Vietnamese Coffee Culture from an International Perspective

In Vietnam, diners can drink coffee in bustling roadside shops or small, humble shops hidden in the corners of Vietnamese streets. Vietnamese coffee culture is understood as connection.

Vietnamese coffee culture becomes a lifestyle. Photo: 43 Factory

Coffee becomes a lifestyle

According to 43 Factory, the French brought coffee to Vietnam in the 19th century. The main coffee bean at that time was Robusta. Coffee has influenced the enjoyment culture of Vietnamese people for a long time.

The explosion of coffee culture has also lasted for decades from the 90s until now. Coffee has become a simple refreshing drink as a typical lifestyle of Vietnamese people.

And the hobby of drinking coffee has also become the coffee culture of Vietnamese people. Coffee creates connections between many social classes. Although it is just a drink, it also contains the inner strength to connect people together.

Some people like the slow, pure bitter taste of iced black coffee, others like the sweet aftertaste with a little bit of creamy condensed milk, no one can refuse a cup of coffee when in Vietnam.

Aspiration to build new culture

Vietnam is a major coffee exporter in the world . This position mainly comes from the Robusta coffee production industry, which accounts for an estimated 97% of the country's coffee growing area. Robusta beans are easier to grow than Arabica beans because of the favorable weather and soil conditions in Vietnam.

Vietnam has also found a place in the international market by focusing primarily on the more affordable Robusta variety. Robusta beans can have up to twice the caffeine of Arabica beans, giving the coffee a more bitter taste. Vietnam is also the world’s number one producer of Robusta, accounting for 35% of global production in 2023–2024.

The concept of Specialty Coffee was first discussed in Vietnam in 2019. It is Arabica beans grown, processed and roasted according to SCA coffee standards. The SCA standard is a high-quality recommendation of the Standards Committee. It is a quantifiable and qualitative measure, based on scientific testing, that establishes values or value ranges for coffee.

All discussions are aimed at promoting exports and building a domestic market for designated coffee in the region with the aim of enhancing Vietnam's image and position.

Prioritizing the production of high-quality coffee is also building a new culture. There, civilization is measured by clean cups of coffee.

Impressed with Vietnamese coffee culture

A cup of Vietnamese coffee. Photo: K8/Unsplash

On Lifestyle Asia, author Eric E.Surbano visited Da Nang in 2023 and expressed his impression of Vietnamese coffee drinking culture.

It’s true, although it certainly isn’t the style of drink some people think it is. The Vietnamese love their coffee. They produce some of the best coffee beans in the world and prefer local beans over any fancy roast. The Vietnamese also have their own way of brewing their coffee. The most common is simply condensed milk, while there are slightly more complex variations like egg coffee and coconut milk coffee.

"Vietnamese coffee is delicious and strong (seriously, only have one cup in the morning if caffeine keeps you up at night). But no one talks about the taste of the coffee, the quality of the roast, the temperature of the cup, the boiling point of the water, or any of the other things that coffee enthusiasts talk about when they sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee. Simply put, coffee shops are places for conversation and connection between people," writes author Eric E. Surbano.

Walk down the street and if you see small tables and chairs on the sidewalk, it is definitely a coffee shop in Vietnam. Coffee shops are not uncommon in Vietnam, even on the sidewalk, and each one is only a block or two apart. Small tables and chairs with a varied drink menu.

People don’t just go to coffee shops to drink coffee, they also focus on chatting. In Da Nang, people often gather at coffee shops in the afternoon after a day of work. People sit and chat over cups of coffee and tea.

In cafes, coffee is not the main drink unless you are a coffee enthusiast. But most of the cafes that appear on Instagram attract tourists and have become a custom and habit in Vietnam.

Enjoying coffee also provides an opportunity for people to sit, often for hours, just to talk.

"While the internet makes communication easier, real connection seems harder to achieve. And coffee shops will be an opportunity to increase interaction and conversation between people," writes author Eric E. Surbano.

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