Vietnamese cafe chain Viva Star Coffee will open its first Malaysian outlet in October at Wyndham Acmar Klang through a partnership with local firm GinsengWorld Biotech Berhad.
Under the agreement, GinsengWorld will manage local operations while the Vietnamese group provides coffee sourcing, store formats and franchise systems developed over two decades in its home market.
Franchise formats and supply chain
Founded in Vietnam, Viva Star Coffee operates an integrated farm-to-cup model that spans bean cultivation, roasting, packaged exports and retail outlets. The chain relies on local master franchisees to scale across international borders rather than building corporate-owned store networks from scratch.
Its retail lineup includes Viva Reserve, a higher-ticket format featuring six bean varieties and six brewing methods at a dedicated bar, alongside Viva Togo, a compact concept built for fast-service takeaway orders.
Beyond store counters, the brand exports packaged coffee to South Korea, the United States, Czechia, Australia and Japan, where it established distribution channels in 2022.
Regional coffee push into Malaysia
Malaysia gives Viva Star Coffee its seventh overseas market since beginning its international push in Cambodia in 2018. The company has since added operations in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China and India.
Southeast Asian coffee operators are competing aggressively across each other’s home territories. Vietnamese chains such as Cong Ca Phe and Viva Star Coffee are taking their robusta-heavy menus into urban Malaysia and Indonesia, where local incumbents and international giants already fight for retail mall footfall and office lunch traffic.
All eyes turn to the October opening in Klang, which will test how Viva Star Coffee’s franchise pricing and roast profiles compete against established domestic tea and coffee chains.