Since opening its first restaurant in 2003, PHO24 has helped pioneer the modern branded pho concept in Vietnam by combining authentic Vietnamese pho, quality ingredients, and modern fast-casual dining. Built around a signature broth made with 24 carefully selected ingredients and traditionally slow-simmered for eight hours, PHO24 is now expanding its franchise platform into selected international markets with qualified franchise partners.
Speaking with World Franchise Associates, Dan Thai Phi, Head of Franchising for PHO24 within East-West Restaurant Concepts (VTI), discusses the brand’s international franchise strategy, operating system, franchise development approach, and vision for bringing the Taste of Vietnam to guests around the world.
How long have you been in your current position and what are your key responsibilities?
I currently serve as Head of Franchising for PHO24 within East-West Restaurant Concepts (VTI), while also overseeing franchising activities for Highlands Coffee, one of Vietnam’s leading coffee chains with a network of over 1,000 stores. My responsibility is to develop and scale franchise platforms across domestic and international markets.
My role covers franchise strategy, market development, partner identification and selection, commercial structuring, restaurant economics, new store opening readiness, and franchise governance, with a strong focus on building scalable franchise systems supported by a clear brand proposition, attractive and repeatable unit economics, and the capability to consistently train, support, and govern franchise partners.
Equally important is understanding what franchise investors need and translating those insights into a compelling franchise offering that attracts the right partners and supports long-term success.
For me, successful franchising is not about maximizing store count. It is about building the right brand, with the right economics, in the right markets, with the right partners, and creating sustainable value over the long term.
Overall, how long have you been involved in franchising?
I have been involved in franchising for more than a decade, beginning with international franchise development for Highlands Coffee and later through my operating leadership of PHO24.
Today, as Head of Franchising, I apply that operating discipline across our franchise portfolio. With PHO24 in particular, our approach is to strengthen the domestic platform, prove repeatable unit store economics, standardize the franchise system, and then expand selectively with capable multi-unit, Area Development, and Master Franchise partners.
The objective is sustainable value creation for both sides. A franchise agreement may start the relationship, but the real work is helping the partner open well, stabilize quickly, protect the brand, and build a business that can scale.
What do you like most about your job?
What I enjoy most is the opportunity to help build brands that are meaningful at home and can also represent the best of Vietnam to the world.
After spending many years in the United States and returning to Vietnam, I wanted to contribute to Vietnam’s growth using the operating, technology, and business experience I had gained. PHO24 is especially meaningful because pho is not simply a menu item, it is part of Vietnam’s culinary heritage and everyday life. In Vietnam, I think of PHO24 as the Taste of Home: familiar, comforting, authentic, and made with care.
For the Rest of World, our ambition is for PHO24 to become the Taste of Vietnam, bringing Guests authentic Vietnamese pho and complementary Vietnamese dishes in a modern restaurant environment, supported by a scalable Restaurant System and the Vietnamese culture of Tận Tâm: serving wholeheartedly, with genuine care and dedication.
What makes the work rewarding is connecting culture and commerce: preserving what is authentically Vietnamese while building the Brand, Product, Restaurant System, and Enterprise capabilities required to compete and grow internationally.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
One of the most challenging aspects is preserving the feeling and authenticity that make pho special while meeting the expectations of today’s Guests and building a restaurant system that can scale consistently.
Authentic pho has deep roots in Vietnamese culture, while modern Guests also expect food safety, cleanliness, comfort, speed, convenience, consistency, and digital accessibility. The challenge is not to choose between authenticity and modernization; it is to deliver both.
At PHO24, we protect the core of the product, including our signature broth, traditionally simmered slowly for eight hours, while continually improving the restaurant system around it. We think about the business through BPRE: Brand, Product, Restaurant System, and Enterprise. All four must work together if we want to preserve authenticity and scale successfully.
That balance is central to both sides of our brand proposition. In Vietnam, Taste of Home must remain familiar and authentic while fitting modern everyday life. Internationally, Taste of Vietnam must be authentically Vietnamese while being accessible through modern design, disciplined operations, and Tận Tâm hospitality.
What is it like to work with franchisees from different countries and cultures?
Working with franchise partners across countries and cultures is valuable because the best partnerships are two-way. We bring PHO24’s Brand, authentic Product standards, Restaurant System, training, governance, and Tận Tâm service culture; the local partner brings market knowledge, local capabilities, and a much deeper understanding of the Guest in that country.
The principle is to preserve the core elements that make PHO24 authentically Vietnamese while being thoughtful about what can be localized.
Menu architecture, pricing, channels, real estate, marketing, and certain Guest preferences may differ by market, but the core Taste of Vietnam proposition, product standards, food safety, restaurant system disciplines, and spirit of Tận Tâm should remain consistent.
Success therefore comes from mutual respect, clear decision rights, open communication, disciplined execution, and a shared commitment to building the brand for the long term.
What is the main reason you are considering international franchising?
The international opportunity starts with a simple proposition: Taste of Vietnam. Pho is one of Vietnam’s most recognized culinary exports, flavorful, comforting, customizable, and relevant to everyday dining. PHO24 can complement that core with other Vietnamese food and hospitality to give Guests a broader, authentic experience of Vietnam. But product appeal alone is not enough for us to enter a market.
Our international strategy is selective. We look for the intersection of attractive consumer demand, strong market fundamentals, capable partners, supply chain readiness, and restaurant economics that can support sustainable multi-unit growth. Franchising allows us to combine PHO24’s authentic Vietnamese Product, modern design, scalable Restaurant System, and Tận Tâm culture with the local knowledge and execution capabilities of strong partners.
Our objective is not simply to expand into more markets. We want to build durable market positions with partners who can grow PHO24 responsibly and profitably over time.
What is unique or special about your brand’s products and services?
PHO24 sits at the intersection of Vietnamese culinary heritage and modern restaurant excellence. In Vietnam, our proposition is “Taste of Home”; internationally, it is “Taste of Vietnam.”
What makes PHO24 special is our ability to deliver an authentic Vietnamese pho experience in a format that is consistent, scalable, and accessible to modern consumers. We combine authentic recipes, quality ingredients, and the Vietnamese spirit of Tận Tâm with a disciplined restaurant system that enables reliable execution across markets.
For franchise partners, PHO24 offers more than a product. It offers a distinctive Vietnamese brand, a proven operating model, and the support needed to grow sustainably while preserving the authenticity that makes the brand unique.
Why do you think you will be successful internationally?
We believe PHO24 has the ingredients to succeed internationally because Taste of Vietnam is both culturally distinctive and commercially understandable. It begins with a globally recognized Vietnamese product, but the complete proposition combines authentic food, modern design, a scalable restaurant system, and Tận Tâm hospitality.
Our focus is to prove the fundamentals before accelerating: strong brand relevance, repeatable restaurant economics, standardized operations, training and certification, reliable supply chain, quality assurance, new store opening support, and ongoing performance governance.
International success will ultimately depend on execution and partner quality. That is why we are selective about both markets and partners. We would rather build fewer markets well than enter many markets without the capabilities required to win.
What are the priority countries/territories you are looking to develop?
Our priority is not simply entering more countries, but to be successful to entering the right markets with the right partners. We focus on opportunities where consumer demand, market conditions, and capable Area Developers or Area Development Partners come together to support sustainable long-term growth. We believe successful international expansion depends as much on partner quality and readiness as it does on market potential.
Why have you identified these countries and territories as a top priority?
We do not prioritize a country based on geography alone. We evaluate the market through several lenses: consumer demand and brand relevance, market size and growth, real estate and retail infrastructure, competitive intensity, supply chain feasibility, investment economics, and the ability to achieve attractive restaurant returns.
What are the main qualifications and capabilities you are looking for in a master franchisee or area developer?
We look first for partners with the financial capacity and organizational capability to build a multi-unit business, not simply open one restaurant.
They should have strong local market knowledge, proven operating or retail/F&B experience, the ability to recruit and develop teams, access to real estate and supply chain capabilities, and the discipline to follow a proven system. We also value partners who are coachable and transparent because franchising requires continuous learning on both sides.
Most importantly, we want long-term alignment. The right partner cares about brand health, Guest experience, restaurant economics, compliance, and sustainable growth, not only the speed of opening stores.
How long does it typically take to finalize an agreement once you find a qualified master franchisee or area developer?
The timing varies by country, deal structure, regulatory requirements, and the readiness of both parties. We do not want to create a false sense of speed by quoting a standard number when the real objective is to complete the right commercial, legal, operational, and capability diligence.
Once we identify a qualified partner, we work through strategic alignment, market and development planning, commercial terms, due diligence, legal documentation, supply chain and operating readiness, and the launch plan. Signing the agreement is a milestone, not the finish line.
The next objective is a successful new store opening and rapid operational stabilization. Only after the first unit proves the model in-market should the partnership accelerate the development pipeline in a disciplined way.
Once you finalize an agreement, how long does it take for market entry planning before launching the business?
The timeline also varies by market because site selection, permitting, design and construction, supply chain setup, recruitment, training, and local regulatory requirements can differ materially.
After signing, we establish a market-entry and NSO critical path with clear gates. Our team supports site and restaurant development, supply chain readiness, recruitment and training, product and operating certification, marketing preparation, opening readiness, and post-opening stabilization.
The principle is to open right, not simply open fast. Once the first restaurant is stable and the economics and operating model are proven locally, we can use those learnings to improve the next openings and scale more efficiently.
Any advice for parties interested in acquiring franchise rights?
Franchising is most successful when both parties view it as a long-term partnership. While the franchise fee provides access to the brand and operating system, sustainable returns are built through strong execution and collaboration at the restaurant level.
Prospective partners should understand local market demand, unit economics, capital requirements, real estate opportunities, and supply chain capabilities. Equally important is selecting a franchisor with a clear brand proposition, a proven operating model, and the ability to provide ongoing training, support, and guidance.
At PHO24, we value partners who share our commitment to building the brand and creating sustainable growth together over the long term.
Any additional information you would like to share about your brand and your international expansion plans?
PHO24’s ambition is clear: in Vietnam, continue earning our place as the Taste of Home; for the Rest of World, build PHO24 as the Taste of Vietnam. We intend to do that through disciplined growth, strengthening Brand, Product, Restaurant System, and Enterprise capabilities; protecting authenticity and Tận Tâm culture; proving sustainable unit store economics; and partnering selectively in markets where PHO24 has the right to win.
Anything else you’d like to add?
We would like to thank our guests, partners, employees, and everyone who has been part of PHO24’s journey since 2003.
If you are reading this today, it means you have already taken an interest in PHO24, and we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to share our story with you.
As we continue our international growth journey, our ambition is simple: for PHO24 to remain the Taste of Home in Vietnam and become an authentic Taste of Vietnam for guests around the world.
We look forward to connecting with partners who share our passion for authentic Vietnamese cuisine, operational excellence, and sustainable growth. Whether the opportunity to work together comes soon or sometime in the future, we believe great partnerships begin with a shared vision and a meaningful conversation.
To know more about PHO24, click: https://worldfranchisecentre.com/franchise/pho24/
