Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer and has nurtured a distinctive coffee culture built around the strongly bitter Robusta variety. It's a place with a wide range of flavors, from the sweet ca phe sua made with condensed milk to Hanoi's famous egg coffee. As souvenirs too, the options are plentiful, from beans, ground coffee, drip, and instant to candy and even brewing tools. Here we sum up the big picture of Vietnamese coffee and how to choose by type.
What is Vietnamese coffee?
A strong cup, Robusta-based and paired with condensed milk
A major feature of Vietnamese coffee is that it centers on the Robusta variety, with its strong bitterness and body. Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands and its central city Buon Ma Thuot are known as a major producing region. The classic is ca phe sua, pairing a strongly extracted cup with condensed milk, and the contrast of bitter and sweet creates a distinctly Vietnamese flavor. The extraction culture of brewing one cup at a time with the metal phin filter is also rooted here, making the brewing method itself part of the food culture.
Bean varieties and roasting
When choosing beans for a souvenir, knowing the differences between varieties gives you a sense of the flavor. Vietnam's leading role is the strongly bitter, full-bodied Robusta, but the highland retreat of Da Lat's Cầu Đất area and others also grow Arabica, which yields a light aroma and gentle acidity. The rarer "ca phe chon" uses beans taken from coffee cherries eaten by civets, not something with added flavoring. Chon is made from both Robusta and Arabica beans. In traditional roasting, a method of adding butter and the like to roast has also been used to mellow Robusta's strong bitterness.
Why it's chosen as a souvenir
- With many forms — beans, ground, drip, instant, candy — you can choose to match the recipient and budget
- You can bring home distinctly Vietnamese flavors like condensed-milk ca phe sua and egg coffee
- Instant and candy are light and easy to hand out, making them easy to use as give-away souvenirs
- Add a phin and you can gift the brewing experience along with it
The main bean-producing region is Buon Ma Thuot in the Central Highlands, and the highland retreat of Da Lat is also known as a growing area. Knowing the feel of the region changes how you look at choosing souvenirs.
Types and how to choose
Vietnamese coffee souvenirs have strengths and weaknesses by type. Detailed advice on choosing each is gathered in its own guide, so read on according to your purpose.
Type
| Coffee Beans | For the serious type who enjoys aroma and freshness. Options include strongly bitter Robusta, lighter Arabica such as from Cầu Đất, and rare chon (from civets).Bean souvenir guideexplains how to choose |
|---|---|
| Ground coffee | The ease of brewing as soon as it arrives. It pairs well with a phin |
| Drip bag | Individually packed one cup at a time, easy to hand out and with little brewing effort |
| Instant (G7 and others) | Just add hot water. Light and ideal as a give-away souvenir for handing out in bulk |
| Coffee candy | Candy you can enjoy the flavor of without brewing.Candy souvenir guidefor reference |
Points for choosing
- The recipient's effort—Choose instant or drip for someone without tools, and beans or ground for coffee lovers
- Whether they have brewing tools—If you're giving beans or ground coffee, add aphinas a set to recreate the authentic brewing method
- Number of recipients—For handing out to many people, individually packed instant or candy is convenient
- Sweetness preference—Ca phe sua style with condensed milk is sweet; choose an unsweetened type for black-coffee drinkers
Detailed advice on choosing each type is gathered in its own guide. Read on according to your recipient — serious-type beans, the phin brewing tool, or candy you can enjoy without brewing.
Major brands and labels
Knowing the well-known brands widely distributed in supermarkets and airports makes choosing easier.
| Trung Nguyen Legend | Vietnam's largest coffee brand. A wide lineup from beans to finished products |
|---|---|
| Highlands Coffee | A popular chain across all of Vietnam. Its retail coffee is easy to find too |
| G7（Trung Nguyen） | Trung Nguyen's instant brand. Just add hot water for easy drinking |
Recommended uses and ways to enjoy
Knowing the Vietnamese way of drinking gives you something to talk about when you hand over a souvenir. Drinking styles vary by region: in the hot south, in Ho Chi Minh City, cold ca phe sua da with ice and condensed milk is drunk daily, while in Hanoi, egg coffee (ca phe trung), made by whipping egg yolk and condensed milk over strong coffee, is beloved as a specialty.
- Put condensed milk in a cup and pour in strongly brewed coffee to make ca phe sua (Vietnamese-style milk coffee)
- Add ice for ca phe sua da (iced condensed-milk coffee), southern-style, to enjoy on a hot day
- Whip egg yolk and condensed milk over coffee to recreate Hanoi's famous egg coffee
- Drip one cup at a time slowly with a phin, savoring the extraction time itself
Where to buy and price ranges
You can find them widely, from tourist-oriented markets to local supermarkets and airports. Prices change by type and location.
- Supermarkets—Beans, ground, and instant are all here, at reasonable prices with a rich selection
- Markets (Ben Thanh, Dong Xuan, etc.)—Good for buying by weight or in bulk, and you can haggle
- Coffee specialty shops / café retail—You can find fresh beans and branded items
- Airport duty-free shops—Convenient for last-minute restocking, but prices are a bit higher
Price range
The guide by type is as follows. It varies with exchange rates.
| Coffee beans / ground (bag) | About 300–900 yen |
|---|---|
| Drip bags (box) | About 300–700 yen |
| Instant G7 (box) | About 200–500 yen |
| Coffee candy (bag) | About 60–350 yen |
Tips for making it a souvenir
How easy it is to carry home changes by type, so choosing to match the recipient and your luggage keeps you from going wrong.
- For handing out to many people, light, individually packed instant, drip, or candy is convenient
- For a single item for a coffee lover, add a phin to beans or ground and gift the brewing experience along with it
- Choose airtight bags for beans and ground coffee, and hand them over soon so the aroma doesn't escape
- For someone whose sweetness preference you don't know, packing an unsweetened type and condensed milk separately lets them adjust
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Vietnamese coffee so strongly bitter?
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Because it centers on growing the strongly bitter, full-bodied Robusta variety. To make the most of this strong flavor, ca phe sua paired with condensed milk spread, and the balance of bitter and sweet became a distinctly Vietnamese cup.
- Which type is good for a souvenir?
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Choosing by the effort required of the recipient is an easy approach. Instant or drip for someone without tools, beans or ground for coffee lovers, and if you want to give the pleasure of brewing itself, adding a phin is appreciated.
- What kind of product is instant G7?
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It's a brand of instant coffee from Vietnam's largest maker, Trung Nguyen Legend. The classic is the 3-in-1 type combining sugar and cream, ready to drink by just adding hot water. Many are light and individually packed, so it's well suited as a give-away souvenir for many people.
- Can you keep the aroma when carrying home beans or ground coffee?
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Choose airtight bags and hand them over soon without opening, and the aroma is easier to keep. In checked luggage the bag can tear from impact, so gathering them in a zip bag is safer.
