A Guide To Coffee In Vietnam - A Haven For Caffeine Addicts
From the bustling streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, to the cool mountains of Da Lat, from walking down the sleek, modern boulevards of downtown Ho Chi Minh City to navigating a bustling pre-dawn night market, we can absolutely guarantee one thing and that is, you’ll never be far from a coffee in Vietnam!
Coffee isn’t just a scene in Vietnam, it’s a way of life. Going out for a coffee is essential for the Vietnamese and could be seen as one of their daily rituals! Wherever you are in Vietnam, you won’t be far from a small street side coffee stall or modern air conditioned coffee shop. The Vietnamese are in love with their coffee, and there’s a good reason why… It's delicious!
Honestly, we think Vietnam may have come up with the perfect coffee recipe. A rich, rocket fuel laden brew, combined with sweet buttery notes, a cup of coffee in Vietnam will certainly wake and set you up for a busy day of sightseeing! As soon as you take the first sip of the dark nectar, you’ll feel the caffeine rushing through your body. To say it's a pick me up is an understatement. It’s a live wire straight to the brain.
Frequently in Vietnam your coffee will come with a view!
Wherever you are in Vietnam you’ll be able to track down your Italian espresso or your Aussie Flat White, however if you just stick to your Western favourites, you’ll be missing out on some of the best coffee Vietnam has to offer.
Read our guide for all the information you need on the best coffees to order during your time in Vietnam!
In this coffee guide: -
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Useful phrases to know before ordering a coffee in Vietnam
The Vietnamese word for coffee is cà phê (pronounced car-fay).
Once you've hunted down your coffee, you'll need to decide (depending on the type of coffee you choose) the temperature of your brew.
If you want it hot, you'll need to say nóng (pronounced no-ung) and if you want it iced, you will need to ask for đá (pronounced daa).
Milk is sữa (pronounced sue-ah) and for sugar you’ll need đường (pronounced du-oong).
Once you’ve finished your coffee you’ll need to pay. To ask “how much” in Vietnamese you’ll need to say bao nhiêu (pronounced baan nee-oh). Of-course if they answer you in Vietnamese, you’re going to have to learn more numbers. We’d always recommend pulling your calculator on your phone to help things along!
Types of Vietnamese coffee
Now you’ve got your Vietnamese nailed down, you’ll need to decide what coffee to order.
Cà phê đen - black coffee
Black as a witches cat, Vietnamese black coffee or cà phê đen is super strong and the ultimate chemical way to kick start your brain in the morning.
The butter roasted coffee beans make it smooth and less bitter than a European Americano. As with most of the coffees on this list, you can have cà phê đen hot or over ice.
Cà phê sữa - Vietnamese white coffee with condensed milk
A thin layer of sweet, thick condensed milk lines the bottom of a glass of black Vietnamese coffee. You stir and you stir until the sweet milk has turned the whole cup a chocolatey brown and then enjoy.
Cà phê sữa is sweet, buttery and by far the most common and popular coffee we enjoyed in Vietnam.
Over ice, cà phê sữa is a refreshing way to imbibe your daily dose of Vietnamese kerosine.
Phin cà phê - Vietnamese drip coffee
Perhaps the most elegant choice on the list, phin cà phê or Vietnamese drip coffee arrives at your table in two parts. A glass or cup is placed underneath a metal coffee filter. Inside the cup is a little condensed milk and the filter slowly drips the black coffee on top.
It’s coffee for the patient and should not be rushed. When the cup is full, you take off its filter hat, stir the milk and coffee together and savour the creamy, nutty brew!
Bạc xỉu - Vietnamese milk coffee
Known as the “Vietnamese latte”, bạc xỉu (Vietnamese milk coffee) is similar to a cà phê sữa but extra creamy. Usually served in a bigger glass, condensed milk is mixed with fresh milk before being stirred through black coffee.
It lives up to its name as the Vietnamese latte and feels lighter and less sweet than the Vietnamese white coffee. Honestly, bạc xỉu may be the perfect recipe for Vietnamese coffee.
If you’re looking for a Vietnamese twist on your usual coffee order then bạc xỉu is a great way to start.
Cà phê dừa - Vietnamese coconut coffee
Fruit and coffee seems to be the new trend for Asia and no where does this better than Vietnam with their cà phê dừa, a Vietnamese coconut coffee. A shot of black coffee is topped with ice, coconut milk and sometimes ice-cream and is crowned with crisp shavings of sweet coconut. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it really does! It’s a delicious combination.
The iced coconut milk mixed with the rich coffee creates a decadent texture. The sweet creamy coconut pairs deliciously with the dark, bitter coffee, each balancing the other.
After a day of delicious street food we would often hunt down cà phê dừa as pudding!
Speaking of which, another coffee that could also be described as a dessert is ….
Cà phê trứng - Vietnamese egg coffee
This one is a harder sell. Egg coffee does not sound too appealing but trust us it really is great!
Egg yolks are whisked and whipped with condensed milk until they form a smooth, creamy, foamy texture. This egg cream is mixed with coffee to create a tasty coffee / egg / custard hybrid.
We found that you half ate and half drank egg coffee and no matter what you did, you would always end up with a mini moustache made of coffee foam.
It’s a delicious combination and a really unique treat, sitting somewhere between a drink and a pudding, it’s a must try in Vietnam!
We first tried egg coffee during an early morning market food tour of Long Bien Market in Hanoi, read more about this tour here.
Cà phê muối - Vietnamese salt coffee
We know what you’re thinking, in fact we thought the very same thing. Coffee and salt, really?!
On paper this shouldn’t work but if you think about it for a moment, sweet Vietnamese coffee spiked with salt is actually a really good idea. If it works for salted caramel then why not salted coffee. We’re happy to report that the combination works fantastically well. Coffee in Vietnam can sometimes veer towards the sickly side of the sweet spectrum but with the addition of salt it balances the sweetness and creates a completely different flavour profile.
Like egg coffee, salt coffee is completely unique but is an absolute treat. We can really see it catching on outside of Vietnam.
Salt coffee is the signature coffee of Hoi An but you can find it all over the country.
Kopi luwak - Weasel poop coffee
This is a tricky one and we’re not going to lie, we can’t give you a fair review of it as we didn’t actually try it, but you can’t talk about Vietnamese coffee without mentioning weasel poop or civet coffee.
For those who don’t know, small civets (cute weasel-like mammals) eat coffee grounds and then poop them out after their digestive system has chemically altered the beans. The result is supposedly an unparalleled coffee with the bitterness removed and the sweetness accentuated and some have even reported mild psychedelic effects!
We’re still deeply suspicious of the first person to discover weasel poop coffee, but that’s not why we didn’t try it. We didn’t sample this particular caffeinated delight as there is a lot of controversy about how you farm it. Let’s just say it's not a happy ‘Garden of Eden’ with cute little civets munching on fallen berries… Oh, and it can also cost up to £20 a cup, there’s that as well!
If you’d like to learn more about kopi luwak there are plenty of coffee plantations outside of Da Lat city which offer you the chance to try kopi luwak and see the weasels themselves. To hear more about civet coffee and the coffee growing area surrounding Da Lat check out our guide here.
In Vietnamese coffee shops it is not uncommon to get served a small glass of iced tea along with your coffee. The iced tea varies from shop to shop. During our time in Vietnam we’ve had everything from jasmine to peach, green to oolong. This tea is completely free and is a great way to extend your coffee break.
How much is a cup of coffee in Vietnam?
Coffee in Vietnam is usually extremely reasonable.
Your basic white coffee (cà phê sữa) will typically range from anywhere between 15,000 a cup for a street side stall coffee to 50,000 to 60,000 VND for an air-conditioned cafe in a touristy place like Hoi An.
We usually found the middle ground and paid between 25,000 to 30,000 VND for a normal cà phê sữa and a little more for a coconut coffee or egg coffee.
Our favourite coffee shops in Vietnam
Coffee in Hanoi
The Old Quarter of Hanoi is chock full of coffee shops. Most travellers head to the Note Coffee (location) near the shoreline of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, however we didn’t feel like queuing in an endless stream of Instagrammers so we explored some of Old Quarter’s other coffee shops.
Our favourites were Coffee A (location) set on a busy crossroads in the heart of the old town. Coffee A serves fantastic white coffees and we loved sitting on their upstairs balconies watching Old Quarter life unfurl below. Make sure to pair your coffee with one of their delicious, warm banana cakes!
Another favourite of ours was Ca Bop (location). Set up stairs amidst bamboo sellers and craft stores, this cafe is worth it for the location alone. Order your coffee downstairs then clamber up the tiny staircase and enjoy your brew with a fantastic view of the local temple and neighbourhood. The coffee shop also makes a great place to try egg coffee.
Outside of the Old Quarter, we’d recommend heading towards Trúc Bạch island which is stuffed full and surrounded by cute cafes and funky coffee shops. One of our favourites was the M(8)TE cafe (location) which served fantastic specialty coffees and was super busy with the local youth. Another popular coffee spot is just round the corner at Ma Xó Cafe (location) which serves good coffee and excellent brunches all with a lovely lakeside view.
For those with families, we’d recommend heading to any of the coffee shops of West Lake as nearly all of them give you or your children (of all ages!) to paint small ceramic figurines alongside your coffee.
Coffee in Hue
Head off in any direction away from the backpacker district of Hue’s Walking Street and you’ll find plenty of cute coffee shops to cool down with a quick caffeinated brew.
One of our favourites was the HÚE Cafe (location). This funky art cafe was set off an alleyway in a modern brushed concrete building full of green plants, modern art and wooden furniture. The cafe serves all your coffee favourites alongside some delicious French pastries. We loved pairing a bạc xỉu with a sweet and sticky cinnamon bun!
Another great coffee shop we enjoyed was Bom Cafe (location) to the south of Hue’s Walking Street which served delicious and cheap coconut coffees.
Coffee in Hoi An
Hoi An is a coffee lovers paradise which is overflowing with achingly cool coffee shops located inside beautiful historic buildings all through the Old Town. These Old Town coffee shops are a little more pricey than usual, but are worth it just for the ambiance.
Our favourite coffee shop in the Old Town was CACA Coffee & Tea (location) which was set in a traditional shophouse. They serve excellent coffee with the best seats in the house looking right out onto the street.
If you’re staying outside of the Old Town our go to place for coffee was the 1989 Cafe & Bistro (location). Attached to a hotel this is about as far away from our usual food and drink recommendations as it gets but despite its posh, air conditioned interior, this coffee shop was super cheap and delicious.
We’d recommend trying their coconut coffee - it was super tasty and the cheapest one we found in the whole of Vietnam!
Coffee in Da Lat
Set high in the mountains, Da Lat is Vietnam’s coffee growing hub and with that it should come as no surprise that the city has a famously great coffee scene.
We thoroughly enjoyed drinking at LYN Coffee & Tea (location) and Amélie Pâtisserie et Café (location). To read more about these coffee shops and our time in Da Lat check out our guide here.
Coffee in Ho Chi Minh city
Vietnam’s second city and the southern hub, Ho Chi Minh, has hundreds of coffee shops for you to choose from. From the coffee shops set in the famous Cafe Apartments building (location) to the traditional market stall coffee in Ben Thanh Market (location) you’re never far from a good cup of coffee.
In our time in Ho Chi Minh we’ve stayed far away from the tourist area of District 1, we got “right off the beaten path” and found some great local coffee shops. We particularly liked Hoas The Coffee (location) and the Rebel Kafe (location).
Chain coffee shops in Vietnam
Wherever you are in Vietnam, you’ll quickly notice that the country hasn’t escaped the scourge of chain coffee shops.
Two of the most popular chains are Highlands Coffee and Cong Ca Phe.
Highlands Coffee can found literally everywhere and you’ll recognise them from their red and white logo. If you’re in Hanoi they have a very cool cafe on a boat floating on the West Lake (location).
Cong Ca Phe seem to be the “cool” chain. There stores are always eclectically decorated with lots of military memorabilia and army fatigue colours and are frequently housed in interesting buildings. The coffee is excellent and we didn’t realise it was a chain until we started seeing them all over the place.
Of-course if you’re criminally insane and want a Starbucks, you’ll find them in most of the bigger malls.
Coffee delivery - Can I order coffee online?
Yes you most certainly can!
Coffee delivery is a booming business in Vietnam, with almost every coffee shop / stall offering delivery.
To order a coffee online, just download the Grab app and place your order. If you’re ordering from Grab, once your order is confirmed you’ll be able to track your coffee from the barista, to bike, all the way to your hand.
To use Grab and any other food delivery apps you will need a Vietnamese SIM card. These can be brought on arrival at the airport or in any Viettel store. Or if you would prefer to arrange an eSIM in advance of landing, check out the packages available on Airalo.
Booking a coffee tour in Vietnam
If you’d prefer to sample the Vietnamese coffees all in one hit, then why not take a coffee tour?
There are plenty of different tour operators throughout all the major cities of Vietnam. Check out below for some ideas from GetYourGuide below:
Final Thoughts
Wherever you are in this beautiful country, you’ll never be far from a ‘cup of Joe’, with coffee shops open all hours, from first light till late you'll never not find your caffeine kick. Just pull up a tiny pew, order your chosen coffee and savour the powerful nectar of Vietnamese coffee!
For anyone who is a coffee addict, we cannot recommend Vietnamese coffee enough. It’s super strong, super cheap and super addictive!
Trust us, after a couple of months in this incredible country, we don’t know how we’re going to get by without our daily cà phê fix.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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