Iced tea

There are many types of tea in Vietnam. From famous lands such as Thai Nguyen, Bao Loc, Moc Chau..., to remote countrysides, every place has its own flavor of green tea leaves. Tea can be an elegant drink in conversations, a confidant of an artist, or a hot cup of tea imbued with the love of the countryside every morning. However, among the myriad of teas, I still find iced tea to be something very unique, very Vietnamese, very rustic and familiar.

Recently, when attending the Tea Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, among many famous tea brands, from the best of Japan, China… to modern flower-infused teas, I suddenly thought: it seems like there are countless types of tea in the world , but nowhere else do people have iced tea like in Vietnam. Not because it is a special or sophisticated type of tea, but because in that glass of iced tea there are the habits, climate, lifestyle and soul of the Vietnamese people.

Iced tea was born from the most ordinary things. Perhaps due to the tropical climate, hot all year round, Vietnamese people have come up with a way to cool a cup of tea with a few ice cubes. Just like that, it has become a national drink. A pot of weak green tea, let it cool, add a little ice, and it is delicious and extremely pleasant. Drinking it on a sunny afternoon, the coolness spreads from the throat to the chest, making us alert and refreshed. Not as strong as Thai tea, not as sophisticated as Japanese tea ceremony, a cup of Vietnamese iced tea is simple but genuine, just like the Vietnamese people.

At roadside eateries, a glass of iced tea is almost indispensable. When eating a bowl of pho, a bowl of broken rice, a plate of grilled pork vermicelli… people often have a glass of iced tea. Drink it to wash down the food, to reduce the feeling of fullness, to cool down in the hot and humid city. In the countryside, after working in the fields, people look for a cup of green tea or a glass of iced tea to dispel fatigue. For long-distance drivers, a glass of iced tea at a small shop along the highway is both a thirst quencher and a way to stay alert for the next journey…

Interestingly, iced tea is often… free. Many popular eateries in Vietnam still have the habit of offering customers a glass of iced tea without charge. That “free” thing, though small, is full of humanity. It shows hospitality and kindness in lifestyle: inviting each other a glass of cool water to dispel the heat and erase the distance. Sometimes just a glass of iced tea is enough to start a conversation and connect strangers.

Drinking iced tea does not require any formality, no porcelain cup or earthenware pot, no quiet space. A plastic cup, a glass cup, even a faded stainless steel cup will do. What matters is the moment of sitting down, in the midst of a hurried life, sipping cool tea and letting out a long breath. In that simplicity lies a gentle philosophy of life: finding joy in the smallest things. And there, we not only find cool flavors but also memories, humanity and cultural identity.

Hoang Long

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202510/tra-da-6041b96/