Vietnamese Coffee: As an ingredient, beyond "Cà Phê Sữa Đá"

To truly understand Vietnamese coffee, it helps to take a step back and look at the bigger picture—one shaped by history, culture, and resilience.

For many outside Vietnam, Vietnamese coffee is often reduced to iconic drinks like Cà Phê Sữa Đá, a sweet iced coffee, or it's dismissed as being too strong and jitter-inducing. But for the Vietnamese people, coffee is far more than just a drink—it's a versatile ingredient that has evolved to suit a variety of tastes and traditions.

In Vietnam, coffee shops don’t just serve one kind of coffee. Depending on the focus of a café, they might choose beans from different regions of the country to fit specific drinks. For example, if a café wants to feature a fruity, complex brew, they might choose Arabica beans from Cầu Đất or Sơn La. If they’re looking to offer bold, espresso-based drinks, they might opt for Fine Robusta from Bảo Lộc or Buôn Ma Thuột. And for the coffee aficionados pushing the boundaries, there’s the unique Liberica bean grown on the hillsides of Quảng Trị. Each type of bean serves a purpose, rooted in the terroir and climate of the specific region where it’s grown.

But to really grasp why Vietnamese coffee has evolved in such a distinctive way, you have to look at its history. Vietnam has a complicated relationship with coffee, influenced by French colonization and shaped by the country’s turbulent 20th-century history.

Coffee During and After the Vietnam War

The story of Vietnamese coffee as we know it today starts after the Vietnam War, when the country faced an international trade embargo from 1975 to 1994. This embargo prevented Vietnam from exporting coffee or trading with much of the world. For Vietnamese immigrants who fled the country during and after the war, coffee from Vietnam was virtually inaccessible. In America, many Vietnamese refugees settled in places like the Gulf Coast due to the support of Baptist churches offering sponsorship and resettlement programs for families. It’s here that a new chapter in Vietnamese coffee culture began.

Since traditional Vietnamese coffee beans were hard to come by, many Vietnamese immigrants turned to what was available locally—Café du Monde. This New Orleans-based coffee blend became a household staple for many Vietnamese American families. The reason was both practical and symbolic: Café du Monde was a familiar taste of something that reminded them of home, even though it wasn’t technically from Vietnam. Its combination of Arabica beans and chicory root gave it a flavor profile that echoed the Robusta beans many had grown up drinking in Vietnam. The addition of chicory root, originally a coffee substitute used in times of scarcity in Europe, gave the coffee a similar bold, slightly bitter taste that reminded Vietnamese immigrants of the coffee they left behind.

The pairing of Café du Monde with condensed milk became common in Vietnamese homes and restaurants. Why condensed milk? That tradition also has roots in Vietnam’s colonial past. During the 1800s, French colonists introduced sweetened condensed milk to Vietnam as a practical solution in a country where fresh milk was hard to come by and difficult to store. Condensed milk was shelf-stable and easily transportable, making it a natural pairing for coffee, especially when combined with the robust flavor of chicory coffee like Café du Monde.

For many Vietnamese Americans, Café du Monde became synonymous with a taste of home, a subtle reminder of “quê hương” (homeland), even if the coffee itself wasn’t truly Vietnamese. The emotional connection this coffee provided during difficult times of displacement and adaptation gave it an almost sacred place in the hearts of the Vietnamese diaspora.

The Rise of Vietnam as a Coffee Powerhouse

Today, the coffee landscape in Vietnam looks very different. Vietnam has risen from its war-torn past to become the second-largest coffee producer in the world, trailing only Brazil. But while Brazil is known for its Arabica beans, Vietnam is the world leader in Robusta production. Robusta, known for its high caffeine content and strong bold flavor, has fueled the country’s rapid rise in the global coffee market.

Yet, even as Vietnam gained recognition for its large-scale Robusta production, the country has quietly been nurturing more specialty coffee varieties. This is where the story of Vietnamese coffee becomes even more exciting and diverse.

 

Chloé Cà Phê & Roastery’s Mission

At Chloé Cà Phê & Roastery, we’re passionate about showcasing Vietnam’s specialty coffee potential. We focus on rare and exceptional coffee varieties, all sourced directly from farmers we know and trust. By building relationships with small-scale producers, we ensure that we’re bringing not just any coffee to the table, but the best that Vietnam has to offer.

We’re proud to highlight Vietnam’s Robusta, known locally as Cà Phê Vối, which remains the backbone of the country’s coffee industry. But beyond that, we’re also dedicated to introducing coffee lovers to Liberica—a rare coffee species that has been grown in Vietnam since 1908. It’s not as common as Robusta or Arabica, but Liberica has a unique flavor profile that’s unlike any other coffee, offering hints of floral and smoky notes that make it a standout in the world of specialty coffee.

And then there’s the future of Vietnamese coffee—the THA1 hybrid. This is a F5 hybrid of Ethiopian and Vietnamese coffee that took 25 years to develop. It’s a testament to Vietnam’s growing expertise in coffee cultivation and innovation. The THA1 represents a new era of Vietnamese coffee, one that merges the rich history of the past with the cutting-edge potential of the future.

The Cultural Importance of Coffee in Vietnam

For many people in Vietnam, coffee isn’t just a beverage; it’s a way of life. It’s common to see people sitting on small stools at street-side cafés, sipping strong coffee and watching the world go by. Coffee is as much about community and connection as it is about the drink itself. Whether it’s a steaming hot cup of Cà Phê Đen (black coffee) or a sweet Cà Phê Sữa Đá, coffee is woven into the fabric of daily life in Vietnam.

At Chloé Cà Phê, we’re deeply committed to continuing this legacy while also pushing the boundaries of what Vietnamese coffee can be. We believe in paying above-fair-trade prices to our farmers, not just as a business decision, but because we see it as a way of honoring the people who make our coffee possible. For us, this isn’t just about coffee—it’s about family, heritage, and the generations of people whose hard work and passion have made Vietnamese coffee what it is today.

Conclusion: A Journey Worth Sharing

Vietnamese coffee has traveled a long road—from the colonial-era introduction of coffee plants to the post-war struggles of the diaspora, to today’s specialty coffee revolution. It’s a story of resilience, adaptation, and pride in one’s heritage.

At Chloé Cà Phê, we’re proud to be a part of that story, and we invite you to join us on this journey. Whether you’re sipping a classic Cà Phê Sữa Đá or exploring new varieties like THA1 and Liberica, you’re tasting more than just coffee. You’re experiencing a rich cultural legacy that continues to grow and evolve.

Come take a seat with us. Let’s share a cup, a story, and a connection that spans generations and continents.