The opening of McDonald’s first restaurant in Vietnam on Saturday drew massive crowds, as well as a live DJ, face painting and various performers.
Hundreds of people began camping out at the new location in Ho Chi Minh City hours before its 8 a.m. opening to get their first taste of a Big Mac and fries made in their own hometown, according to Liberty Voice.
Here’s a photograph of some of the lines snaking into the street:
The arrival of the fast food chain is seen as a sign of Vietnam’s rising wealth.
“Food industry experts say McDonald’s and other American fast-food brands typically market themselves in Asia as a lifestyle choice for the middle class, rather than as an inexpensive option for the poor, and that their Vietnam strategy is no exception,” according to The New York Times.
Vietnam’s per capita income rose to $1,550 in 2012 from $1,000 in 2008, according to the World Bank.
The new McDonald’s is the fast food chain’s first venture into a new southeast Asian market in two decades.
It’s also Vietnam’s first drive-thru restaurant.
