Buon Ma Thuot, the central city of Dak Lak Province, one of Vietnam's coffee-growing regions, is heading to China to sell its prized specialty beans. The Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association has teamed with Shanghai's Maiji Shanghai IT to hold the “Vietnam Amazing Cup 2026 China Roadshow”—a trial promotion in Shanghai in July 2026 and a full-scale B2B event in Guangzhou in August. Many people picture Vietnamese coffee as a sweet cup with condensed milk or a standard instant souvenir, but the growing region is now steering from “cheap mass production” toward “beans chosen for origin and quality.”Buon Ma Thuot, the coffee capital named to National Geographic's '15 best food destinations in the world'This movement ties directly into travelers' souvenir choices, too.
A two-step play: test in Shanghai, close deals in Guangzhou
This roadshow takes on a different character in each of two cities. Shanghai in July is positioned as a trial introduction aimed at local coffee experts and buyers—a place to gauge how the Chinese market receives Vietnamese specialty coffee and to lay the groundwork for the next move. Guangzhou in August is a more business-oriented format, with producers and exporters taking part directly—the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association plus exporters, roasting brands, and top contest-placing growers.
At the venue, the plan runs in one continuous flow: displaying the top 10 Arabica and 10 Robusta varieties from the “Vietnam Amazing Cup 2026” contest, offering cupping (tasting-evaluation) experiences, introducing the Dak Lak growing region, holding B2B meetings with Chinese importers, roasters, café chains, and distributors, and signing memoranda of understanding (MOUs). Association chairman Trinh Duc Minh cites the aim of introducing high-quality specialty coffee “more closely” to Chinese consumers.
Why China, why now
Behind this is China's rapidly expanding coffee consumption. Market researchers estimate China's coffee market keeps growing at around 10% a year, with independent cafés and third-wave culture spreading, mainly in cities. Now that specialty demand—particular about origin, processing method, and brewing—is growing, it's an opportunity for Vietnam, which wants to compete on origin names.
Vietnam's own circumstances are a tailwind too. Vietnam's coffee export value in fiscal 2024/25 topped 8.4 billion dollars, a record high, with a sharp rise in unit prices pushing up the total. It's a form of the "earn by quality and unit price, not volume" line being borne out in the numbers, and following Europe, its biggest market, China has emerged as a new outlet — geographically close and with plenty of room to grow. Not only Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City, butThe overseas pop-up of Vietnamese coffee that drew lines in San Franciscoas with that, origin-based brands are starting to cross the sea themselves.
Vietnamese coffee and the Chinese market in numbers
Here are the main verified figures. Market-size estimates vary by research firm, so read them as trends.
| Item | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam’s coffee export value | Over 8.4 billion dollars (a record high) | Fiscal 2024/25 |
| Export volume, year on year | About +1.8% | Same as above |
| Average export unit price | 5,610 dollars per ton (up 52.7% year on year) | Same as above |
| Share of the largest market, Europe | About 47.2% by volume | Same as above |
| China's coffee market growth rate | Around 10% a year (estimate) | Market research firms |
| China as an import source (by value) | Brazil in the lead, Vietnam a perennial contender near the top | 2024 |
What drove the growth in value was not export volume but unit price. That export value rose sharply even though production was roughly flat plainly reflects Vietnam's "shift to quality."
What the people at the source are saying
Gathering the words and moves of those involved in this effort reveals a picture of the growing regions trying to become the lead players in exports.
- Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association chairman Trinh Duc Minh—setting the aim of introducing high-quality specialty coffee “more closely” to Chinese consumers
- Exporters, roasting brands, and top-placing growers—rather than leaving it to the association, the producers and exporters themselves join the Guangzhou negotiations directly
- The association—after China, it plans to partner with South Korea's coffee association in August–September as well, positioning to capture the East Asian market as a whole
The "Vietnam Amazing Cup," which began in 2019 and reaches its 8th edition in 2026, is a contest where a top finish serves as a quality endorsement and a selling point to overseas buyers.
This shift will change how travelers pick souvenirs
This growing region's move also brings practical benefits to souvenir choices for those traveling in Vietnam. There are two key points.
First,More options to break out of 'cheap instant only'About 95% of the coffee grown in Vietnam is Robusta, and the instant coffee typified by the standard souvenir G7 (Trung Nguyen) is easy to hand out and affordable. Meanwhile, beans that specify origin, farm, and processing—like the contest-topping Dak Lak specialty coffees—are appearing more on souvenir shelves. It's an era when you can split by purpose: instant for handing out, and a specialty bag for yourself or a coffee lover.
Second,A "choose by origin" marker becomes usableOrigin names like Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat/Lam Dong, and scores from the Vietnam Amazing Cup or SCA/CQI (80 points and up is the mark of specialty), become clues to reduce hits and misses in flavor.The “choose souvenirs by origin name” trend shown by award-winning Lam Dong beanswith the same thinking, just checking the origin on the package once changes how satisfied you are.
A practical quick-reference for choosing souvenirs
From a traveler's viewpoint, here's a type-by-type guide to choosing. Currency is converted at roughly 60 yen per 10,000 dong.
| Type | Guide price | Who it suits / how to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Instant (3-in-1/4-in-1, such as G7) | 10 to 20 bags for 50,000 to 100,000 dong (about 300 to 600 yen) | For handing out to coworkers and friends. The sweet milk kind is easy |
| Black grounds/beans (mostly Robusta) | around 100,000 dong for 250 g (from about 600 yen) | For those who want to brew with a phin (metal filter). Emphasizes bitterness and body |
| Specialty (origin and farm specified) | 150,000 to 300,000 dong for 250 g (about 900 to 1,800 yen) | One for coffee lovers. Choose by origin and score |
It’s handy to learn how to read the labels. On the package, “2in1” means sugar added, “3in1” means sugar plus milk, “4in1” means sugar, milk, and additives, and no label means black. The basic split is: a specialty shop if you’re particular about origin, and a supermarket, easy to drop into, for bulk gifts.
Summary—two things to check next
The roadshows Buon Ma Thuot is staging in Shanghai and Guangzhou are a symbolic move to reposition Vietnamese coffee from 'cheapness' to 'origin and quality.' For travelers, it's also a sign that more origin-labeled specialty coffees will appear on the souvenir shelves. Two things to watch next: which brands pair with Chinese buyers and cafe chains in Shanghai in July and Guangzhou in August, and how that plays back into the lineups at local souvenir shops and supermarkets. Next time you visit Vietnam, alongside your usual instant, pick up one origin-labeled package and compare.
