Coffee has long been an essential beverage for Europeans. During French’s colonial period, from 1884 to 1954, coffee was among the key staples for the French living in Vietnam, alongside butter, grapes, and wine. These items were regularly shipped from France to Vietnam. To reduce shipping costs, cultivating coffee locally became a logical choice.
This led to the establishment of numerous coffee farms in Vietnam. Thanks to the country’s favorable soil and climatic conditions, coffee quickly became a major export to Europe. Today, Vietnam is accountable for 17 percent of global production, ranking as the second-largest coffee exporter in the world, with an annual production of 1.8 million tons.
In Southeast Asia, Vietnam dominates the coffee industry, trailing only Brazil globally. Coffee production in Vietnam represents more than just global demand; it is a cornerstone of economic stability and a powerful tool for poverty reduction.
A standard Vietnamese iced coffee is made with beans from the robusta plant, which has a strong flavor and high caffeine content — almost twice the amount found in more common bean types, like Arabica. Since black robusta coffee over ice can be quite bitter, most cafés will make you cà phê sữa đá, which includes sweetened condensed milk to make the drink more palatable (and to add a sugar high to your jolt of caffeine). The coffee is brewed in a filter called a phin, which looks like a small metal cup with a lid. The grounds are placed into the main chamber of the phin and hot water is slowly poured over top of it as it filters into a glass. Placing the lid on top while the coffee drips keeps the heat from escaping. This results in a concentrated brew with bold flavors. Once it’s ready, it is then poured over ice and the optional spoonful of sweetened condensed milk is stirred in to make a rejuvenating drink that is certain to give you an energy boost.
French colonists brought coffee along with them during their occupation of Vietnam in the mid-19th century. Fresh milk was nearly impossible to come by in Vietnam, so they decided to substitute it with sweetened condensed milk, which is more shelf-stable and certainly does its duty of cutting through the bitterness of the strong dark roast. At the turn of the 20th century, coffee farmers discovered that robusta plants thrived in the soil and climate in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, and that’s when coffee secured itself as a major agricultural product in the country. While the exit of the French and the Vietnam War resulted in coffee becoming heavily regulated to the point where it was considered a luxury item, economic reforms in 1986, called the Đối Mới reforms, allowed the coffee industry to rapidly expand and export to other countries.
Today, Vietnam accounts for 17 percent of global coffee production, making it the second-largest producer of coffee in the world, behind only Brazil. Cà phê đá is a staple in daily life throughout Vietnam and a favorite among tourists. If you find yourself in a Vietnamese café, you might discover some fun variations that include different ingredients like coconut milk or even salt in their brew, but there’s nothing quite like the classic dark roast coffee, ice, and a splash of condensed milk to get the authentic Vietnamese café experience.
