Thai Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City: Capital of Thainess, Existence and Trend

Abstract

This qualitative research entitled “Thai Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City: Capital of Thainess, Existence, and Trend” was conducted with 3 purposes: 1) to study the origin and development of Thai restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnamese government policy related to foreigner investor, 2) to examine the capital of Thainess in Thai restaurants andthe viewpoint about consumption of Thai food of the Vietnamese, and 3) to study the existence and the tendency of Thai restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.
The findings revealed that after Vietnam opened its country and implemented “Đổi Mới” economic reform in 1986 to promote foreign investment, Thailand was one of foreign countries investing in various kinds of business in Vietnam. Thai restaurant was one of businessesthat Thai investors invested in many cities, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. At the very beginning, Thai restaurants were opened to serve Thai people running business in the area.
Most Importantly, capital of Thainess was included into this kind of business and we could see it from the restaurants’ names, decoration, atmosphere, menu, service etc. The food, itself, seemed to be very welcomed by the Vietnamese. The southern Vietnamese especially considered Thai food as healthy food with preferable taste and pleasant savor.
In conclusion, Vietnamese government policy related to foreigner investors, capital of Thainess, economic, social, and technology development, and attitude of the Vietnamese toward Thai products and Thai food altogether had impact on the existence and thedevelopment of Thai restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.