Vietnamese coffee: No need to be like anyone else.

(NLĐO) - As a coffee lover, I used to think debating about it was interesting.

I later realized that most of these were just arguments disguised with seemingly "stylish" words.

Vietnamese coffee is still there, in its own way.

One side clings to the traditional Vietnamese coffee filter and strainer, considering "rich flavor" to be "authentic Vietnamese." But honestly, many cups of "rich" coffee are just over-roasted or adulterated, leaving you with a burning sensation in your stomach after drinking them.

On the other hand, they impose standards from somewhere else onto Vietnamese coffee. They criticize Robusta for lacking subtlety and layers of aroma, then try to mold it to foreign tastes to be considered "high-class."

They sound contradictory, but they're actually similar in one respect: they're both trying to transform coffee into what they want it to be.

As for the cup of coffee in front of me, it speaks for itself.

I once stood in the middle of a coffee plantation in Di Linh during the peak of the dry season. Silent in the relentless sun, I watched the red dust cling to the bare bark of the trees. I'll never forget a farmer wiping away his sweat: "These days, people do whatever they want. This year they demand cleanliness, next year they want fermentation, the year after that they demand large beans. We can't keep up with the rest."

Coffee in harvest season

That's it. While drinkers are still debating about "profile," "aftertaste," and "notes," growers are just trying to survive each season. Those online ratings can't capture the harshness of a crop failure or the sleepless nights waiting for rain.

Ripe coffee cherries

So what is the identity of Vietnamese coffee? Does it lie in the filter, the machine, or in meeting a certain standard to gain international approval?

In fact, it existed before all this debate: a type of coffee born on basalt soil, grown in harsh conditions, and sustaining generations. Perhaps it's not "refined" in the way others define it. But that doesn't matter.

A bountiful harvest season for coffee farmers.

Vietnamese coffee is still there, in its own way.

All trends eventually pass. But the cup of coffee in front of me speaks for itself.

(Entry for the "Impressions on Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" contest 2026, part of the 4th "Celebrating Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" program organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ca-phe-viet-chang-can-phai-giong-ai-196260321152715787.htm