Vietnamese coffee culture
What makes you like Vietnamese coffee?
For me, it's probably the brewing process, the memories and stories shared over cups of coffee, and the coffee-drinking culture overall. In this piece, I want to share with you what I know about Vietnamese coffee culture as well as how I grew up with it.
Do you remember the first time you tried Vietnamese coffee? Was it here in New Zealand or was it in Vietnam? I didn’t drink coffee until I was 17, but I always remember every coffee routine I had with my dad when I was little. After the weekend breakfast, I sat with him at a streetside cafe stall near our home, opened by one of his friends. Slowly each one of his friends shows up, and somehow, they always gather at the same time there without even contacting each other. My dad orders a cup of iced black coffee as usual, served beside a cup of tea, and the owner always treats me with a glass of smashed ice with yoghurt on top. I watch him, lighting his cigarette, taking a sip of his cold coffee, and then just watch everyone’s ongoing busy life on the street in the middle of Hanoi’s summer.
Vietnamese coffee culture differentiations
After coffee was grown in Vietnam in the 80s, only the aristocracy, French officials, and urbanites could have the privilege to enjoy this drink. Only later did coffee gradually become a popular drink in the lives and the culture of Vietnamese people.
Due to the large influence of the French, Vietnamese people also like to enjoy coffee slowly. However, the French drink coffee before starting the working day, while Vietnamese people drink it at any time of the day. If Americans consider coffee as a drink that helps them wake up quickly, Vietnamese people drink coffee to savour the entire experience from brewing, waiting, tasting and everything in between.
What makes Vietnamese coffee culture so special?
Depending on where you are in the country, each region has its own twist and distinct flavours. But no matter where you are, we all drink coffee strong. The most popular coffee order is made with condensed milk and poured over a tall glass of ice. To me, this style is very addictive, so before I know it, I would already have too much caffeine consumed.
People do love a thick, sweet cup of pre-brewed iced with condensed milk, some people are fascinated by the drops of coffee falling from an old filter and enjoy it just as it is, nothing else, while a few of them still love the taste of old Saigon coffee cooked with charcoal and an earthen pot. Some like to enjoy it with eggs, coconut cream, or sugar cane.
Vietnamese coffee is often brewed in the French style, that is, filtered. But in Vietnamese, instead of using paper, we use stainless steel. People pour boiling water into the filter and wait for the coffee to expand and absorb the water, then each drop falls and spreads its scent throughout the room.
Making a cup of coffee doesn't take much effort, but it does take time. Sitting and watching the drip slowly drop by drop, until the boiling water gradually transfers into a cup of strong, bitter coffee, is the hobby of Vietnamese coffee lovers. Especially on those cold or rainy days, when you can feel the heat through your hands and slowly it warms up your entire body.
While waiting for the bitter drip coffee, you can listen to music, watch everything bustling on the street, and chat about life with friends. And when you have a first sip of coffee brewed with bitterness, a slight almond flavour, and an earthy aroma, blend in with the vibe, it is so comforting, refreshing, and satisfying.
Every time I drink Vietnamese coffee, the moment becomes a little slower, the sound becomes quieter, and the mixture of the bitter drops of coffee with the sweetness of condensed milk brings back many memories of Hanoi's old quarter.
At any time, Vietnamese people can enjoy coffee, when resting, when meeting friends, or when feeling empty. Therefore, if you come to Vietnam, you can see coffee shops appearing everywhere, every corner on the streets from modern, trendy cafes to hidden cafe spots in laneways.
The familiar image of the stainless steel filter is forever attached to Vietnamese coffee culture even with the evolving technology, and new and more ways of brewing coffee. The Vietnamese coffee filter is still here, never fading.
Vietnamese coffee phin filter
