The new company, Ho Chi Minh City-based Bridgestone Tire Sales Vietnam L.L.C., will handle sales and service of Bridgestone’s full range of tires. It has 18 employees at start-up.

Bridgestone, through its Singapore-based Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. subsidiary, owns 95 percent of the new company. Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. owns 5 percent., Bridgestone said.

Bridgestone said Indochina is one of its most strategic growth areas and the company views Vietnam as being located ideally to take advantage of the growing transportation network throughout the region.

The Tokyo-based tire maker did not disclose sales goals for the unit. This is only the third Bridgestone sales subsidiary in the region; the others are in Indonesia and Thailand.