Vietnamese Coffee

Vietnamese coffee shops are more than a place to get your caffeine buzz. As with coffee shops in many other countries, the socializing is as much a part of the coffee drinking experience as the coffee itself. In Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon to most people who live there), a coffee shop could be anything from a few plastic chairs on the sidewalk to a heavily windowed and overly air conditioned venue with plush sofas and, occasionally, a karaoke machine.

Vietnamese coffee itself takes on two forms. The brew drips very slowly through an aluminum filter, similar to the top part of a percolator. The filter contains two parts, one which holds and filters the coffee and one which pushes the coffee grounds against the bottom of the filter. This creates an extremely dense, strong tasting cup that requires a few teaspoons of sugar. In fact, if you order an iced coffee, the sugar will usually be put in be whomever is making the brew. You can order hot coffee, which usually comes in a cappuccino sized cup. However, Viet Nam being a tropical country, coffee is almost always taken iced. The ice cuts the strong taste a little, while giving the drink a crisper edge.

Often, Vietnamese coffee is sweetened with sweetened condensed milk in lieu of sugar. Again, it is almost always poured over ice. This concoction has a pleasantly creamy texture, and the milk takes almost all the edge off the coffee. However, since the coffee is brewed in the same way as black coffee, the caffeine is still there.

In Sai Gon, Trung Nguyen Coffee is the equivalent of a certain Seattle-based coffee company. There are hundreds of shops scattered around the city and the beans are sold in many groceries and markets. Trung Nguyen Coffee is good, though definitely not the best version of Vietnamese coffee I’ve ever had. It seems more like a brand name thing. The shops are sleek and clean looking. Many have air-conditioning and are staffed by attractive young people. If you are looking for a place to start with Vietnamese coffee, a Trung Nguyen might not be that bad a choice.

However, some people prefer a more organic experience. There are many street-side shops throughout Sai Gon. Most of these are furnished by chairs pointing towards the street. Rather than sitting across from someone, you sit next to them as both of you enjoy one of Viet Nam’s national pastimes: watching the street. It’s not as boring as it seems. The street is where everything happens; where life takes place. What could be better than sitting in the shade on a hot morning and watching the world go by.