This post contains affiliate links. If you book something through these links I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about my disclosure and affiliate policy here.
…
Updated August 2024
I am not a coffee snob but I a coffee purist. What that means is simply that I like neither milk nor sugar in my coffee and you definitely won’t find me buying spicey pumpkin latte shenanigans (a phrase a friend of mine coined to show his general disdain for such creations). So nobody was more surprised than me when I found myself in Vietnam a few years back, sitting on a tiny plastic stool on a random roadside, and enjoying my first glass of Cà Phê Sữa Nóng. Or in short: coffee with sweet condensed milk.
With that first taste of Vietnamese coffee, I knew I would eventually return in Vietnam Airlines business class if only to eat bun cha and drink coffee.
QUICK TIPS FOR YOUR HOI AN TRIP
My favorite hotels in Hoi An
Nem’s House – Inexpensive, cute homestay right by the Banh Mi Queen.
Anantara Hoi An – Classic luxury awaits at this wonderful hotel right by the Old Town.
Dechiu – A beautiful boutique hotel with the most stunning interior on An Nang Beach.
Cool activities in Hoi An
Practical things
Where to find the best coffee in Hoi An
Fast forward a few years and I am sitting across from Thanh about to learn all about Vietnamese coffee in Hoi An. Thanh is the owner of the ThanhUyen Roastery in Hoi An, a coffee enterprise with 4 locations in the city. Unlike regular cafes in Hoi An, they not only roast and make great coffee but are all about social responsibility: part of their profits is donated to local charities and the village where his parents are from and part of his staff are workers with disabilities, many suffering from the aftermath of Agent Orange. As an addition, Thanh has created an Airbnb experience to show visitors what Hoi An coffee is all about.
If you are interested in learning more about Vietnamese coffee in Hoi An, check out the Airbnb coffee-making experience with Thanh here or book one of these tours:
Our afternoon starts with an explanation of where Vietnamese coffee is grown and the difference between Robusta and Arabica. This is when I learn that Vietnam is the second biggest coffee exporter in the world after Brazil.
From the colorful map painted on the cafe’s wall, we move on to the big roasting apparatus. Here Thanh shows me how the green Vietnamese coffee beans are roasted, what color to look for when they come out, and how they are cooled down. One of his employees is in charge of sorting through the roasted beans afterward to pick out the ones of inferior quality – definitely a Cindarella job!
Afterward, it is time for me to learn how to make Vietnamese coffee. In a separate part of his Hoi An cafe, Thanh has set up a workstation with a kettle, blender, and a Vietnamese drip coffee maker for each of us.
First I get to try a cold brew which he has made the previous day that is served as Vietnamese iced coffee with a slice of orange. While I am amazed that you can actually make coffee without boiling water by simply letting it sit for a day or two, I am not a fan of the acidity of the Arabica and the orange slice screams shenanigans.
So we go back to the basics for a good Vietnamese coffee recipe: ground coffee 70% Robusta, hot water, and a typical Vietnamese phin. Phin is both ritual and the small coffee filter that can be seen all over cafes in Hoi An and Vietnam whether you go to a fancy place or sit on a plastic chair – phin is the essence of Vietnamese coffee.
They are basically individual coffee drips made out of aluminum and propped over a glass or a cup. Warm the phin with some hot water, add the coffee and pour more hot water in a circular motion over the top. Put on the tiny lid and wait for the coffee goodness to drip into your glass – this is Cà Phê Đa Không Đường aka black hot coffee without sugar.
If you order such a phin coffee just know that it is quite small. Once all the coffee has dripped through it resembles more the size of a double espresso (minus the kick). Perfect if you just want a small cup and you can always order another one if you want more.
To turn it into my beloved Cà Phê Sữa Nóng you can either add the condensed milk into the glass before adding the coffee or add it to taste afterward. Whatever you do, trying copious amounts of condensed milk from the squeeze-bottle beforehand is imperative (just to make sure the condensed milk hasn’t gone off!).
Finally, we move on to the most loved coffee in Hoi An: egg coffee. I am more than skeptical because I am a little scared of eggs at the best of times (like when they are used in a whiskey sour) and this sounds odd, to say the least. But by now I trust Thanh enough to let him show me the secret to this Hoi An coffee mixture.
To my great relief, a Vietnamese egg coffee asks for the yolk and not egg white and I start whisking until the yolk is foamy. We add some vanilla syrup before adding freshly brewed coffee and stir it all. While I am not going to start replacing my regular black coffee with egg coffee to wake up any time soon, I do enjoy the result – tastes like dessert!
Another famous Vietnam coffee variation: Coconut coffee. Mind you, I think this goes into shenanigans territory. It is sweet, coconutty, frothy, and more like a milkshake than a proper coffee. That said, on a hot day in Vietnam it is a great option!
Cafes in Hoi An
Even if you don’t want to do a whole coffee class, there is plenty of great coffee in Hoi An. From fast to fancy there is no shortcoming of Hoi An cafes to enjoy a cup. Many cafes in the old town also serve cakes and pastries and many have a section where you can buy coffee and coffee products (and yes, this includes 100 % robusta coffee – yay for me!).
Unfortunately my favorite, Bosgaurus, has closed down though they still have a branch in Ho Chi Minh City. A great alternative is famous Phin Coffee, one of the best cafes in Hoi An. While no secret any longer, their location feels quite hidden – a little green oasis in the old town.
They also offer their own introductory classes to the famous Vietnamese coffee or you can simply watch the how they make your phin. They also make an incredible apple pie as well as various coffee based cocktails and to my surprise: peanut coffee. Similar to coconut coffee it tastes more like a milk shake than a cuppa but this one in the best way possible!
Another good option is Cong Ca Phe. I like their cafe in Hoi An Old Town as it has the nicest interior. The coffee is also good though I don’t appreciate them using disposable coffee cups even when you order your coffee to sit down.
I also really liked Hoi An Coffee Hub which is super cute and hidden. Funny enough I went there to try their salted matcha latte but I reckon it is a great place for coffee, tea, and anything in between.
In general, you cannot go wrong with most coffees in Hoi An. Just sit down, order, and enjoy!
Pin for Later!
