Hite Jinro Co., South Korea’s leading beer and distilled rice liquor ‘soju’ manufacturer, will open its first soju bar in Vietnam with an aim to expand its soju-specialty bar franchise business in the country.

Hite Jinro said on Monday that it will open its first soju bar in Hanoi, capital city of Vietnam, on Tuesday. The company’s move to open a soju bar comes after soju sales in Southeast Asia have surged thanks to popularity of Korean culture. The company expected its new business would help it further expand its presence in the Vietnamese liquor market.

The company had run a pop-up soju bar for three months in Vietnam last year before the official launching of the soju bar. To ensure success of the new bar business, Hite Jinro has designed its first official soju bar in Vietnam to incorporate Korean and Vietnamese tastes based on what it had learned from running the temporary bar in the Southeast Asian country. Also, it has joined hands with a Vietnam-based Korean restaurant chain operator that runs eight outlets in the region.

The Korean liquor maker plans to open its second soju bar next year and add 18 or more bars by 2020 in a bid to start a soju bar franchise in Vietnam.

The company hopes to lead the fast-growing soju market in Vietnam through the bar franchise, said Ahn Joo-hyun, head of Hite Jinro’s Vietnamese office.

By Lee Hee-soo

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]