I've fallen in love with Vietnamese coffee!

In Malaysia, there's a unique chain of cafes called Kee Nguyen. What makes them unique is that they sell a wide variety of Vietnamese coffee, and what makes them unique is that their name includes the word "Nguyen"!

The allure of a one-time try

What's even more surprising is that the two co-founders of this coffee shop chain have no connection to Vietnam whatsoever, other than... they happened to fall in love with Vietnamese coffee after a trip here together.

The two guys, Radius Khor and Henry Tan, used to work as graphic designers for the same company. In the name of the restaurant, "Kee Nguyen," Kee is Henry's surname, and Nguyen was chosen because it's the most common surname in Vietnam.

Khor, who rarely drank coffee before, has become a "fan" after trying it once, while Tan told Free Malaysia Today that he can drink up to eight cups of Vietnamese coffee a day (although he admits this is not a recommended amount).

After falling in love with Hanoi's sidewalk coffee, Khor and Tan decided to start a business with a "Vietnamese street coffee" version in Malaysia in June 2019, because they couldn't find anywhere in Malaysia that sold such a "heartwarming" drink.

And so, the first Kee Nguyen cafe opened in the trunk of a car – partly a variation of the mobile coffee carts in Vietnam, and partly because they didn't have enough capital to rent a storefront! The first cafe with tables and chairs was located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor state, and later expanded to other states such as Penang, Johor, Melaka…

Radius Khor (left) and Henry Tan (right) when they started selling Vietnamese coffee from their car in 2019... Photo: FMT

To date, after nearly four years, they have an impressive number of branches, almost 40, and remain true to Vietnamese flavors by committing to importing all ingredients directly from Vietnam. Another unique aspect of Kee Nguyen is that they sell a wide variety of coffees created in Vietnam – from egg coffee and coconut coffee to yogurt coffee…

The appeal of Vietnamese coffee is further solidified after the international food magazine TasteAtlas ranked Vietnamese iced coffee among the world's best drinks in its updated ranking in February 2023.

According to TasteAtlas, Vietnamese iced coffee comes in two types: coffee mixed with condensed milk and ice, and iced black coffee – both rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by food experts, tied for first place with Italian Ristretto.

Re-identification in the US

Last month, the Food section of the Los Angeles Times published an article introducing the most impressive Vietnamese cafes in Los Angeles and Orange County. The list included egg coffee at Nếp Café (offering both fresh and salted egg), yogurt coffee at Thanh Thi Bakery, coconut coffee at DaVien Café, and matcha coffee at BLK Dot Coffee…

...and at a Kee Nguyen restaurant nearby. Photo: VULCAN POST

This renowned newspaper noted that Vietnamese coffee has long been the "mainstream" in Little Saigon, Orange County, but only in recent years has it been elevated thanks to the ambition of a new generation of coffee connoisseurs and their quick adaptation to new trends back home.

This rise stems in part from the resentment that Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer, after Brazil, yet few coffees in the US are labeled as originating from Vietnam – according to the popular coffee blog Sprudge .

One reason is that Vietnam primarily grows Robusta coffee – accounting for up to 95% of Vietnam's exports – while Arabica is the most preferred variety in the US. Therefore, Vietnamese coffee is often redirected towards the instant coffee market in the US. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, Vietnam is expected to export nearly 31 million bags in fiscal year 2022-2023.

Where does Vietnamese coffee exported to the US end up? This question prompted Sahra Nguyen, CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, to seek an answer. Nguyen Coffee Supply is currently one of the leading companies specializing in Vietnamese coffee in the US.

"Vietnamese coffee doesn't arrive in the US as fresh coffee beans; instead, it's ground coffee sold in supermarkets and instant coffee. They're placed on shelves without anyone knowing it's Vietnamese coffee," Sahra Nguyen shared her research with Forbes magazine. This processing into such products diminishes both the value and the quality of Vietnamese coffee's flavor.

"The reason for the distinction between Robusta and Arabica coffee is that people haven't had full access to both types, so they don't have their own assessments," explains Lan Ho, founder of the Fat Milk brand in Chicago. Simply put, Robusta is stronger and has a bolder flavor than Arabica.

Another misconception is that in the US, coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk and ice is automatically considered "Vietnamese coffee." "Vietnamese coffee culture in the US initially emerged in Vietnamese restaurants, where diners ordered filter-brewed coffee. But over the past 20 years, the filter brewing method has never truly taken root in the American coffee scene," Sahra Nguyen further observes.

Sprudge argues that things are starting to change, with a number of coffee companies owned by people of Vietnamese descent "telling the story" of Vietnamese coffee in North America as a whole, not just in the United States.

"The Vietnamese coffee filter has appeared, sweetened condensed milk is delicious… but it’s time we talked about Vietnamese coffee beans and Vietnamese coffee culture," Sprudge quotes a common statement in interviews on this topic. And Nguyen Coffee Supply is doing just that by sourcing coffee beans from Da Lat and roasting them in Brooklyn, New York City. Similarly, Lan Ho buys Robusta coffee directly from farmers in the Central Highlands.

"The goal here is to diversify the market rather than change it completely. There's plenty of room in the US for all kinds of Vietnamese coffee," Will Frith, a longtime expert on Vietnamese coffee, told Sprudge.

Rich variations

- Egg coffee is gaining widespread attention online. In egg coffee, milk is replaced with egg yolks. The egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk are whipped into a cream, then topped with traditional Vietnamese coffee. The resulting coffee has a foamy layer similar to cappuccino.

Egg coffee at Nếp Café. Photo: LA TIMES

Coconut coffee is no longer a novel drink; instead, it's readily available on most street corners and in cafes, especially popular in Hanoi. Some people describe coconut coffee as a cup of coffee with coconut smoothie.

Coconut coffee at DaVien Cafe. Photo: LA TIMES

- Yogurt coffee is another interesting combination of yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, and coffee, creating a potentially addictive drink.

N. Pham

Why the rush?

"Coffee is everywhere in Vietnam. On many street corners, you can easily spot coffee vendors, from pushcarts to cafes. For Vietnamese people, coffee is not just a drink, but a way of life. At any time of day, there's always a coffee shop or even an entire street ready to serve you an iced milk coffee."

In Vietnam, drinking coffee is a way for people to relax and chat. Many coffee shops in Vietnam are located in open spaces, with just a few small plastic chairs placed on the sidewalk for customers to watch the people and traffic go by.

Traditional Vietnamese coffee is brewed using a filter. Diners must slow down while waiting for each drop of coffee to fall, a moment many cherish. Whether enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning or evening, Vietnamese people prefer delicious coffee and savoring it leisurely. For them, why rush when savoring a good cup of coffee?

The above is a sharing about Vietnamese coffee from the website of the Nam chain of coffee shops in the US. It's not surprising that behind this heartfelt understanding is Vince Nguyen, who claims that coffee has flowed through his family since he was a child in Pleiku (Gia Lai province) to his later years in Ho Chi Minh City and now in Southern California. For Vince Nguyen, no flavor can surpass the aroma of fresh coffee!

According to Vince Nguyen, besides sharing the traditional taste of coffee, he also wants to support Vietnamese farmers. "This is an opportunity for us to promote our culture, and I hope to convey Vietnamese coffee culture," he told Spectrum News .

Meanwhile, according to Sahra Nguyen, CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, coffee is an integral part of Vietnamese cuisine, and coffee culture is certainly present, even if it's not yet truly prominent internationally.

Speaking to Forbes , she said that what impressed her about Vietnamese coffee culture was its diversity, stating, "Sitting on a plastic chair drinking coffee on the sidewalk is just as enjoyable as sitting in a fancy cafe drinking premium, machine-roasted coffee."

Pham Nghia

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