Vietnamese Coffee Culture: Drinks to Try and How to Order

Vietnamese coffee culture is built on strong robusta beans, a small metal drip filter called a phin, and sweet condensed milk, served on tiny stools from sidewalk stalls to stylish cafes. This guide from our Vietnam travel blog explains how the coffee is made, the drinks to try, how Hanoi and Saigon cafes differ, how to order, and the place of tea.

Vietnam is one of the world's largest coffee producers, and drinking it is a daily ritual, as Vietnam's tourism site describes. If coffee is part of your trip plan, apply for a Vietnam e-visa online before you go.

How Vietnamese coffee is made

Vietnamese coffee is usually brewed one cup at a time in a phin, a small metal filter set on top of a glass. Hot water drips slowly through dark-roasted ground coffee, which takes a few minutes.

Most coffee is robusta from the Central Highlands, stronger and more bitter than arabica, often roasted with butter or sugar for a deep, chocolatey taste. Arabica grows around Da Lat and is popular in newer specialty cafes.

Coffee drinks to try

Vietnam's coffee menu runs from strong black coffee to drinks made with egg, salt or coconut. These are the ones to try first.

Iced milk coffee

Vietnamese iced coffee with milk, ca phe sua da, is the classic: phin coffee dripped over sweetened condensed milk, then poured over ice. Ca phe den da is the black version. In Saigon, bac xiu reverses the ratio, with more milk and a little coffee.

Egg coffee

Egg coffee, ca phe trung, is a Hanoi creation: strong coffee topped with egg yolk whipped with sugar into a thick, sweet cream. It is said to have started in the 1940s, when milk was scarce. Try it in the Old Quarter, covered in our Hanoi guide.

Salt and coconut coffee

Salt coffee, from Hue, adds a salty milk foam that softens the bitterness. Coconut coffee blends coffee with coconut cream and ice into a slushy drink, popular in cafe chains. Both are now sold across the country.

Vietnamese coffee culture in Hanoi and Saigon

Hanoi cafes tend to be small and old, often up narrow staircases with views over the street or Hoan Kiem Lake, and the coffee is strong and hot. Saigon cafes spill onto the pavement, with iced drinks and more sugar.

Both cities also have a wave of specialty cafes serving arabica, cold brew and pour-overs. Sidewalk coffee on low plastic stools remains the most local experience.

How to order coffee in Vietnam

Knowing how to order coffee in Vietnam takes only a few words. Prices are low, and you usually pay when you leave.

Most local cafes serve a free glass of iced tea with your coffee. Coffee is only half the story, because tea came first.

Vietnamese tea

Vietnamese tea, mostly green tea, is drunk all day, often free with meals and served in small cups to guests. Iced tea (tra da) cools drinkers at street stalls everywhere.

Thai Nguyen in the north is famous for green tea, and Hanoi is known for lotus-scented tea, a traditional gift. Two final steps take coffee beyond the cup: farm visits and bringing some home.

Coffee beyond the cup

You can see where Vietnamese coffee grows and bring beans home. Here is how.

Coffee farms

Coffee farms around Da Lat and in the Central Highlands welcome visitors, especially during the November to January harvest. Our guides to Da Lat and the Central Highlands explain where to go.

Buying coffee to take home

Buy whole beans or coffee ground for a phin, plus a phin filter or two, from roasters rather than tourist shops. Our guide to what to buy in Vietnam covers packing food gifts.

VietnamVisa-Easy.com is a private visa service operated by H2 Global Travel JSC since 2012, not a government website, and you can apply directly at evisa.gov.vn for US$25. If you would like your application checked first, start your application with us.