The new Starbucks Signing Store, located on Cao Thang Street in Ho Chi Minh City, is the first of its kind in Vietnam. According to company representatives, around 50 per cent of the store’s workforce is expected to be deaf or hard of hearing during the initial phase of operations.
Hard-of-hearing employees at a Starbucks store (Photo: DN).
Starbucks said the opening forms part of its commitment to social responsibility and workplace inclusion in Vietnam.
The company has partnered with the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Club to promote equal employment opportunities and strengthen social support for the city’s deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Over the next two years, a portion of the store’s revenue will be donated to training and essential support programmes coordinated by the organisation.
Around 10 Starbucks outlets in Vietnam currently employ members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. However, most stores have only one or two such employees. At the Cao Thang location, the proportion is significantly higher, leading Starbucks to develop it as a dedicated Signing Store.
Starbucks has launched similar stores in several countries around the world. The company’s first Signing Store opened in October 2018 in Washington, D.C., near the renowned Gallaudet University, a higher education institution for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
In Japan, the first Starbucks Signing Store opened in Tokyo’s Kunitachi District in 2020, providing an inclusive working environment for deaf employees. The concept has since expanded to other major markets, including China, Malaysia and Indonesia, with the aim of strengthening connections within the deaf community and promoting workplace accessibility.
