Breakfast meals under 20,000 dong are gradually disappearing as costs rise.

Nearly 60% of Vietnam food and beverage (F&B) businesses that opened before 2025 have already raised prices, according to the 2025 Vietnam Market Report on Food & Beverage (F&B) and the 2026 trends study by iPOS.vn and Nestlé Professional. Among those firms, 40.5% increased prices by under 5%, 16% raised them by 5%–10%, and more than 2% lifted prices by over 10%.

Cause: cost pressures translate into faster price actions

The studies indicate that actual price increases have moved beyond earlier expectations. In 2024, just over 49% of F&B businesses planned to raise prices in 2025, but the share that has already done so is close to 60%.

The report links this to multiple layers of cost pressure, including sharp increases in material costs, high fixed operating and premises costs, competition from low-cost models, and growing demands for standardization in operations and compliance.

Development: breakfast shifts to higher price tiers

The studies also show a clear shift in spending on breakfast outside the home toward higher price tiers compared with 2024.

Prices of 21,000 dong per meal and above are becoming more common. The most common spending range, 21,000–30,000 dong per meal, increased from 36.6% to 38.2%. The 31,000–40,000 dong bracket also rose from 16.8% to 20.1%.

By contrast, the sub-20,000-dong bracket fell from 38.4% to 31.9%, suggesting that input costs and consumer preference for quality over cheaper options are pushing breakfast prices higher.

In addition, the share of spending above 40,000 dong per meal rose from 8.2% to 9.78%. At this level, the report notes that prices are comparable to items such as a bowl of pho or similar meals, often with substantial portions. Consumers are increasingly moving toward experience-oriented combos such as coffee and pastries.

Data: lunch price distribution and drivers

For lunch, the most common meal price range remains 31,000–50,000 dong, but its share declined from 60.7% to 53.1%. Meanwhile, the sub-30,000-dong segment rose from 9.8% to 15.16%.

The report attributes this increase to three main factors: the growing presence of budget eateries in 2025 (especially in the Central and Southern regions), more promotions on online food-delivery apps (including Flash Sale or Deal programs), and a shift toward leaner, ready-to-heat lunch options sold at convenience stores that can be heated and eaten in about a minute.