Vietnamese coffee began with a single planting by a French priest in 1857. Production expanded after the Đổi Mới economic reforms in 1987. This major policy change was essentially Vietnam’s shift from strict government control to embracing a free market, allowing farmers and businesses to produce and sell goods (like coffee) on a global scale.
Consequently, exports scaled fast, and Vietnam reached the world’s second-largest coffee exporter position within a few decades. Robusta dominates farms and supports millions of livelihoods.
Everyday Rituals
Daily routines in cities and small towns anchor themselves around the drink. Morning brews set workdays in motion, mid-afternoon cups maintain focus, and late-night conversations gather around low stools on sidewalks.
Seasonal changes steer these habits. Cold northern winters give people the craving for hot phin brews. Southern summers fuel a culture of iced cà phê sữa đá shared in shaded cafés. Like any other place in the world, work meetings, catch-ups, and solo breaks can all take place over a cup of coffee. Vietnamese coffee simply makes it easier to order a second serving.
Brewing Methods and Regional Drinks
It’s not hard to make a cup of coffee. You can rip open a pack of instant powdered coffee or take your time watching the barista operate a machine the size of a car engine.
But for Vietnamese Traditional Coffee, the phin defines the brewing system. Hot water drips through a small metal filter into a glass that often holds condensed milk.
A Note on Potency
Beware the brew’s significant weight. Vietnamese coffee is often far more potent than the profiles found in other countries. Consequently, it is best to approach the drink with a full stomach and when you are not physically exhausted, as the high caffeine content can jolt a tired system. If you are uninitiated, consider starting with the lighter variations to gauge your tolerance.
You will usually see locals order two versions of this coffee:
Cà phê sữa đá ~ Condensed milk coffee with ice
This version uses a phin drip over a layer of condensed milk, then gets poured over ice. The milk creates a dense sweetness that stabilizes robusta’s strong profile and moderates the caffeine hit. The drink moves quickly in hot weather because the ice melts into the brew and softens the intensity. People often treat it as an entry point into Vietnamese coffee since it delivers full flavor without the sharp edges. The easy drinkability encourages repeat orders, which explains its steady presence on sidewalks and in offices.
Cà phê đen nóng and cà phê đen đá ~ Hot Black Coffee and Iced Black Coffee
These brews rely entirely on the quality of the beans. A phin drip produces a concentrated, aromatic extraction with no sugar or milk. The hot version highlights the roast’s natural bitterness and chocolate notes. The iced version shifts the flavor slightly as the melting ice dilutes the brew, exposing different layers of the roast.
Both versions anchor the daily routines of people who prefer a straightforward caffeine supply. They also serve as the base for regional styles and remain a reliable measure of a shop’s roasting quality.
Hanoi baristas prepare cà phê trứng with a whisked egg-yolk foam. Shops such as Cong Cà phê serve cà phê dừa with coconut cream and condensed milk. Hue’s cà phê muối incorporates a salted cream layer.
How the Phin Works
Phin brewing uses 14 g of finely ground coffee, water at roughly 95–98 °C, and a ratio close to two parts water to one part coffee by weight. The grounds bloom for 30–60 seconds under a splash of water. The first drops fall at about the two-minute mark, and the brew finishes near the five-minute five.
Stirring condensed milk produces a thick mixture that works hot or iced. Condensed milk became standard during periods of limited fresh dairy supply and integrates well with robusta.
Robusta is the type of bean most commonly used. It’s known for its high kick of caffeine and deep, chocolaty flavor. To get the perfect slow drip through the phin filter, the coffee is ground finely, almost like sand. When you visit a roaster in Hanoi, they often let you taste different roasts before you buy. This simple tasting moment usually turns into a quick, friendly chat, which is a great example of how coffee brings people together here.
Where Travelers Find Coffee
Vietnamese Coffee Scene and Notable Cafés
Vietnam boasts a rich coffee culture, blending traditional cà phê practices with a growing specialty scene. In Hanoi, independent roasteries have emerged alongside long-standing filter‐coffee shops.
Kafeville (est. 2016)
This is a tiny specialty café on the edge of the Old Quarter that helped pioneer craft coffee in Hanoi. Owner Lương Thanh Bình sources high-quality beans and frequently roasts in small batches. Kafeville’s menu offers various brew methods (pour-over, espresso, etc.) and even unique origins (one reviewer notes Burundi beans).
The Berryfield Coffee Co. (since 2018)
This is a Hanoi-based roastery emphasizing “selective coffee beans” and a distinctive, light roasting style to highlight acidity. The Berryfield carefully chooses highland beans and brews them to create “fine” specialty beverages.
ACID8 Specialty Coffee
Located on Hạ Hồi Street, it’s described as a modern, trendy café with a posh yet cozy atmosphere. ACID8 is known for its Vietnamese‐style drinks with a smoky flavor and has friendly, knowledgeable baristas recommending creative options (visitors praise its “Bạc Xỉu 8” drink)
Untitled Espresso Bar
It is a quiet second-floor coffee shop (in Ngọc Khánh) with a very homey vibe. Guests report that the owners treat visitors like old friends, and the café serves top-notch owner-roasted beans and even quality matcha.
The National Coffee Chain
Alongside these indie shops, Vietnamese coffee chains are ubiquitous.
Trung Nguyên Legend (often simply called Trung Nguyên) is the country’s most famous homegrown brand.
Established in 1996 in Buôn Ma Thuột, the brand emerged during the country’s challenging economic recovery. Founder Dang Le Nguyen Vu built the company not merely as a roaster, but as a testament to Vietnamese resilience and agricultural potential. This story of transforming a small roasted-bean startup into a global distributor is the heart of the brand’s identity.
Furthermore, the sustained enthusiasm from international visitors has served as a vital catalyst, reinforcing the belief among young entrepreneurs that Vietnamese agriculture holds world-class value.
A 2012 company milestone noted that Trung Nguyên had become Vietnam’s #1 coffee brand, with roughly 11 million households as customers. It operates hundreds of branded coffee shops nationwide and even abroad.
Functionally, Trung Nguyên operates as a comprehensive ecosystem. The inventory spans mass-market instant “G7” coffee, whole roasted beans, ground blends, and the premium “weasel” (civet) coffee.
The brand positions itself to cover every utility, serving equally well as a daily caffeine source, a souvenir of the Central Highlands, or a formal gift.
Specialty Cafés in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) similarly hosts a lively coffee scene.
The Workshop (District 1)
This is a popular spacious café known for its industrial-chic interior and serious brew gear. It’s located on an upper floor (with big windows) and focuses on craft coffee: the menu offers multiple Vietnamese single-origin beans (often from Đà Lạt) that customers can order via V60, Kalita, Woodneck, syphon, AeroPress, or even traditional phin filter brewing.
Lacàph Coffee (pronounced “La-cap”),
A downtown “Coffee Experiences Space”. Lacàph markets itself as a brand “for the curious,” sharing Vietnamese coffee culture through its own signature blends and hands-on workshops. In District 1’s Nguyen Cong Tru area, Lacàph’s café/workshop invites visitors to learn about bean origins and roasting while sampling specialty drip coffees.
This is a small, tucked-away alley café on Thái Văn Lung Street. It has a laid-back, Westernized vibe but showcases Vietnamese brew: customers praise its carefully selected Vietnam-sourced beans and well-made cà phê phin coffee.
In sum, Saigon’s specialty cafés like The Workshop, Lacàph, and VCR all emphasize quality
Buying Coffee Beans Locally
If you want to take coffee home, Vietnam’s markets are full of options.
In HCMC, Ben Thanh Market (and nearby stalls) is a famous spot for 250 g bags of local beans. One guide notes that Ben Thanh is a “treasure trove of coffee beans, spices, and other local goodies.
Similarly, vendors along Nguyen Hue Walking Street and other markets sell affordable bags of roasted beans and grounds. To ensure freshness, look for roast dates and one-way valve packaging on the bags (give the bag a small squeeze and take in the wonderful aroma).
Good cafés and roasters often label roast dates clearly and use sealed valve bags to let CO₂ out while keeping beans fresh. In terms of price, supermarket brands or bulk robuѕta blends can start at only ~70,000 VND for 250 g.
Bags from small roasters (usually Arabica or blended beans) typically cost more – often in the low hundreds of thousands of dong for 250 g, depending on the bean origin and roast quality. In any case, Vietnamese coffee is generally inexpensive, so with these tips in mind, you can pick up local beans (often 250 g) at Ben Thanh, Tan Dinh, or specialty shops at reasonable prices (many from ~70,000 VND up to a few hundred thousand for premium packs).
Closing Notes
Vietnamese coffee culture functions as a social framework that shifts with seasons, habits, and regional tastes. The phin shapes daily routines, and local styles contribute distinct expressions of the same tradition. The drinks now circulate through international media, yet the core experience remains a simple drip, a slow moment, and a shared table. Travelers can explore these variations, select beans that match their preferences, and carry home a small part of this ongoing culture.