You might be surprised to learn that Vietnam ranks 2nd in the world in terms of producing coffee seeds. Annual exports reach 1.5 million tons, mainly Robusta. Being the kingdom of coffee, the locals have created various Vietnamese coffees that you may love.
Here, Vietnamdrive introduces the popular versions of coffee and suggestions on where to find them in this beautiful country.
1. Filter Coffee
At the top of the list is always filter coffee with a bitter taste and a strong sweetness from milk or sugar, also known as black coffee or brown coffee. This drink awakens the taste buds of the drinkers, creating a refreshing feeling when sipping it.
Almost every coffee shop has this drink, so it’s easy to find a cup for you. Sometimes, Vietnamese people also buy coffee powder to make a cup for themselves at home, but enjoying filtered coffee at the shop with friends is more popular.
And certainly, you will not be able to drink all of this strong coffee cup at once. Slowly, sip by sip, and taste it to absorb the special flavor of coffee mixed with the sweetness.
2. Egg Coffee
Whenever mentioning the unique drink of Hanoi City, almost everyone mentions egg coffee, with a creamy coffee flavor and a little fishy taste.
You can barely imagine how to drink this coffee with egg yolks. However, at many egg coffee shops in Hanoi, you will be surprised by many fans who regularly enjoy this interesting drink. Egg yolks are added sugar, vanilla flavor – sometimes cinnamon, and a little cocoa. All are whipped up and added coffee to serve guests.
Giang Coffee (39 Nguen Huu Huan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi) is the right place you should stop. Ordering a cup of coffee and chatting with friends is probably an unforgettable experience in this city.
3. Salt Coffee
Born later than the above types, however, Salt Coffee has a strong attraction to many people when having the opportunity to taste it. A little cream, a little salt, a little condensed milk, and fresh milk are mixed in certain proportions and whipped. Then pour it into a cup of milk coffee, becoming salted coffee.
Created by a young couple in Hue city, it is quickly embraced by the locals and visitors alike as a typical drink of the city not to be missed. Gradually, almost any shop here can masterfully make you a tasty cup of salted coffee.
The address that I like to visit is Phinholic Café at 65 Ben Nghe Street, Hue City, Vietnam. This small coffee shop can make tasty egg coffee for you to try.
4. Coconut Coffee
As a combination of coffee, coconut milk, and crushed ice, coconut coffee brings a new experience to the people who enjoy it.
This drink has both the strong aroma of coffee mixed with the sweet and fatty taste of coconut. It deserves to be one of the tasty drinks in Vietnam on hot days.
Whether a man or a woman, coconut coffee is suitable to enjoy because the amount of caffeine is no longer too heavy.
Most coffee shops have this drink, with prices ranging from 30,000 VND to 70,000 VND depending on the style of each cafe.
5. Avocado Coffee
A seemingly strange combination of avocado and coffee, but this can create an eye-catching drink of Avocado Coffee.
This one includes ingredients: avocado, fresh milk, condensed milk, and of course, coffee. Coffee is made with a filter or brewed by a machine depending on the taste of each person. Other ingredients are pureed like avocado smoothies. Then pour it into the already-prepared coffee cup.
Enjoy this dish, you use a straw to both drink coffee and eat avocado at the same time. Stir gently every time you taste so that the avocado and coffee can blend together.
This dish is of unknown origin. Some people think that it comes from the Central Highlands, which is both the “coffee capital” and also a place where a lot of avocados are grown. From there, the whole country can find a cup of avocado coffee at selling-drink shops.
6. Saigon Coffee
With the unique characteristics of hot weather in Ho Chi Minh City, the coffee version here is made to better suit the local taste, adding more ice to make coffee more dilute, creating a delicious cup of Saigon coffee.
Like filter coffee, Saigon coffee also has two types, black ice coffee (mixed with sugar) and brown coffee (mixed with milk). Each type has its own charm. Depending on your taste, you can choose one of the two.
Everywhere, from sidewalk cafes to luxury coffee shops, Saigon Coffee is ready to serve you all day. Prices range from 20,000 VND in a pavement shop to 80,000 VND in luxury or at 5-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City.
7. Bat Xiu
The creation has created a variety of drinks to better suit the diverse tastes of users. Bat Xiu becomes another outstanding version of traditional coffee when more milk is added to the coffee cup.
It is because a lot of milk is added that creates a very strong sweetness. You need to pay attention to this feature if you are abstaining from sweets.
Many people believe that Bat Xiu also comes from the Chinese Town of Ho Chi Minh City, where many Chinese live and trade.
Because the recipe is quite simple as mentioned above, any coffee shop will have this beverage. You can choose a hot cup for cold days or cool ice for hot weather.
8. Sponge Coffee
Sponge coffee is also known as three-tiered coffee because you can clearly see the cup is divided into three layers with three different colors, including white milk, black coffee, and seductive brown foam coffee. Usually, it’s served with ice, of course.
Compared to Bat Xiu, three-tier coffee is not as sweet, but compared to ordinary filter coffee, it is sweeter.
The origin of this coffee version is unknown, only that, it is the creation of a talented bartender.
With the technique of creating three-tier coffee cups is relatively difficult, so not all coffee shops sell Sponge coffee. However, it is easier to find this coffee in a few shops in the Central and Southern regions (such as in Ho Chi Minh City) than in the North of Vietnam.
Besides tasting the flavorful street foods in Vietnam, you will be surprised by thousands of coffee shops, from sidewalk style to luxury cafes, from dine-in shops or takeaway ones.
Enjoying a typical coffee of each region can give you more experience during the journey to explore Vietnamese cuisine. If you come to Hanoi, try Egg Coffee; come to Hue, try Salted Coffee; come to Ho Chi Minh City, try Saigon Coffee or Bat Xiu.
However, you need to pay attention to the types of ice used with it. Most of them are made from tap water. Although locals often drink coffee with ice, there is no problem. However, be careful if your digestive system is not as it should be.
Do not rush, and do not drink the whole cup at once even though you see it very little coffee. Few but very bold. Take a sip slowly to feel the difference in the coffee-drinking culture in this beautiful country.