Vietnamese coffee is appreciated as one of the best coffees in the world. Here’s a quick guide to Vietnamese coffee and 8 popular types of Vietnamese coffee you should taste in Vietnam
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VIETNAMESE COFFEE TYPES TO TREAT YOURSELF IN VIETNAM
In the 19th century, French colonists introduced coffee to Vietnam planting the first coffee trees in Vietnam. Modern Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer in the World, following Brazil.
Coffee in Vietnam is primarily made of strong Robusta beans. On that account, Vietnam is the largest producer and exporter of robusta coffee in the World. Robusta coffee beans are more bitter, hold less acidity, have more caffeine, and have more antioxidants than Arabica coffee beans. Vietnamese coffee caffeine is two times as strong as Arabica coffee. Coffee lovers who enjoy strong coffee often find their delight in Robusta coffee.
Traditional Vietnamese coffee is strong coffee with an intense and rich flavor. But what makes Vietnamese coffee one of the most popular coffees in the World is the way how it is prepared, brewed, and consumed.
People in Vietnam traditionally drink coffee slowly while socializing over a cup of joe in casual Vietnamese cafes with small plastic chairs that sprawl onto the sidewalks while watching people and motorbikes passing by.
Hanoi is undoubtedly the Vietnamese coffee capital. The number of Vietnamese coffee shops you can find in the historic Hai Ba Trung district in Hanoi is unparalleled to any other place in Vietnam. If you are in Hanoi and want to taste world-renowned Vietnam drip coffee and different types of Vietnamese coffee you should head to Hai Ba Trung district.
TYPES OF VIETNAMESE COFFEE TO EXPAND YOUR COFFEE PALATE WHILE IN VIETNAM:
1. VIETNAMESE DRIP COFFEE – Cà Phê Sữa Nóng
Ca Phe Sua Nong in Vietnam is a hot Vietnamese drip coffee with milk.
While coffee with milk is called Ca Phe Sua in the south of Vietnam, it is called Ca Phe Nau in the north of Vietnam.
Typical Vietnamese drip coffee is prepared and served in a single-cup filter called Phin. Traditionally Vietnamese drip coffee is mixed with sweetened condensed milk. The lack of fresh milk in Vietnam, as much as the difficulty of storing fresh milk in a tropical climate resulted in the use of canned condensed milk. Adding canned condensed milk to coffee in Vietnam happened to perfectly balance strong and bitter robusta coffee beans. In Vietnam, canned condensed milk serves as a sweetener and as a creamer for Vietnamese drip coffee.
How to make Vietnamese coffee? How to use a Vietnamese coffee filter?
It is easy to make traditional Vietnamese drip coffee but you need a Vietnamese Phin (or Vietnamese drip coffee maker, also called Vietnamese coffee dripper). Vietnamese coffee maker is made of a cup, a drip filter, and a cap (cover). Just put sweetened condensed milk in the cup and coffee grounds on the cover on the top of the cup. Pour hot water over the coffee grounds and the coffee will slowly drop from the top through the filter into the cup. As it drops, the coffee will slowly mix with condensed milk in the cup. And there it is – Phin Coffee! Or in Vietnamese ‘Phin Cà Phê‘!
How to drink Vietnamese coffee?
When the coffee brewing (dripping) is over, you just need to remove the ‘phin cover’ and you can immediately sip your delicious hot Vietnam coffee. If you would like to have an iced Vietnamese coffee, just pour your coffee into a tall glass with lots of ice, and your Vietnamese iced coffee is done.
Where you can buy a Vietnamese coffee filter if you want to make Vietnamese drip coffee at home?
Amazon has it all. You can find a Vietnamese coffee filter set on Amazon.com. Treat yourself to the Vietnam coffee cup.
BEST-BUY VIETNAMESE COFFEE MAKER: Vietnamese Coffee Filter Press. Made in Vietnam. or
Vietnamese Coffee Filter Set. Also known as a Vietnamese Coffee Maker or Press 8oz.
BEST-BUY VIETNAMESE COFFEE: Trung Nguyen – Premium Blend – 15 Ounce Can | Vietnamese Coffee and Ground Bean, Robusta and Arabica Premium Coffee Blend, Intense Flavor and Fragrance with Chocolate Hint, Medium Roast with Low Acidity
THE BEST CONDENSED MILK FOR VIETNAMESE COFFEE: Longevity Sweetened Condensed Milk, 14-Ounce (Pack of 4)
2. VIETNAMESE BLACK ICED COFFEE – Cà Phê Đá
If you want a hot black coffee in Vietnam, order Cà Phê Đen.
Black coffee in Vietnam is commonly sipped with ice because of the hot tropical climate. To order pure black coffee with ice and without sweetened condensed milk you need to ask for Cà Phê Đá. Cafe Da is a typical Vietnamese coffee. Please remember, you need to specify Ca Phe Da when ordering not to get coffee with condensed milk which is almost compulsory with traditional Vietnam coffee.
3. VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE WITH CONDENSED MILK – Cà Phê Sữa Đá
Ca Phe Sua Da is another type of traditional coffee in Vietnam and the most popular coffee drink in Vietnam.
Cafe Sua Da is a Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed sweetened milk. Iced Vietnamese coffee is a perfect refreshment on hot and humid Vietnamese days.
In Cafe Su Da goes an equal amount of milk and coffee. But if you prefer more milk than coffee in your Vietnamese cup of joe, ask for Bạc Xỉu.
4. VIETNAMESE EGG COFFEE – Cà Phê Trứng
Ca Phe Trung is egg coffee in Vietnam made of Vietnamese drip coffee and a layer of whipped chicken egg yolks with condensed milk, and sugar on the top.
This Vietnamese coffee with a creamy texture is often voted to be the best Vietnam coffee. Please don’t have a prejudice for Vietnamese egg coffee. When you taste it, you are going to be surprised how CAFE TRUNG delicious is! If you like the taste of Tiramisu or egg nog, you will love the egg coffee in Vietnam too!
There are a few versions of Vietnamese egg coffee: hot, cold, and with cacao (Cà Phê Trứng Cacao)
From a short history lesson, let me just add here that egg coffee was invented in Hanoi in the 1940s. Egg yolks were added to coffee to substitute fresh milk which was in shortage.
5. VIETNAMESE COCONUT COFFEE – Cà Phê Dừa
Mix coffee with coconut milk, a little bit of condensed milk, lots of ice and, Voilà! You get one of the best Vietnamese coffee you will ever taste! Cafe Dua is less sweet than traditional Vietnamese coffee with only condensed milk. Coconut coffee in Vietnam can be made with coconut milk or coconut yogurt. In each case, it’s doubtlessly delicious. And you can drink it, hot or iced! If you want hot coconut coffee, just put away the ice. No-brainer.
6. COFFEE YOGURT – Cà Phê Sữa Chua
Yogurt coffee or Sua Chua Ca Phe is another type of coffee in Vietnam introduced by the French. Creamy yogurt blends divinely with black Vietnamese coffee. If you prefer creamy textures in your coffee, please add coffee yogurt to your list of Vietnam coffee types to try in Vietnam!
7. FRUITY COFFEE – Sinh To Cà Phê
If you prefer flavored coffees and you love smoothies, you should opt for smoothie coffee in Vietnam. Ca Phe Sinh To is made of fresh tropical fruits (such as banana, avocado, or a rare fruit called sapodilla) with only a few drops of Vietnamese coffee. Exotic fresh fruits and Vietnamese coffee are an exceptional mix to whet your palette!
8. VIETNAMESE WEASEL COFFEE – Cà Phê Chon
Weasel coffee in Vietnam, called Ca Phe chon, cafe chon, chon nau coffee in Vietnam, is one of the most expensive coffees in the World and a rare coffee you can taste in Vietnam. Although I haven’t tried weasel poop coffee in Vietnam, I have tasted kopi luwak in Bali. Indonesian kopi luwak and Vietnamese weasel coffee are not the same but very similar as they are two species. There are only a few countries in the World you can try authentic cat poop coffee: Indonesia, Vietnam, East Timor, and the Philippines. You might be surprised, but civet coffee is not yuck! Please take away your prejudgements and keep your mind open for new experiences. Of course, always behave responsibly and search for ‘certified wild weasel coffee’ keeping in mind the wellbeing of animals. You can find wild weasel coffee in coffee plantations in Dak Lak and Lam Dong province in Vietnam. Read here about Kopi Luwak Coffee in Bali.
Vietnam Coffee Tours in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
I was touring Vietnam independently for a month, sampling Vietnam foods and sipping Vietnamese coffee along the way.
But if you are visiting only Hanoi, you might enjoy sampling some of the best street food in Hanoi while sipping Vietnamese coffee, or learning about Vietnam’s coffee and tea culture:
Hanoi Food on Foot: Walking Tour of Hanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi: 2-Hour Vietnamese Coffee and Tea Ceremony
Or if you are visiting Ho Chi Minh, you should consider joining one of these awesome tours:
Vietnamese Culture and Coffee Making Class in Ho Chi Minh
Rost and Taste Vietnamese Coffee Tour in Ho Chi Minh
But even if you are not into taking tours, you shouldn’t worry about where you can taste authentic Vietnamese coffee types in Vietnam. My all-time favorite Vietnamese coffee shop ‘Cong Caphe’ can be found at several addresses in Vietnam: from Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh to Sapa. On Cong Caphe’s coffee menu, you can find a great number of common Vietnamese coffee types.
Read here about Cong Caphe coffee shops in Vietnam: Best Vietnamese café in Vietnam
Have you been to Vietnam? Have you tried Vietnamese coffee? What do you think of Vietnam coffee filter?
How to make Vietnamese coffee?
Making Vietnamese coffee is easy. You just need a Vietnamese Phin, a Vietnamese coffee ground, and sweetened condensed milk.
1. Boil water
2. Put sweetened condensed milk in the cup of Vietnamese Phin
3. Put coffee grounds on the cover on the top of the cup of Vietnamese Phin.
4. Pour hot water over the coffee grounds and the coffee will slowly drop from the top through the filter into the cup. As it drops, the coffee will slowly mix with condensed milk in the cup. When the dripping finishes, your Vietnamese coffee is ready!
5. Take the cup of Vietnamese Phin off, stir the coffee, and enjoy your coffee!
How to make Vietnamese iced coffee?
1. Boil water
2. Put sweetened condensed milk in the cup of Vietnamese Phin
3. Put coffee grounds on the cover on the top of the cup of Vietnamese Phin.
4. Pour hot water over the coffee grounds and the coffee will slowly drop from the top through the filter into the cup. As it drops, the coffee will slowly mix with condensed milk in the cup.
5. When the dripping finishes, take the cup of Vietnamese Phin off, stir the coffee, and add some ice! Enjoy your Vietnamese iced coffee!
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I am not a coffee drinker. But fruit coffee? Or the coconut milk ones I could make an exception for!
Is the Vietnamese drip coffee the same as the siphon coffee? I thought that was a kind of Vietnamese coffee too.
Hi Carol,
They are different. They use different coffee-making methods.
To make Vietnamese coffee you need Vietnamese Phin, and to make Siphon coffee you need Siphon coffee maker.
And not only they are prepared differently, but they taste different too.
xoxo Milijana
I must admit that we are coffee snobs. We would definitely go looking for great coffee in Vietnam. We normally go searching for Arabica beans. But the robusta beans in Vietnam might offer us a treat. But I would not want to spoil the coffee with the sweetness of condensed milk. Adding whipped egg yolks would certainly be something to try. We will definitely have to try coffee is a bunch of new ways if we visit Vietnam.
The post I’ve been waiting for in a long time! I only knew Vietnamese drip coffee. Didn’t know it has such wide variety! For me this is one of the best coffees I’ve ever had in the world. Will definitely go back to Vietnam just for coffee.
Great article especially since I just got back from Vietnam where I also enjoyed the coffee. On this trip, I had coconut coffee for the first time and found it surprising. Super sweet, but quite an experience. Great coffee options in Vietnam for sure.
I only knew about Vietnamese drip coffee and iced coffee with condensed milk. I didn’t know there are so many other kinds! I would love to try the egg version next time I visit Vietnam!!
Oh this took me back! I miss both egg coffee and weasel coffee. Yum. I think I need to try the coconut coffee when I go back.
I knew of the Kopi Luwak but not the weasel coffee! One variety of coffee to try and another reason to visit Vietnam!
That is surely a wonderful list of coffees to try in Vietnam and this is already high on our list too. The egg coffee sounded strange but we absolutely love Tiramisu so surely gonna love this too. The coconut coffee is another one which we are surely going to try. Thanks for sharing all details.
I don’t drink coffee for religious reasons, yet I still learned something from your post. I didn’t know there were so many flavors infused into coffee. Also had no idea that Vietnam was well known for its Robusta coffee.