The restaurant is the first outside of the southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City. McDonald’s opened its first branch recently in the historic heart of Hanoi, a conservative city…

The restaurant is the first outside of the southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City.

McDonald’s opened its first branch recently in the historic heart of Hanoi, a conservative city renowned for its traditional and inexpensive Vietnamese staples.

People lined up for Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets at the Vietnamese capital’s first location overlooking the tree-lined Hoan Kiem lake, which draws millions of tourists annually to see French-era colonial buildings and sample street-food favourites like pho noodle soup and banh mi sandwiches.

The restaurant is the first outside of the southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City, where 16 branches have opened since McDonald’s first came to Vietnam in 2014 to much fanfare, especially among the rapidly-growing middle class and American-obsessed youth.