Vietnamese culture has beverages as an essential part of their life, be it coffee, tea or beer. While tea is the most preferred beverage for Vietnamese people as part of their daily life at home, coffee comes second. I am not a coffee person but definitely a cafe person. However, Vietnam definitely turned me into a coffee drinker.
I fell in love the way Vietnamese people make their coffee. They are so experimental and make their coffee in such unexpected way. Also another reason I like their coffee because its less acidic. Here is a list of the best coffee you shouldn’t miss in Vietnam:
1. Egg Coffee – There is a unique history behind the invention of this coffee wherein after war due to the scarcity of milk, a coffee seller used beaten egg white to mix with coffee. It ended up being a delicacy which you can now have across Vietnam. The egg white foam lends the creamy texture to the coffee making it decadent in taste. This is a absolutely must try coffee at Dinh Café in Hanoi (café that invented this coffee). In Saigon you can try this coffee at this café , Little Hanoi.
2. Ca phe Sua (Vietnamese drip coffee with milk) – this is the black coffee served with condensed milk. The condensed milk makes the coffee look like chocolate drink and provides a nice rounding taste to the otherwise bitter black coffee. This is the regular coffee that you can have literally anywhere. Some of the best places to have this coffee is the small local joints. While we were staying at Cactusland homestay in Saigon, just outside our homestay there was old Chinese couple living and serving coffee from their house who served really tasty Coffee Sua (see below in images). I also liked this kind of coffee at Cong café in Hanoi.
3. Chocolate coffee – when you think of this coffee, do not imagine this to be the sweet coffee that is usually served in urban café chains. This is a beautiful black coffee blended with unsweetened cacao powder. The chocolate lends a smooth texture to the freshly brewed black coffee making it ideal for winters. Till now I would crave for hot chocolate milk in winter, but I have found a perfect substitute. I absolutely loved the chocolate coffee at Dinh Café in Hanoi.
4. Ca phe Dua (Coconut coffee) – yea, you read it right. There two varieties served in coconut coffee. In hot variety, the coffee is made with coconut milk, and this coffee hits a different note in the palette leaving a lovely after taste. A decent hot coconut coffee is served at many local coffee shops. I really liked it at Café Van Mieu in Hanoi. In the cold coffee version, the coffee is made with coconut milk topped with coconut ice cream and shavings of coconut and ice. The Note cafe in Hanoi makes them very well.
5. Ca Phe Sua Chua (Yogurt coffee) – This is a specialty coffee mainly consumed in summer wherein drip coffee in mixed with condensed milk, yogurt and ice. It is considered to be healthy, helps maintaining body temperature during summer, and tasty. Since this is a summer beverage, we didnt get to try this.
Read my article on best Ca Phe’ to try in Saigon and Hanoi. Also check out the best place to experience Tea ceremony in Vietnam.
2HappySouls 