Ideas to open a coffee shop

Hi Joss,
Anything in the food and beverage game here is tough.   There are just too many people doing it.

Anyone and everyone seems to be selling coffee and juice.   The problem with expats setting up is that you will need to lease premises and that ain't cheap anymore.

I knew some young guys from Greece that wanted to do something similar to what your thinking of.  It was a bit more upmarket than your local juice bar or coffee shop and would have needed premises and location to suit.   The lease was the killer.  By the time they worked out a price point for the product, the turnover required to cover the lease alone would have been difficult given the competition that's surrounding them.

The locals can just set up their operation under a tree or on the footpath. I can see a lady now from my balcony that runs a power lead from someone's house to a footpath stall.   Juice blenders etc operate from a multi plug board.  She's always busy.

If the foreign guy tries that , the police will close him down.   Being a low budget tourist destination the punters will look for low price alternatives and the street food scene here is evidence of that.     

I have a friend here that set his local wife up in something similar.  Bugger all cost involved and he doesn't show his head anywhere near the joint for obvious reasons.  She slings the cops a few dong for the privilege.    She has good turnover .

Shops change hands here in Nha Trang way too often.   The locals seem to be the only ones that go the distance and a lot of them fail as well.    There's just too many in the game.

There are previous threads here about business opportunities worth reading.   I've said before that the " make it for dong, sell it for dollars" export game is the best bet. 

There's a guy here I know that operates from his spare bedroom.  He has 5 local employees sitting on the floor assembling a product that he boxes up and sends to a foreign market.   He makes Net USD$4000 a month with very little input . No machinery or power tools required . He could go larger scale but doesn't need to.  He's happy with that and can live on it.

If you can find a product you can get made here for peanuts and sell in western markets your chances of positive cash flow will be better.

Good luck mate

Thanks Yogi, I will keep your suggestion in a very high consideration.
I have a friend in Hoi An. He's Italian. He opened a restaurant with some friends in HCM some years ago, then another in Nha Trang, Hoi An and one also in Da Nang recently. He told me is tough but not impossible. With perseverance I can get it all, I must full engage me so that everything come true.

You can open cofee shop, restaurants with food with new taste. I am sure that vietnamese people like new things. I think doing business in Vietnam is not difficult with your budget. perharps, getting some red tape, work permit, visa extension or residence card etc