Saizeriya, a casual Italian restaurant chain in Japan, announced on April 15 that it will open its first branch in Vietnam next month, the Vietnam News Agency has reported.

The restaurant will be located at Ho Chi Minh City’s Giga Mall shopping centre in early May.

Saizeriya currently runs around 600 overseas branches, mainly in China. It opened its first international restaurant in Shanghai, China in 2003, and has since expanded its business to other markets in Asia.

With these moves, the company plans to expand its operations and generate new sources of revenue as Japan’s declining population is expected to lead to a contraction of the restaurant market in the medium and long term.