When you think of Vietnam, you probably picture coffee and beer. But something I drink surprisingly often is kombucha. At cafés and eateries, I'll have a bottle of Star Kombucha, or Vinamilk's "HAY ĐẤY," alongside a meal. It has become my go-to option on the days I don't drink alcohol.
Kombucha still isn't very familiar in Japan. Honestly, it feels almost strange how easily you can drink it here in Vietnam.
The fun of Vietnamese kombucha is in the "twists"
What's interesting about kombucha in Vietnam is the range of flavors and the sheer number of clever twists on a single cup. Flavors like peach, guava, lemongrass, and mango are a given. Each brand has its own character, and just tasting them side by side is fun.
My personal favorite is Pizza 4P’s kombucha made with whey. It's a drink that puts the whey left over from making their house cheese to good use instead of wasting it. I love the idea of turning something that would have been thrown away into a delicious drink. And there's something fun about ordering that byproduct as a drink at a pizza-and-cheese place.
Getting to discover these creative variations one after another is the real joy of Vietnamese kombucha. From classic fruits like peach and guava to lemongrass and even blue butterfly pea, the lineup differs by shop and by brand. Every time I find a new flavor, I can't help wanting to try it.
That's when I learned about "Junbucha"
I thought I'd been drinking all sorts, but one I only learned about recently is Junbucha. Generally, kombucha is brewed with black tea and sugar, while Junbucha is made with green tea and honey. That difference alone makes the taste mellower, and it's sometimes called the "champagne of kombucha."
Necta in Hanoi bills this as "Vietnam's first Junbucha." They have a dedicated taproom on Đặng Tất street in Ba Dinh District, where you can drink it poured fresh from the barrel. Green tea and honey — when I hear that,Vietnamese matchaas a fan, I can't stop thinking about it. I still haven't been able to try it, so it's on my list for next time.
Even the big players have moved in
What convinces me kombucha has spread this far is that Vinamilk, of all companies, has joined in. Vietnam's largest dairy maker released a kombucha called "HAY ĐẤY" in 2025. It's a type brewed over six months — a sparkling kombucha with butterfly-pea (blue flower) and black-tea flavors.
Star Kombucha, the homegrown pioneer, and Necta, the trailblazer of Junbucha—and now even major companies have joined in. From a drink for a few health enthusiasts to a bottle you can grab anywhere in town. The speed of change over these past few years feels very Vietnamese to me.
I love beer and coffee, but I drink plenty of kombucha too. The whey kombucha at Pizza 4P’s especially — I find it fascinating that it makes use of a cheese-making byproduct, and I end up ordering it every time I go. New twists keep appearing, so it never gets old.
One thing puzzles me: as tasty and varied as it is, kombucha hasn't really caught on in Japan. Maybe calling it a "gut-health drink" makes people a little wary, but if we could drink it as casually as people do in Vietnam—"a bottle to go with a meal"—I think it would spread much further.
And then there's the Junbucha I still haven't tried. That combination of green tea and honey keeps nagging at me. Next time I'm in Hanoi, I plan to stop by Necta's taproom and give it a go.
The strange part: you barely see it in Japan
Drinking it this casually in Vietnam, I find myself puzzled by the opposite: in Japan, kombucha hasn't really caught on.
A few reasons come to mind. The name is easy to confuse with kombu-cha (Japanese kelp tea). When it's introduced as a "gut-health drink," it feels a bit like a health food and makes people brace themselves. And in Japan it still centers on specialty shops and imports, so the price is on the higher side.
But the kombucha I drink in Vietnam is far more relaxed. A bottle with a meal, a bottle because you're thirsty. That easygoing quality may be the very key to it spreading. I wish we could drink it like this in Japan too.
In Japan too, more casually
Kombucha, quietly settled in right next to coffee and beer. Both the wealth of flavors and the freedom to experiment — like using whey — strike me as a uniquely Vietnamese kind of fun.
If you'd like to know more about the brands and where to drink it,The complete guide to kombucha in Vietnam. For the stories about beer and coffee, seeVietnamese craft beertake a look along with this article. Thank you for reading to the end.
