Vietnamese coffee culture: Past and present

A type coffee in Vietnamese coffee culture

Travelers coming to Vietnam are always craving for the strong taste of the famous Vietnamese coffee, like visiting Japan to experience tea culture. In Vietnam, coffee is more than a beverage, it’s a way of life, it’s called “Vietnamese coffee culture”. The people here know how to drink, to appreciate, and take the coffee culture as an integral part of their daily life. Here in Asia, you can’t see many countries like that.

HISTORY OF VIETNAMESE COFFEE

Coffee was introduced to the Vietnamese in the 19th century by the French when they colonized Vietnam. In 1857 French missionaries brought coffee to Vietnam, It first grew in Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An provinces. Later they found the best place in Vietnam to grow Coffee is red soil in Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Pleiku… in the Central highland of Vietnam.

In the first stage coffee is reserved for the top class, officers and some selected city people. Later when it was widely used in this tropical country, coffee became a more popular drink among the locals. The main beans growing in Vietnam are Arabica & Robusta. There are many popular local brands that brought lots of dollars to the national economy such as Trung Nguyen, Vina Café, Emo Café, Nes Café… The atmosphere of the café will make a great impact on their coffee.

Most locals prefer “Ca Phe Phin” filtered coffee. They use the Filter. First they let the coffee power absorb the boiling water then they will pour the boiling water on the top then wait each drop filtered in their cup. Listening to coffee dripping or even counting the drop is the favorite things of local coffee drinkers. To make their own coffee more attractive, their cup is kept in the bowl of full boiling water to ensure it is warm from beginning to the end.

VIETNAMESE COFFEE CULTURE IN 20TH CENTURY

“Ca phe coc” in the late 20th century
“Ca phe coc” in the late 20th century

In the 80s of the nineteenth century, the French invaded Vietnam and brought many Western cultures into the colony. Vietnamese people have been familiar with coffee since then.

The black drink, which tasted bitter, sweet and made people feel good after drinking it, was favored by the feudal mandarins and aristocrats at that time. There was a time, drinking coffee was also a measure of a person’s style and class. Many teenagers in the previous period thought that being able to drink coffee was proof that they were “grown up”.

With the 8x, 9x generation, small cafes on the roadside or on the sidewalk with small tables and chairs have become a familiar image, a place to gather and chat with friends. On many streets in Saigon and Hanoi at that time, it was not difficult to see nameless cafes, some improvised plastic chairs that were enough for people to sit or used as a table for a few cups of coffee. These cafes have been also called “ca phe coc”.

In the early 2000s, the forms of coffee business had many changes. People began to prefer cafes with internet, music and invested more in space. Although “ca phe coc” still existed, it has given up its original No. 1 position to other forms. Coffee trolley (take a way) can be considered as an improved form of “ca phe coc”.

VIETNAM COFFEE CULTURE TODAY

A coffee shop in Vietnam today
A coffee shop in Vietnam today

Nowadays, the “ca phe coc” has gradually decreased, instead there are coffee shops with big brands, more beautiful, wider, more diverse and better quality of service. However, the Vietnamese coffee culture remains unchanged. Coffee shops are now not only a place to gather and chat, but also a space to relax, study and work.

There are so many types and styles of café now such as Café & Book, Café & Pets, Café & Office… to satisfy the new passion of local coffee drinkers.

The coffee culture of the Vietnamese people in recent years is a culture of enjoyment in both taste and sight. People can sit for hours not only to enjoy a cup of coffee but also to enjoy the space of the shop. The price of a cup of coffee or any drink therefore also includes the cost of ingredients and service costs.

There are many new brands imported to Vietnam such as Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, Americano… Old traditional coffee has gone a long way to become an art of coffee in Vietnam today.

HOW VIETNAMESE DRINKS COFFEE

A cup of coffee
A cup of coffee

The way that coffee is roasted, brewed, and enjoyed in Vietnam is different from the rest of the world. Here, coffee is slowly roasted for 15 minutes with low heat while around the world, coffee machines are often used for this process. While machines are also commonly used to make a cup of coffee worldwide, in Vietnam, they load coffee into a filter. It is then left to drip for a much more intense flavor than an electric brewer. This is also how traditional “Ca Phe Phin” is made.

Two kinds of coffee that Vietnamese people often take are Ca Phe Nau (coffee with condensed milk) or Ca Phe Den (black coffee). In Northern Vietnam, people often order Ca Phe Nau Nong or Ca Phe Den Nong (Nong means hot) in winter to warm them up. But overall, Ca Phe Den Da (iced black coffee) and especially Ca Phe Nau Da (iced coffee with condensed milk) are more regular. 

Condensed milk plays an important role in coffee culture in this country. When the French first introduced coffee into Vietnam in the late 19th century, there was a lack of fresh milk. Therefore, the French and the Vietnamese people began to use sweetened condensed milk instead to add flavor and sweetness to their coffee. Gradually, this became a habit for coffee drinking in Vietnam. 

You can shop Vietnam coffee beans here.

Westerners drink coffee in times of need for alertness and concentration, but for Vietnamese, coffee can be used at any time. “Going to coffee” with Vietnamese people is not only encapsulated in drinking a cup of coffee but also meeting friends, going to work, having a rest,… Above all, it is the typical culture of Vietnamese people, it is Vietnamese coffee culture.

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