In just a few years, the coffee scene has transformed: salted coffee topped with salty cream, bottled cold brew, seasonal menus, and packaging designed for photogenic appeal. Behind this shift are young people – the biggest spenders and the most vocal on social media. They’re not just buying a drink; they’re buying a story and an atmosphere. This article analyzes how young people are reshaping the Vietnamese coffee market, from products and pricing to how brands launch new items.
1. Young people account for the majority of coffee spending.
The group of customers born after 1990 is currently the main driving force behind all market movements. They are employed, have independent incomes, and consider spending on beverages as a normal living expense, not a luxury. A consumer behavior survey published in 2025 showed that about 75% of drinkers choose coffee for alertness and 68% for taste – these two motivations exist simultaneously and do not exclude each other. What is noteworthy is the frequency: many young people drink coffee three to five times a week, with at least one time being a beverage costing over 45,000 VND. When multiplying the number of times by that price, the total monthly spending of a young urban person easily exceeds their spending on many other fast-moving consumer goods. This scale and frequency necessitates that all brands, from large chains to independent cafes, design products around their taste preferences.
2. Social Media Becomes a Product Launch Channel
Previously, a new dish required a menu, posters, and several weeks for regular customers to become aware of it. Now, that lifecycle has been shortened to just a few days. A fifteen-second video of pouring salted cream over a layer of dark liquid can reach hundreds of thousands of people before the restaurant even prints a new menu. TikTok and Reels’ content recommendation mechanisms favor short videos with movement and contrasting colors, so dishes with clearly defined layers or eye-catching mixing techniques always have a viral advantage. As a result, the product development process has been reversed: instead of asking if the dish tastes good, many brands now ask if it looks good on camera. Some chains now test new dishes in two or three stores, measuring social media mentions over two weeks before deciding whether to add it to the full menu.
3. Salted Coffee and Its Viral Variations
Salted coffee is the clearest example of how a local recipe became a national phenomenon. Its origins are linked to Hue, where whipped cream mixed with salt is poured over strong brewed coffee. The salt doesn’t make the drink salty but reduces the bitterness while enhancing the sweetness of the milk – a taste interaction described in sensory research. Following this is a series of variations: cold egg coffee, coconut coffee, yogurt coffee, whipped coconut cream, and versions infused with fruit juice or tea. Their common features include lowered bitterness, increased sweetness and creaminess, and layered colors that are easy to photograph. For newcomers, these variations serve as a gateway, allowing them to get acquainted before moving on to stronger, less sugary versions.
4. Why Does a Drink Go Viral?
Not every novelty item will go viral. Observing recent successful cases, four conditions often appear together. First, the name should be short, easy to read, and easy to search – two to three syllables are ideal. Second, the image should have a static focal point: a layer of white cream on a dark brown background, or a color gradient from light to dark depending on the height of the cup. Third, the price range should be within a testable range, usually 35,000 to 65,000 VND, low enough for customers to try it without much hesitation. Fourth, the ability to recreate it at home: when the recipe is simple enough for users to recreate their own versions, the amount of content multiplies exponentially without the brand incurring additional marketing costs. Items lacking any of these four elements usually only achieve short-lived popularity before fading away quickly.
5. Aesthetics Are Part of the Product
For younger customers, visual appeal is no longer just external decoration but is inherent in the product’s definition. Transparent cups revealing layered textures, domed lids allowing the cream to rise, minimalist labels, and branded paper bags – all contribute to the experience. Lighting in the shop is also important: many newly opened spaces opt for warm color temperatures of around 2700–3000K for seating areas and more neutral lighting at the bar to ensure drinks appear true to color in photos. Rustic wooden tables, exposed concrete walls, and green plants serve not only for aesthetics but also as photo backdrops. This has led to a very practical shift in investment structure: design and packaging costs account for a significantly higher proportion than ten years ago, and many brands are willing to sacrifice some profit margins to maintain the image that customers are willing to share.
6. Experience is Just as Important as Taste
Younger customers evaluate a purchase based on the entire process, not just the taste of the drink. Whether the app remembers previous orders, whether they can choose 30% or 50% sweetness, how long the wait is, and whether the staff correctly calls out the name on the drink – every detail counts. Personalization is a major differentiator from the previous generation: for the same drink, two people can request two different ice levels, two different sugar levels, and one can even switch from fresh milk to plant-based milk. Chains that meet these requirements often redesign their bar processes in a modular way, separating the pre-mixed base from the toppings to reduce service time to under ninety seconds. Conversely, places that make customers wait a long time without anything to look at or do while waiting will lose points on their first visit.
7. Brand Value and Sustainability
This group of consumers reads labels much more carefully than many realize. A 2025 survey showed that around 57% of consumers would choose products with eco-friendly packaging at the same price, and over 41% would be willing to pay more for products with a sustainability commitment. The second figure is more important than the first, as it shows that sustainability has begun to have real commercial value. But the commitment must be verifiable: a generic environmental statement doesn’t have the same effect as specific information like the name of the cooperative supplying the seeds, the percentage of recycled plastic in the packaging, or a discount policy for customers bringing their own cups. The opposite is also true – when a claim is discovered to be inconsistent with reality, the reaction spreads just as quickly as positive content once did. Credibility is built very slowly among this group but lost very quickly.
8. How Does the Coffee Market React to Young People?
Pressure from younger customers is rewriting the way the entire supply chain operates. New product cycles are shortening from several quarters to four to eight weeks, requiring roasters to stock a wider variety of base beans for quick blending according to new formulas. Seasonal menus and limited editions are becoming more common tools instead of special campaigns. Cross-collaborations with fashion, music, or film brands are more frequent, as they leverage existing followings. In the retail bean segment, smaller 100g and 250g packages are selling much better than larger bags, as younger customers want to try many varieties instead of sticking to a single type. Roasting preferences are also shifting: medium and light roasts are gaining market share because they suit cold brews and nut milks, although dark roasts still serve as a base for traditional drinks.
9. Risks of Chasing Short-Term Trends
Chasing trends comes at a price. A viral item typically peaks for four to eight weeks before quickly fading, while specialized ingredients purchased in bulk have short shelf lives – fresh cream, fruit syrups, or topping powders easily become obsolete. Staff also face pressure as the menu expands: each added item adds a training process, more preparation time, and a higher risk of recipe errors during peak hours. Even more dangerous is the dilution of brand identity, as when every store sells the same item, there’s no longer a reason for customers to choose your store. The practical approach for many brands is to divide the menu into two layers: a fixed layer of six to eight core items to maintain revenue and positioning, and a flexible layer of two to three seasonal items to capitalize on trends. The flexible layer can afford to fail, but the fixed layer cannot.
10. Understanding Your Customers to Create Sustainable Products
If you’re selling coffee or planning to open a shop, the key isn’t guessing the next viral item, but building your ability to react quickly. Maintain a stable base of beans as your backbone, because every sweet and creamy variation needs a distinct flavor profile to avoid being drowned out by layers of cream and syrup. Schedule quarterly menu reviews, based on actual sales figures, not personal feelings. Measure two metrics simultaneously: revenue per item and the amount of customer-generated content. A best-selling item that doesn’t attract new customers will struggle, while a highly photographed item that sells poorly will only take up counter space. Finally, publicly disclose verifiable information about the bean source and packaging instead of vague statements. This customer group is willing to pay more for what they trust, but only what can be verified.