There was a time when Kee Nguyen Vietnam Coffee was selling just five cups a day.
No queues. No hype. No certainty. Just two founders, a simple setup, and a question they could not answer yet.
“Maybe it’s time to get a job again.”
Today, Kee Nguyen has grown into over 50 outlets nationwide, but the journey between those two points was far from smooth. It was built on doubt, timing, and a series of decisions that could have easily gone the other way.
And while many might assume from its name and concept that Kee Nguyen is a foreign brand, it is in fact a homegrown Malaysian business, built from the ground up by local founders who saw an opportunity and chose to pursue it.
Kee Nguyen: Where It All Began
The story of Kee Nguyen began in 2019 with Radius Khor and Henry Tan.
Both founders came from design backgrounds and discovered Vietnamese coffee during their time in Vietnam. The experience stayed with them. When they returned to Malaysia, they searched for something similar but could not find any that matched what they had tasted.
That gap in the market became their starting point.
With limited capital and no clear demand, they chose to begin in the simplest way possible. They sold coffee from the boot of a car, drawing inspiration from how coffee is sold on the streets of Vietnam.
For more than a year, the response was underwhelming. The brand remained largely unknown, and sales were inconsistent.
The Struggle Before the Breakthrough
Then came the period that tested everything.
During the pandemic, operations were disrupted, and like many small F&B businesses, Kee Nguyen faced uncertainty about survival. When they resumed operations, the situation did not improve.
They were selling only five cups a day.
Then came a moment that changed everything.
“When we first went viral on Twitter back in 2020, we were only selling about five cups a day. That single viral moment brought us back to life,” said Khor, describing it as an overnight success.
Customers who had never heard of the brand began to show up, and demand increased almost immediately.
What appeared to be overnight success was, in reality, the result of persistence meeting the right moment.
Kee Nguyen: Building Around a Distinct Identity
Following the surge in demand, Kee Nguyen continued to focus on its core offering.
“Everyone keeps thinking coffee is coffee. But for us, our business is Vietnamese coffee; we are still running in our own niche Vietnamese coffee lane. Instead of competing with other coffee shops, I see it as building a community of coffee drinkers,”
The brand stayed true to the Vietnamese coffee style they experienced, using beans sourced from Vietnam and maintaining its bold, sweet flavour profile.
The menu also reflected this identity, offering variations such as yoghurt coffee, coconut coffee, Coke coffee, and egg coffee, each rooted in Vietnamese coffee culture.
From a Single Outlet to a Growing Network
The first physical outlet in Seksyen 14, Petaling Jaya marked a major step.
“Our first physical outlet at Seksyen 14, PJ, was quite a gamble for us as we had to fork out our hard-earned money to start the business,” shared Radius.
The risk paid off. The outlet provided a stable base and allowed the brand to expand further.
From there, Kee Nguyen grew steadily across the Klang Valley and into other states such as Penang, Kedah, Perak, and Terengganu.
The growth was largely driven by word of mouth, with customers sharing their experiences and introducing the brand to others. Over time, some customers became licence holders, contributing to the expansion.
The brand also explored multiple outlet formats, including kiosks, half-shops, cafés, and mall locations, allowing it to fit into different environments.
By 2025, Kee Nguyen had expanded to over 50 outlets nationwide.
A Shift in 2025 for Kee Nguyen
After several years of expansion, Kee Nguyen Vietnam Coffee began to adjust its approach. In a post shared on their social media, the company opened 17 outlets in 2025. It was not the fastest year, but it reflected a more intentional direction. Each location was chosen with greater care, balancing visibility, demand, and long-term viability.
“After 6 years in the game, we learned that fast growth without intention burns out fast.
So in 2025, we played a different game.
We became sharper with our locations.
We observed deeper on our expansion.
We stopped opening for the sake of opening.
We focused on decisions rooted in longevity, not hype.
Because 2025, we embraced a new truth:
Expansion isn’t a race. It’s a discipline.”
This marked a new phase for Kee Nguyen, where growth was no longer about numbers alone, but about making more deliberate decisions for the long term.
Closing the First Chapter
At the end of 2025, Kee Nguyen Vietnam Coffee closed its first outlet in Seksyen 14, Petaling Jaya, bringing a meaningful chapter of its journey to a close, as shared in their Facebook post.
“The first Kee Nguyen outlet officially signs out today — 30.12.2025
From 1 July 2019 to today, 6 years and 6 months have passed.
That’s 2,367 days of learning, growing, failing, rebuilding and serving coffee to a community we never expected to find.”
Over the years, what began as a small setup has grown into something far larger. Kee Nguyen is now recognised as one of the leading Vietnamese coffee chains in Malaysia, supported by a community that has followed its journey from the very beginning.
“Closing our first outlet doesn’t mean we’re anywhere near slowing down.
If anything, it’s a reminder that the world changes — the market shifts, people evolve, and some locations serve their season and purpose.
But Kee Nguyen?
We’re just getting started.”
From selling coffee out of a car boot to building a nationwide network of more than 50 outlets, Kee Nguyen’s journey reflects more than expansion. It reflects discipline, timing, and a clear understanding of what the brand stands for.
In an industry often driven by speed, Kee Nguyen chose a different path. To grow with intention. To scale with clarity. And to build something that lasts.
Sources: 1| 2| 3| 4
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