values that drive it,” Viva Star Coffee founder and chair Le Thi Ngoc Thuy told Inside Retail.

“As we enter international markets, we value strong local partners who understand their market, culture and consumers, and have the capability to grow the business in their own country.”

Founded in Vietnam, Viva Star Coffee operates across the coffee value chain, spanning sourcing and production through to branding, retail operations and franchising. The company describes its model as “from our farm to your cup”, linking its coffee supply chain with its retail network.

The Malaysian launch follows Viva’s expansion into several overseas markets. The company entered Cambodia in 2018, its first market outside Vietnam, before expanding into Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China and India.

“Each market must be understood, respected and developed according to its own unique characteristics. As a result, our strategy has gradually evolved from the mindset of ‘taking a Vietnamese brand overseas’ to ‘building a platform with the capability to grow globally’,” Le added.

Viva has used franchising and local partnerships to support its overseas growth, combining its coffee sourcing and operational capabilities with local market knowledge.

The company has also developed different retail formats to support its broader growth strategy. Viva Reserve is positioned as a premium concept featuring a bar where customers can explore six coffee bean varieties and six brewing methods. Meanwhile, Viva Togo is a smaller-format, takeaway-focused concept designed around convenience and speed.

Beyond its retail network, Viva has also expanded its international reach through exports. In 2022, Japan was among its key export markets, alongside expansion into South Korea, the US, Czechia and Australia.

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