Taste of Vietnam: 5 Must-Try Vietnamese Coffees

Vietnam entices travelers with breathtaking landscapes, welcoming culture, delectable street food, and of course, excellent coffee. Vietnamese coffee stands out with its distinct flavors, textures, colors, and aromas, captivating coffee lovers worldwide. You can easily find a coffee culture that permeates every street and city, from trendy cafes to sidewalk corners where locals indulge in their beloved brew. Combining condensed milk, coconut, and even fresh eggs, here are five types of Vietnamese coffee recommended by Asia Color Travel to savor as you explore our vibrant homeland.  

 

Let’s start with the basics. This is the standard way Vietnamese drink their coffee. The coffee beans are usually roasted in butter then brewed in metal filters. The moments spent waiting for your coffee to brew are part of the pleasure of this style of coffee. Due to its bitterness, black Vietnamese coffee is an acquired taste. Feel free to sweeten your drink with condensed milk (you will find that many locals do), or mix it with ice. A cold cà phê sữa đá on a hot day is a quintessential Vietnamese coffee experience.

 

 

Born in the 1950s in Hanoi, Vietnamese coffee egg has now become an attractive drink that makes Vietnamese coffee drinks unique. The layer of whipped cream invites you to taste it immediately. As soon as you click on your lips, your taste will reach the sweet cream of eggs before reaching the bitter coffee taste. It is more of a desert than a drink, and people enjoy it either hot or cold. But we prefer it hot since it gives you a fantastic experience when it comes to taste and smell. 

3. Coconut coffee - Cà phê cốt dừa
If egg coffee is the best when enjoyed in winter, coconut coffee is an ideal choice for those wanting to cool down in summer. Served in a short glass, this creamy, sweet, and ultra refreshing iced coffee is made from coconut milk, blended with a touch of condensed milk and lots of ice, topped with Vietnamese drip coffee. To make it even creamier and more decadent, you could swap the coconut milk with sugar or cream, often served with a spoon and resembles an ice cream or a slush.

4. Yogurt coffee 
Another, rather unconventional, variation of coffee you can find in any coffee shop in Vietnam is yogurt coffee. The idea is exactly what it sounds like: It’s yogurt mixed with coffee – and sometimes with condensed milk added. The sourness of the yogurt, bitterness of the coffee beans, and sweetness of the condensed milk makes for a mouthwatering combination. 

5. Salted coffee

Though it doesn't have as long of a history as the above types, salt coffee is a must-try beverage to anyone visiting Hue. The coffee itself is brewed through a filter as usual, but here, it’s let to drip into a mixture of fermented milk, condensed milk, and of course, salt. It’s staggering how much a simple twist can drastically alter the taste, adding a caramel-like flavor.

As with any other popular drink, salted coffee has been adopted by many coffee shops around Vietnam. Still, many hardcore drinkers and curious first-timers alike prefer to seek out its original birthplace in Huế city.