Live long and McProsper, at McDonald’s Vietnam.
Some readers may know that our Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa is in the process of touring McDonald’s branches around the world to try their unique menu items, like Hokkaido burgers and Milo shakes in Singapore. This time, she’s hit up the Vietnam-limited menu.
The new McDonald’s Vietnam menu featured a festive menu item that is said to bring good luck to the diner. It was released to celebrate the New Year in Vietnam, which falls at the end of January rather than the beginning.
This so-called Prosperity Beef Burger‘s name was so catchy that Ikuna thought it would sell out instantly if it were sold at a Japanese McDonald’s.
Wanting to boost her luck, Ikuna stopped by a McDonald’s in Hanoi to try it out. Despite being outside of Japan, Ikuna didn’t find many differences between the interior of the McDonald’s here and a McDonald’s back home.
She did think the “Hot & New” advertising was a standout feature, though.
The Prosperity Beef Burger set cost 89,000 Vietnamese dong, which translates to about 490 yen or US$3.70. A pretty good deal, Ikuna thought. She decided to go for the set.
But then she spotted “Lite Prosperity”! Ikuna couldn’t tell what was different between the two besides the buns and the toppings, but the Lite version cost 26,000 dong more.
She was also given the option to upgrade to large fries for 10,000 dong extra, which she happily agreed to. McDonald’s in Vietnam also has thin and straight French fries, like Japan, but the curly fries pictured were sold as a set with the Prosperity Burger. Maybe round fries bring more luck?
In total, her meal cost 110,500 dong: the burger, the large fries, and the drink included. Time to taste!
She was already getting a good feeling from the carefully wrapped Prosperity Burger.
When she opened it, she was greeted with sauce gushing out of the burger.
Under the top bun was some melty, gooey, stretchy cheese. It also included uncooked onion slices for a bit of bite.
A fried egg was nestled under the beef patty, its golden yolk a symbol of prosperity in and of itself.
When Ikuna took a bite, she was surprised to find it tasted almost exactly like a Teriyaki Burger from McDonald’s Japan. Had good luck been with her all along!? In any case, it was safe to say it suited her tastes.
The curly fries did, in fact, prove to be a symbol of good luck and prosperity, symbolizing the long, winding journey of life. Maybe it was because of the burger’s name, but Ikuna definitely felt her good fortune grow by the time her meal was done.
So if you find yourself in Vietnam and see this on the menu, Ikuna highly recommends it! It will resemble a taste of Japan, but you’ll get some good juju along with it. You might even enjoy it more than China’s Oreo and Spam Burger.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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