There were nearly 2,500 Japanese restaurants in Vietnam in 2020, more than triple the 770 restaurants in 2015, Matsumoto Nobuyuki, chief representative of the office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City, said last Friday.

At a ceremony to introduce the Food & Hotel Vietnam 2022, an international fair for the food and hospitality sector, the JETRO chief representative reported that among the 2,500 Japanese restaurants in Vietnam, 1,180 were opened in Ho Chi Minh City.

The metropolis is home to the highest number of Japanese restaurants in Vietnam.

Bosses of half of these restaurants are Japanese, while the remaining were opened by Vietnamese people or in association with Japanese partners.

Nobuyuki added that the statistics were produced before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After the pandemic, the figures may change. However, some restaurants closed but new ones were opened, meeting market demand, he added. 

JETRO’s survey also showed that 90 percent of the customers of Japanese restaurants are Vietnamese although these restaurants initially aimed to serve Japanese people living and working in Vietnam.

The mushrooming of Japanese restaurants is seen not only in Vietnam but also other countries in the region.

Japan’s dishes are highly evaluated for their nutritional balance, tastiness, freshness, and high quality.

“Many people choose Japanese restaurants to not only enjoy dishes but also experience the Japanese culture and lifestyle, which are featured in the architecture and space of the restaurants,” Nobuyuki told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The increase in the number of Japanese restaurants in Vietnam has sent the consumption of Japanese food materials surging. The number of suppliers of Japanese food has risen significantly over the past few years.

Jeffrey Au, head of the International Sales Office Asia at Informa Markets, the organizer of the Food & Hotel Vietnam 2022, said the event, slated to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from December 7 to 9, will gather prestigious suppliers and potential customers to expand the food and beverage market in Vietnam and attract Japanese suppliers to the Southeast Asian country.

Some 300 local and foreign enterprises will display their products, including confectionery, tea, coffee, food, beverages, equipment in hospitality, and packaging materials.

Twenty-two international pavilions from Germany, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Spain, the U.S., and Canada will be displaying their products.

“Spending on food and beverages currently accounts for the largest proportion of Vietnamese’s monthly expenditures, at 35 percent," Au said.

"The proportion tends to rise further in the 2022-25 period.

“The growth will open up a thriving future for the food, restaurant, and hotel sector in Vietnam."

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