Golden Gate Group eyes expansion with US-based pho chain

The delegation held extensive discussions with Golden Gate Group’s leadership on expanding the portfolio of US products in the Vietnamese market. The talks covered food safety standards, advanced quality control processes, and emerging trends in the food and culinary sectors.

The visit also opened new avenues for trade collaboration, laying the groundwork for future import-export growth.

Golden Gate CEO Dao The Vinh revealed the company’s ambition to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the global stage, particularly to the US.

"We’ve long had plans to launch a chain of pho restaurants internationally, as we see growing demand from global consumers eager to experience authentic Vietnamese food," Vinh stated.

However, this vision comes with its own challenges, such as establishing a reliable supply chain and overcoming the difficulties of packaging and exporting their signature pho broth.

Vinh also noted that while pho has gained recognition abroad, the Vietnamese diaspora - its primary consumer base - remains relatively small compared to the Chinese and Japanese communities. "When it comes to global presence, pho has yet to achieve the visibility of Japanese ramen or Chinese cuisine," Vinh remarked.

He believes that it will take time for pho to gain greater prominence on the world culinary map, and as such, Golden Gate has not yet committed to a specific timeline for this expansion.

Golden Gate is not alone in these efforts. Earlier brands like Pho 24 and Pho Thin have ventured overseas but struggled to make a significant impact.

Meanwhile, Golden Gate has begun laying the groundwork for an international pho chain with the trial launch of its Pho Inn brand in Hanoi.

The company remains confident in Pho Inn’s potential success abroad, though it acknowledges that this is still an experimental phase.

"We don’t have a concrete plan yet. Golden Gate’s approach is to rigorously test before rolling out long-term strategies," Vinh emphasised.