Vietnam is known as the world\u2019s second-largest coffee producer, but over the past few years \u201cmatcha\u201d has emerged as a new lead player. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, matcha specialty caf\u00e9s have surged, and the sight of young people forming long lines is no longer the exclusive domain of coffee chains. Behind this are the full-fledged rise of Japanese-style matcha production in Bao Loc, Lam Dong Province, and the rise of local brands led by Doi Dep. This article, from the perspective of a Vietnam resident, comprehensively explains the latest on Vietnamese matcha and how to choose it as a souvenir to take home.<\/p>\n
Matcha began drawing intense attention in Vietnam from the 2020s onward. The global matcha market is estimated at 4.2 billion dollars in scale, growing 9.5% a year, and that wave has spread to emerging Asian countries as well. Within Vietnam, sales of matcha-latte powder on TikTok Shop and Shopee have surged, and it has come to be distributed widely\u2014through caf\u00e9s, supermarkets, and even convenience stores.<\/p>\n
Three elements are driving the boom. The first is the evolution of caf\u00e9 culture. Major chains such as Highlands Coffee and The Coffee House have added matcha drinks to their menus, and more than 10 matcha specialty caf\u00e9s have opened within Ho Chi Minh City. The second is rising health consciousness. The younger generation has taken note of catechins and theanine, creating a flow of choosing matcha as an alternative to coffee. The third is the Japanese-food boom. Following sushi and ramen, matcha is being chosen as a \u201cdistinctly Japanese experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chances to encounter matcha while caf\u00e9-hopping or choosing souvenirs are rising sharply, making it a presence you can\u2019t ignore as a theme for a Vietnam trip.<\/p>\n
Indispensable to any discussion of Vietnamese-grown matcha is Bao Loc in Lam Dong Province. About four hours by car northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, this town sits in highland terrain at around 800 meters elevation and has long been called \u201cVietnam\u2019s tea capital.\u201d Tea cultivation began in the French colonial era, and some of the country\u2019s largest tea fields still spread out here.<\/p>\n
There are three conditions suited to tea cultivation in Bao Loc: a cool climate with an annual average temperature around 22\u00b0C, mist that occurs throughout the year, and fine-grained basaltic soil. The mist blocking direct sunlight creates a state close to natural shade cultivation, growing soft tea leaves rich in theanine. That its climate conditions partly resemble those of Japan\u2019s matcha-producing areas of Uji and Nishio has also helped push up quality in recent years.<\/p>\n
From the latter half of the 2010s, Japanese-style shade-cultivation (shading) techniques were adopted in earnest in Bao Loc\u2019s tea gardens. Covering the tea leaves with black shade nets for about 20 days raises theanine content and suppresses catechins, the bitter component\u2014this technique is the core of high-grade Japanese matcha. In Bao Loc, several factories operate that, in addition to this method, carry out the process all the way to grinding the leaves with a dedicated stone mill.<\/p>\n
Tea gardens with an eye on exports to Europe and North America are increasingly obtaining international certifications such as Organic JAS and USDA Organic, on top of VietGAP, Vietnam\u2019s own good agricultural practices. Meeting the demands of advanced markets with strict residual-pesticide standards has led to a quality lift across the whole production area.<\/p>\n
The name that comes up as the front-runner of Vietnamese matcha is Doi Dep, based in Bao Loc. By combining vast in-house tea gardens with Japanese-style equipment, it has pioneered Vietnam\u2019s domestic premium matcha market, and among matcha lovers it has become an object of surprise: \u201ccan Vietnamese-grown matcha really be finished to this level?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoi Dep\u201d is a Vietnamese phrase meaning \u201ca pair of sandals.\u201d Because sandals only function once they form a pair, the name is held up as a brand concept symbolizing \u201cthe inseverable relationship between people, between land and people, and between nature and people.\u201d The philosophy of valuing the ties among tea garden, artisan, and consumer also has something in common with the Japanese culture of hospitality.<\/p>\n
Doi Dep\u2019s greatest strength is that it invites Japanese tea-industry experts to provide technical guidance. From shade cultivation, picking timing, and steaming and drying processes to stone-mill grinding, it optimizes the standard processes of Japanese matcha to suit the local climate and soil. It is said to have achieved a quality, by theanine value, that approaches Japanese premium grades.<\/p>\n
What sets Doi Dep apart from other brands is that it runs a luxury \u201cTea Resort\u201d integrated with the tea gardens. With villas overlooking the tea fields, a matcha-whisking experience program, and even meals in a tea-kaiseki style, visitors can not just \u201cdrink tea\u201d but \u201cstay in tea culture.\u201d It is increasingly introduced as a highlight of Bao Loc tourism and is taking root as a weekend getaway from Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat.<\/p>\n
Doi Dep\u2019s matcha products fall broadly into three grades: a ceremonial grade for the tea ceremony, a premium grade for caf\u00e9s and lattes, and a cooking grade for sweets and cooking. Besides specialty shops, they have come to be seen at some upscale supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City and at airport souvenir shops.<\/p>\n
What surprises many Japanese people drinking Vietnamese-grown matcha for the first time is that the flavor is lighter than they imagined. Organizing the differences from Japanese-grown matcha from a resident\u2019s point of view looks like this.<\/p>\n