After more than a decade selling primarily coffee in Vietnam, Starbucks Vietnam has entered the country’s fiercely competitive bubble tea arena with a localized “Starbucks Milk Tea” line, available nationwide from June 30, 2026, under a campaign aimed at office workers’ mid-day breaks.
According to Vietnam.vn, this is the brand’s first milk tea collection developed specifically for Vietnamese consumers since it opened in the market 13 years ago. The range is built on three tea bases—black tea, oolong and roasted hojicha—blended with milk and customizable for sweetness, with optional toppings such as black tapioca pearls.
Local business outlet Cafebiz reports that the drinks are promoted under a “Work TEA-mate” theme, positioning the line as a companion for office workers looking for a short break. The milk teas also sit firmly in Vietnam’s premium beverage tier: financial publication Cafef.vn notes a Grande-sized Oolong Milk Tea is priced at 82,000 Vietnamese dong (VND), while a Grande Black Milk Tea sells for 67,000 VND, and Cafebiz cites a large Oolong Milk Tea with pearls ordered via the Starbucks app at over 90,000 VND.
By comparison, a typical street-side iced milk coffee in Vietnam costs 15,000–20,000 VND, while a Starbucks Americano is around 60,000 VND and a latte about 70,000 VND, according to Vietnam.vn. Cafef.vn calculated that two Grande milk teas—one oolong and one black—total 145,000 VND, keeping the new tea line aligned with the chain’s existing premium pricing strategy in the country.
A representative of Starbucks Vietnam framed the launch as a portfolio expansion rather than a price play or a direct fight with established bubble tea brands. In comments reported by MarketingTrips, the representative said the introduction of the milk tea range is intended to broaden the beverage menu and give customers across age groups more choices when they select Starbucks as a stop, emphasizing a focus on ingredient quality, balanced flavors and personalization.
The move comes as Starbucks accelerates its physical expansion in Vietnam and adapts more visibly to local drinking culture. Vietnam.vn reports that the company increased its store count from 108 locations in May 2024 to 150 by early 2026, extending into provincial cities and tourist areas, while MarketingTrips notes that 2025 saw the first two Starbucks stores open in the Mekong Delta cities of My Tho and Long Xuyen. Against this backdrop, both Cafebiz and MarketingTrips describe the milk tea launch as part of a broader shift to engage younger consumers and office workers who have embraced bubble tea.
The brand is entering a market already crowded with local chains such as Phuc Long and Phe La and international names like Koi Thé and Gong Cha, as outlined by Vietnam.vn. That outlet also cites data from Euromonitor International via the Korea Times indicating Starbucks holds about 2% of Vietnam’s estimated US$1.2 billion coffee market [UNVERIFIED], with many Vietnamese drinkers still favoring strong, inexpensive robusta-based coffee over higher-priced international offerings.
Consumer response to Starbucks’ arrival in bubble tea has been highly visible and mixed. Cafebiz reports that the official announcement post on Starbucks Vietnam’s verified Facebook fanpage drew 3,600 likes and thousands of comments, including one user who wrote they had “lived long enough to see Starbucks sell bubble tea.” Cafef.vn notes that while many online reviewers considered the 67,000–82,000 VND Grande price points “reasonable” and “okay”, several described the flavors as ordinary and lacking a “wow” factor, using the phrase “more ordinary than ordinary” to summarize their experience.
Alongside the milk tea collection, Cafef.vn adds that the drinks form part of a wider “Tea Mate” portfolio, reinforcing a tea-centric counterpart to Starbucks’ existing coffee ecosystem in Vietnam. MarketingTrips further reports that Starbucks plans to continue expanding its store network into provincial cities and heritage tourist sites, while Vietnam.vn highlights concurrent efforts such as reopening Starbucks Reserve locations in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to maintain the brand’s premium positioning even as it localizes its menu.
