Jollibee exits Vietnamese noodle house Pho 24

By Tri Duc
Thu, May 11, 2023 | 12:04 pm GMT+7

The Philippines' Jollibee Foods Corp. said it is exiting the Vietnamese noodle chain venture Pho 24 as it has agreed to transfer its assets to Vietnam-based firm East-West Restaurant Concepts.

 A Pho 24 restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of Pho 24.

A Pho 24 restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of Pho 24.

East-West Restaurant Concepts is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Viet Thai International JSC.

In a stock exchange filing on Wednesday, Jollibee said its franchise agreement for the operation of Pho 24 restaurants in the Philippines was terminated. Pho 24 now operates 14 stores and one factory in Vietnam, Jollibee added.

In 2021, Jollibee said it would open 100 Pho 24 stores in the Philippines.

With the move, Jollibee will concentrate on building and growing new businesses, including Chinese restaurant chains Tim Ho Wan, Japanese beef bowl Yoshinoya restaurants, and Taiwanese bubble tea Milksha brand.

Pho 24 opened its first restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2003, as an elevated dish, versus its traditional format of street food. In November 2011, Ly Qui Trung, the founder, sold all his shares to Viet Thai International JSC for $20 million. Later on, Viet Thai sold a 50% stake to Jollibee for $25 million.

In Vietnam, Jollibee runs chicken restaurant Jollibee, coffee chain Highlands Coffee, and coffee store The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Highlands Coffee, with 609 stores as of January 2023, is the most successful, reporting post-tax profits between VND46.7 billion ($2 million) and VND99.8 billion ($4.25 million) yearly between 2016 and 2022. It recorded a post-tax loss of VND19 billion ($809,459) in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Comments (0)
  • Read More
Trung Nam Group's solar power arm suffers $37 mln loss amid rising debt pressure

Trung Nam Group's solar power arm suffers $37 mln loss amid rising debt pressure

Trung Nam Thuan Nam Solar Power Company Limited, a subsidiary of the multi-sector Trung Nam Group, incurred a net loss of VND969 billion ($36.83 million) in 2025, reversing a profit of VND138.2 billion ($5.35 million) a year earlier, according to its 2025 earnings statement.

Companies - Sat, May 9, 2026 | 3:01 pm GMT+7

French firms eye Vietnam’s North-South high-speed railway project

French firms eye Vietnam’s North-South high-speed railway project

A delegation of 15 major French companies and industrial groups has expressed interest in participating in Vietnam’s planned North-South high-speed railway project.

Infrastructure - Sat, May 9, 2026 | 2:38 pm GMT+7

Grocery chain Bach Hoa Xanh opens 1st store in Hanoi, takes cautious northern Vietnam expansion approach

Grocery chain Bach Hoa Xanh opens 1st store in Hanoi, takes cautious northern Vietnam expansion approach

Bach Hoa Xanh, a grocery chain operated by Vietnam’s leading retailer Mobile World Investment Corporation (HoSE: MWG), has opened its first store in Hanoi, marking entry into one of the country’s most competitive consumer markets.

Companies - Sat, May 9, 2026 | 8:17 am GMT+7

Intel to continue expanding investment in Vietnam: exec

Intel to continue expanding investment in Vietnam: exec

U.S. chipmaker Intel will continue expanding investment, supporting workforce training, and helping develop Vietnam’s semiconductor ecosystem as the country refines investment support mechanisms to retain large-scale high-tech projects, said its executives.

Industries - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 7:48 pm GMT+7

Vietnam stocks extend rally to fresh record high

Vietnam stocks extend rally to fresh record high

Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index extended gains for a fourth straight session on Thursday, closing at a new all-time high of 1,915.37 points as large-cap banking and property stocks supported the market despite continued foreign selling.

Finance - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 5:49 pm GMT+7

Vingroup’s VinMetal partners with Primetals for green steel complex in central Vietnam

Vingroup’s VinMetal partners with Primetals for green steel complex in central Vietnam

Vingroup’s subsidiary VinMetal has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with global steel giant Primetals Technologies to develop a large-scale integrated steel complex in central Vietnam.

Industries - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 4:25 pm GMT+7

Hanoi pushes Sumitomo, BRG to accelerate $4.2 bln smart city project

Hanoi pushes Sumitomo, BRG to accelerate $4.2 bln smart city project

Hanoi authorities have asked Japan’s Sumitomo and local conglomerate BRG Group to quicken the progress of the North Hanoi Smart City project as soon as legal procedures are finalized.

Real Estate - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 3:31 pm GMT+7

Moody's Ratings upgrades MBBank's deposit ratings to Ba2 from Ba3, outlook stable

Moody's Ratings upgrades MBBank's deposit ratings to Ba2 from Ba3, outlook stable

Moody’s Ratings (Moody’s) has announced an upgrade of the local currency and foreign currency long-term deposit and issuer ratings for Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB, HoSE: MBB) from Ba3 to Ba2, aligning with Vietnam’s sovereign rating (Ba2 positive). The outlook remains "Stable."

Banking - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 3:00 pm GMT+7

Vietnam welcomes leading Indian groups to expand energy, infrastructure cooperation: top leader

Vietnam welcomes leading Indian groups to expand energy, infrastructure cooperation: top leader

Vietnam is ready to create favorable conditions for capable Indian corporations and businesses to expand investment and operations in the country in line with its laws, while ensuring transparency and balanced interests among stakeholders, said Vietnam’s Party chief and President To Lam.

Economy - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 1:59 pm GMT+7

Vietnam airport operator ACV records slows disbursement for Long Thanh mega-airport project

Vietnam airport operator ACV records slows disbursement for Long Thanh mega-airport project

Airports Corporation of Vietnam's (ACV) slow disbursement for the Long Thanh International Airport project, located in the southern province of Dong Nai, highlights implementation bottlenecks despite the company's strong profitability in Q1/2026 and substantial cash reserves for the country's largest aviation infrastructure project.

Companies - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 1:41 pm GMT+7

Vietnam property developers shift to asset-holding strategy for stable cash flow

Vietnam property developers shift to asset-holding strategy for stable cash flow

Vietnamese property developers are increasingly shifting away from the traditional build-to-sell model and focusing instead on accumulating long-term assets capable of generating stable recurring income, as the industry adapts to lessons learned from the market downturn of 2022-2023.

Real Estate - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 12:07 pm GMT+7

Vietnamese, Indian firms exchange 27 agreements on aviation, tourism, logistics, technology

Vietnamese, Indian firms exchange 27 agreements on aviation, tourism, logistics, technology

Vietnamese and Indian firms on Thursday exchanged 27 cooperation agreements aimed at boosting trade, investment, tourism and training between the two countries, thereby making bilateral partnership deeper, more practical and effective.

Economy - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 11:13 am GMT+7

MBBank ranks among Vietnam's leading lenders for SME working capital in key industries

MBBank ranks among Vietnam's leading lenders for SME working capital in key industries

Military Bank (MB) has emerged as one of Vietnam’s leading providers of working capital financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in key economic sectors, according to National Credit Information Center (CIC) data.

Banking - Fri, May 8, 2026 | 8:56 am GMT+7

Hanoi eyes massive replanning of Red River corridor, relocation of riverside communities

Hanoi eyes massive replanning of Red River corridor, relocation of riverside communities

Hanoi plans to gradually relocate and reorganize all residential areas outside the Red River dike system as part of an ambitious urban redevelopment strategy aimed at transforming both banks of the river into a new economic and cultural corridor for the capital.

Economy - Thu, May 7, 2026 | 5:04 pm GMT+7

Thaco, VinFast, TC Group urge Vietnam gov't to keep auto sector under conditional business rules

Thaco, VinFast, TC Group urge Vietnam gov't to keep auto sector under conditional business rules

Vietnam’s three major domestic automotive corporations - Thaco, VinFast and TC Group - have urged the government to maintain automobile manufacturing, assembly and import activities within the list of “conditional business sectors,” warning that deregulation could weaken the country’s long-term industrial strategy and expose local producers to unfair competition.

Economy - Thu, May 7, 2026 | 4:09 pm GMT+7

Prudential Vietnam remits $194 mln in retained earnings to parent company

Prudential Vietnam remits $194 mln in retained earnings to parent company

Prudential Vietnam transferred over VND5.1 trillion ($194 million) in retained earnings to its parent company, Prudential Corporation Holdings, earlier this year, according to disclosures in its 2025 financial statements.

Finance - Thu, May 7, 2026 | 3:33 pm GMT+7