A quick guide to: Vietnam’s Exotic Coffee Culture

When you think of Vietnam, coffee may not be the first food item that springs to mind. But it won’t take long being in the country before you realize Vietnamese people are OBSESSED with coffee – and they’re pretty creative about it, too! Here’s a quick guide to everything you need to know about coffee throughout the country, along with some recommendations for what to order! The main thing you need to know is that coffee shops are everywhere. Forget every other store being a Starbucks; there are streets in Vietnam where literally every store is a coffee shop.

First: a basic coffee.

A caphe da, with boba (tapioca balls.)

Coffee in Vietnam is called “Caphe” or “Ca phe.” It’s pronounced like the French word for coffee, café – which makes sense, since coffee was introduced into Vietnam during the French colonial period. A standard caphe is a full size cup of coffee (unlike an espresso) and comes standard with two things: a LOT of sugar, and a lot of condensed milk – not regular milk. The condensed milk makes it much sweeter and thicker. The other one you’ll see everywhere is a Caphe Da, which is just same thing as a caphe, but served on ice.

Personally, I don’t like my coffee sweet at all, so I ordered coffee everywhere with no milk and no sugar or, if the restaurant spoke English well enough, milk on the side. Note that many places that make coffee in advance will have already added sugar to the pot, so while they may not add MORE sugar to yours, it’ll still be pretty sweet.

Instant coffee will be provided in most hotel rooms. It’s also super sweet but I kind of liked it – it almost tastes like hot chocolate.

You can actually buy a pretty cool Vietnamese coffee kit on Amazon for fairly cheap – right here!

Next: A Drip Coffee.

Many places serve caphe as a drip coffee. We have this in the U.S. too, but it’s much more common in Vietnam. You’ll be served what looks like an empty cup with a big metal cup on top. The metal cup is full of the fresh coffee grounds, and it slowly drips into your glass. You need to wait a few minutes for it to fill; if you take off the metal filter, you’ll have a huge mess and no coffee in your cup. If you want to add anything to your coffee (milk, etc.) it goes in the actual coffee cup, not the drip filter.

Next (and best:) Coconut Coffee

Ladies and gentleman, I’ve found the perfect coffee – an iced coconut coffee. And I don’t even like coconut!

A coconut coffee is NOT just a coffee with coconut milk or coconut oil. A coconut coffee is a mix of refreshing pick-me-up and tasty desert. Essentially, it’s a cup of iced coffee with a huge scoop of iced coconut in it. It’s icy and not exceptionally sweet – think of it more like a coconut SnoCone or shaved ice, not like coconut ice cream. The coffee drizzled over it adds a little extra sweetness, and since it’s all iced, it’s an excellent choice on a hot day. I struggled to finish just one (it’s really filling!) so if you split one with someone, it ends up being a really cheap and tasty midday snack. It’s called a caphe dua, not to be confused with caphe da, and it’s super easy to find at almost any coffee shop in urban areas.

Egg Coffee: A Vietnamese Staple

If iced coffees aren’t your thing, you’ll definitely want to try an egg coffee. It’s a lightly roasted hot coffee with the addition of some fluffy egg yolks whipped in. This makes the coffee foamy, sweet, and very smooth. There’s very little acidity or bitterness, but it is kind of thick. You may have to chew, for lack of a better word, through the foam, so it takes a little getting used to. It’s light, but definitely not the watery/thin coffee we generally drink in the U.S.

Bonus: the presentation is a little fancier than just handing over a coffee cup. Usually, it’s served in a specialty mug with room for a candle under the coffee reservoir. Blow it out pretty soon after you start drinking or you’ll burn the coffee on the bottom.

Finally, to avoid: Civet coffee.

Also called “Weasel coffee,” civet coffee is the most expensive type of coffee you can get in Vietnam. It’s made by collecting the poop from civets, who eat coffee beans, and breaking that poop/bean combo down into coffee. I’m told it’s a little stronger than regular coffee (kind of like a dark roast in the U.S.) but otherwise pretty average. The reason I say this is a coffee to avoid has nothing to do with the coffee and has more to do with the abuse of civets to make it. They’re stolen from the wild, kept in cages in cruel conditions, and force fed beans until they die, essentially. The entirely-made-up allure of civet coffee isn’t worth perpetuating what is often a really cruel industry. If you REALLY want to taste it, you can buy imitation civet coffee, processed by machine. From what I hear, it’s nothing special, though, unless you’re one of those douches who thinks expensive = better. If you see the word “Kopi Luawt,” don’t order.