{"id":2417,"date":"2026-05-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?post_type=news&p=2417"},"modified":"2026-05-09T19:57:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T10:57:32","slug":"phinoi-coffee-revival","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/phinoi-coffee-revival\/","title":{"rendered":"\"Pay What You Feel\"\u2014A Former Finance Man in Hanoi Saves Vietnamese Coffee Culture with the Traditional \"Phinoi\" Filter"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Hanoi, a titanium coffee filter priced at 26.8 million VND per unit is stirring ripples<\/h2>\n

On January 21, 2026, a titanium phin filter priced at 26.8 million VND (about 160,000 yen) per unit, announced by the Hanoi coffee brand \u201cPhinoi,\u201d sparked a debate splitting coffee lovers in Vietnam in two. Limited to 54 units\u2014produced in the number symbolizing Vietnam\u2019s 54 ethnic groups\u2014this filter is cast in Grade 23 titanium, which is also used in aerospace, and its lid is engraved with the legendary \u201cnine-tailed horse.\u201d It even has a gimmick where the horse\u2019s figure emerges each time the coffee drips. Tracing the background and philosophy of founder Vu Dinh Tu reveals that this product is not a mere pricey gadget but an attempt to hand Vietnam\u2019s phin coffee culture itself to the next generation.<\/p>\n

How a former financier awakened to coffee during the pandemic<\/h2>\n

Tu was originally a person from the finance industry. His life changed completely during the COVID crisis, and it began when he started home roasting with a small roaster borrowed from a friend. He started selling beans and holding study sessions in a small 27-square-meter space, which grew into \u201cRefined.,\u201d now operating three stores in Hanoi. About 70% of the menu is the Robusta variety. Tu\u2019s conviction is to elevate Robusta\u2014which tends to be seen as \u201clow quality\u201d compared with Arabica\u2014through proper cultivation and processing.<\/p>\n

Even more unique is the signature menu item \u201cprice as you feel.\u201d The representative Robusta cup carries no set price; it\u2019s a system where customers toss an amount they decide for themselves into a phin filter on the counter. This arose naturally from early regulars who left money saying, \u201cI\u2019d feel bad drinking it for free.\u201d<\/p>\n

The design philosophy of the Phinoi filter\u2014\u201ca phin to pass down to grandchildren\u201d<\/h2>\n

Tu\u2019s motive for launching the Phinoi brand is clear. As Vietnam\u2019s young people drift toward drip and espresso, there was a need to redefine phin culture as \u201csomething cool.\u201d The colorful, slim-designed filters sold out instantly at World of Coffee Jakarta in May 2025. They also drew attention at the subsequent Cafe Show Ho Chi Minh 2026.<\/p>\n

And now this 54-unit limited titanium version. The design motif is the Vietnamese legend of \u201cthe mountain god Son Tinh and the water god Thuy Tinh vying over the marriage of Princess My Nuong.\u201d The nine-tailed horse engraved on the lid is a wedding gift from the tale. It was reportedly completed after 10 months of research and development.<\/p>\n

The titanium filter\u2019s specifications and a price comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nPhinoi titanium version<\/th>\nA general titanium filter<\/th>\nAluminum phin (commercial product)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Material<\/td>\nGrade 23 titanium (aerospace\/medical use)<\/td>\nGrade 1 titanium<\/td>\nRecycled aluminum alloy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price<\/td>\n26.8 million VND (about 160,000 yen)<\/td>\nAbout 2 million VND (about 12,000 yen)<\/td>\n20,000\u201350,000 VND (about 120\u2013300 yen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number produced<\/td>\nLimited to 54 units<\/td>\nSmall lots<\/td>\nMass production<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Volume<\/td>\nNot disclosed<\/td>\nAround 400 ml<\/td>\n150\u301c250ml<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Characteristics<\/td>\nOpenwork carving of the nine-tailed horse, legend motif<\/td>\nLightweight, corrosion-resistant<\/td>\nCheap, easy to obtain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Divided opinion\u2014the voices of coffee lovers<\/h2>\n

Three reactions swirl around this product on social media.<\/p>\n

First, the skeptics. As symbolized by the sarcastic comment, \u201cI\u2019ve lived long enough to witness a 260,000-yen filter,\u201d there\u2019s a persistent voice that this price is preposterous for a practical item. The point that \u201cfor that amount, buying a good grinder would surely improve the coffee\u2019s flavor more\u201d is also on target.<\/p>\n

Next, the supporters. Caf\u00e9 owner Hoang Minh says, \u201cIt should be seen as a collector\u2019s item.\u201d The logic is that it should be evaluated on the same footing as jewelry or watches.<\/p>\n

And Tu himself points to the heavy-metal risk contained in cheap commercial aluminum filters, explaining, \u201cI wanted to make something that can keep being used across generations, as a tool to protect the family\u2019s health.\u201d In fact, several units have reportedly already been purchased.<\/p>\n

Why Japanese coffee lovers should take note<\/h2>\n

In Japan too, since the third wave, a culture of fussing over the material and form of drippers has taken root. \u201cExtraction tools as craftwork\u201d\u2014Arita-ware and Hasami-ware drippers, copper pots, and the like\u2014aren\u2019t unusual. Phinoi\u2019s approach can be called the Vietnamese version of that movement. The point of giving the phin filter a context of traditional craft and finishing it into a product young generations want to show off on social media is also instructive for Japanese tableware makers.<\/p>\n

Interest in Vietnamese coffee itself is rising in Japan too. Running alongside the reappraisal of the Robusta variety and the spreading awareness of condensed-milk coffee and egg coffee, attention to the phin filter as a \u201cbrewing experience\u201d will likely accelerate from here.<\/p>\n

The future of phin coffee culture\u2014ripple effects on the industry<\/h2>\n

What Tu\u2019s challenge shows is a strategy of repackaging a commoditized everyday item as a \u201ccultural asset.\u201d Within Vietnam, the takeout culture of major chains is expanding rapidly, and the time to slowly brew with a phin is coming to be seen as \u201cinefficient.\u201d Against that trend, at Refined.\u2019s caf\u00e9s customers experience the entire process from bean roasting to extraction, and it offers original drinks combined with Vietnamese fruits such as apricot and dragon melon.<\/p>\n

By pushing the phin filter up into the luxury category, it makes young people re-recognize \u201cthe act of brewing with a phin.\u201d The 54 titanium filters are merely its symbolic flagship.<\/p>\n

Phinoi and Refined. basic information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Brand<\/td>\nPhinoi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Caf\u00e9 operated<\/td>\nRefined. (three stores in Hanoi)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Founder<\/td>\nVu Dinh Tu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Official site<\/td>\nphinoi.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Titanium filter price<\/td>\n26.8 million VND (about 160,000 yen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number produced<\/td>\n54 units (corresponding to Vietnam\u2019s 54 ethnic groups)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Signature system<\/td>\nThe \u201cprice as you feel\u201d system for the Robusta drink<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main event appearances<\/td>\nWorld of Coffee Jakarta (2025), Cafe Show Ho Chi Minh (2026)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Summary\u2014the cultural inheritance packed into a single coffee filter<\/h2>\n

A 26.8-million-VND filter certainly sounds outlandish. But behind it overlap a warning against \u201cthe risk of ingesting heavy metals daily from cheap aluminum phins\u201d and the message that \u201cphin coffee isn\u2019t uncool.\u201d The \u201cprice as you feel\u201d system Tu practices at Refined. is also a mechanism that asks customers themselves about the value of coffee. How far will 54 titanium filters, bearing the 54 ethnic groups, shake up Vietnam\u2019s coffee culture? The answer is dripping quietly, right now, inside the phin placed on a Hanoi counter.<\/p>\n

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