Vietnam is the world’s leading coffee exporter, but its unique identity lies not in the quantity of coffee produced, but in the way Vietnamese people drink it. From the tiny aluminum coffee filter and cloth strainer used by the Chinese community in Cholon to Hanoi’s egg coffee or Hue’s salted coffee, each variation is linked to a specific historical context. This article traces that history to help you understand how coffee-drinking culture in Vietnam has formed, spread, and diversified across regions.
1. Coffee-drinking culture began during the French colonial period.
Coffee plants were introduced to Vietnam by French missionaries around 1857, initially planted around church grounds in Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces. In 1908, the French brought in Robusta and Excelsa varieties, and a 1916 survey recorded nearly a million coffee trees producing coffee nationwide, identifying the Central Highlands as the most suitable region. Initially, coffee was a beverage enjoyed by civil servants, intellectuals, and the French in European-style cafes in Hanoi and Saigon. The Vietnamese adopted and almost completely modified it: brewing methods, sugar and milk ratios, roasting levels, and even seating arrangements. After 1975, the country had only about 13,000 hectares of coffee plantations producing 6,000 tons of beans; it wasn’t until after 1986 that the industry truly boomed. Those years of scarcity gave rise to many unique brewing habits that we now call Vietnamese tastes.
2. The Coffee Filter and the Culture of Slow Coffee Drinking
The Vietnamese coffee filter is a direct descendant of the French-style metal filter, but when it came to the Vietnamese, it was simplified into four parts: the filter body, the lid, the saucer, and the cover. The principle is a combination of steeping and drip brewing, with the extraction time lasting 4–7 minutes instead of 2–3 minutes like pour-over. The familiar ratio is 20–25 grams of coffee grounds to 40–60 ml of water, meaning it’s much stronger than a regular machine-brewed cup. Medium-coarse grind size, water temperature of around 92–96°C, and a steeping time of about 30 seconds before filling with water are crucial details in determining the quality of the cup. Interestingly, the Vietnamese coffee filter forces the drinker to wait, and that wait has become part of Vietnamese coffee culture: you sit down, watch each drop fall, and chat. No other brewing method in the world transforms this waiting time into such a distinct value.
3. Filtered Coffee – A Heritage of Old Saigon
Before aluminum coffee filters became popular, the Chinese in Cholon brewed coffee using a cloth filter, also known as “sock coffee” or “sock coffee.” Coffee powder was placed in a funnel-shaped cloth bag, soaked in a pot of boiling water, and kept warm over a charcoal stove. This method produced a thick, intensely bitter coffee with a strong roasted aroma, always ready to serve immediately – perfectly suited to the bustling pace of trade in Cholon at the beginning of the last century. The filter was often reused for many years, absorbing so much coffee oil that the shop owners believed it contributed to the unique flavor. Today, only a few shops in Saigon still practice this craft, most opening around 3-4 am and serving loyal customers across generations. Drinking a cup of filter coffee isn’t necessarily about enjoying a delicious drink by modern standards, but rather about savoring a surviving piece of history from the southern city.
4. Iced Milk Coffee and a Very Vietnamese Recipe
Iced milk coffee (or “coffee with condensed milk”) arose from a practical limitation: fresh milk was difficult to preserve in the hot, humid climate and the refrigeration systems of the colonial era were rudimentary, so sweetened condensed milk became the alternative. The common recipe involves placing 20–30 ml of condensed milk at the bottom of the glass, topped with 40–50 ml of strong brewed coffee, stirred well, and then poured over ice. The strong base of Robusta coffee is what allows it to penetrate the sweet milk and melting ice without becoming diluted – this is the technical reason why Robusta is so closely associated with this drink. You can recognize the very distinctive three-dimensional balance: the bitterness of the dark-roasted coffee, the rich sweetness of the condensed milk, and the sharp coldness of the ice. This drink has gone global under the name “Vietnamese iced coffee” and is featured on the menus of many international chains, becoming the most recognizable ambassador of Vietnamese coffee.
5. How Did Hanoi Egg Coffee Come into Existence?
Egg coffee is associated with Mr. Nguyen Van Giang, who worked as a bartender at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi and created this drink around 1946, during a time when fresh milk was scarce. The idea was simple yet clever: using whipped egg yolks with condensed milk to replace the fat in fresh milk. The core technique lies in the whipping process – the egg yolks and condensed milk are whipped continuously for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture turns pale yellow, doubles in volume, and thickens like cream. This cream is then scooped onto a cup of hot Vietnamese filter coffee, usually placed in a bowl of warm water to maintain the temperature throughout the drinking process. The result is two distinct layers of flavor: a sweet, creamy, smooth top layer like a custard, and a rich, bitter bottom layer. This drink is now one of the most sought-after experiences for international tourists visiting Hanoi, alongside traditional iced milk coffee.
6. Salted Coffee – An Invention from Hue
Salted coffee is the youngest variation in this group, appearing in Hue around 2010 and only truly exploding nationwide in recent years. The recipe consists of strong filter coffee, condensed milk, and a layer of whipped salted cream on top, usually made from fresh cream or condensed milk mixed with a very small pinch of salt. The basis of this drink’s flavor is quite clear: low concentrations of sodium can suppress the perception of bitterness and highlight sweetness, so just a few grains of salt are enough to make the coffee rounder and less harsh without adding sugar. This is a prime example of how Vietnamese people continuously innovate on the traditional filter coffee recipe instead of simply copying foreign recipes. From a small shop in Hue, salted coffee has spread to most major chains and even street vendors, showing just how quickly recipes are spreading domestically.
7. Street Coffee Stalls and Urban Life
Street-side coffee stalls are the most characteristic form of urban retail in Vietnam: a few low plastic chairs, a small table, and customers sitting facing the street. A cup usually costs only 12,000–25,000 VND, significantly lower than the common 36,000–70,000 VND per visit at branded cafes, according to recent market surveys. This price difference has helped street-side coffee stalls maintain a large and stable customer base for decades. Notably, this model not only sells drinks but also provides seating and the right to observe the street; customers can linger for hours with a single cup without being reprimanded. There are currently over 500,000 coffee stalls of all kinds nationwide, the majority of which are small and micro-sized like these. If you want to understand why the habit of drinking coffee on the sidewalk in Vietnam is so closely linked to it, start with that plastic chair.
8. Coffee shops are social spaces.
In many countries, coffee shops primarily cater to takeout needs. In Vietnam, however, it’s the opposite: coffee shops are places where people stay. A single shop simultaneously serves as a meeting room for businesspeople, a library for students, an office for freelancers, and an extension of a family’s living room. This explains why domestic coffee shop designs prioritize large tables, power outlets, strong Wi-Fi, and outdoor areas, rather than optimizing for quick table turnover. Market data shows that the percentage of people drinking coffee outside each day has increased significantly between 2025 and 2026, with the mid-range segment being the fastest-growing. Coffee shops also form small social rituals: coffee dates for business discussions, introductions, and conflict resolution. In other words, the drink is just an excuse; what’s truly bought is the time and shared space.
9. Regional Differences: North, Central, and South Vietnam
Northern Vietnam prefers small cups of hot black or hot brown coffee, roasted quite dark, drunk slowly with little ice. In Hanoi dialect, “brown” refers to coffee with condensed milk, while “bac xiu” is the Southern term for a cup with more milk and less coffee, originating from a Cantonese phrase for a cup of hot milk with a little coffee. Central Vietnam, especially Hue and Da Nang, maintains a stronger and sweeter flavor and is also the birthplace of salted coffee. Southern Vietnam leans heavily towards iced coffee: large cups, lots of ice, distinctly flavored condensed milk, drunk quickly in the heat, accompanied by a free glass of iced tea – a custom almost absent in the North. Even the way of ordering is different: “black iced coffee” in the South corresponds to hot black coffee or a more diluted version of the Northern style. These differences are so persistent that many large chains have to adjust their recipes specifically for each region.
10. Preserving and Revitalizing Coffee Drinking Culture
The good news is that tradition and modernity are coexisting rather than excluding each other. You can order a traditional Vietnamese iced black coffee at a specialty coffee shop, or see egg coffee or salted coffee on the menu of international chains. Domestic consumption is currently around 2.2 kg per person per year, still low compared to the world average of around 5.5 kg, and the industry aims to increase it to 3 kg by 2030 – so there is still a lot of room for growth. If you want to understand more deeply instead of just drinking out of habit, try three things: brew your own filter coffee at least once a week to feel the difference between different roast levels, visit a long-standing traditional filter coffee shop or street cafe to experience the old drinking rhythm, and when traveling to other regions, order the right local drink. Coffee culture only survives when people practice it every day.