Vietnam is a country that is famous for its fine food, and people are only beginning to scratch the surface of this nation’s cuisine stateside. Though there are amazing dishes that deserve love, the truth is that you might have been sipping on one of their best offerings for decades: coffee. Vietnamese coffee has been exported for decades for American brands. But, did you know that the brands right out of Vietnam are worth a sip too?
There are tons of Vietnamese coffee brands that you can try for a more authentic sip. The top brands include:
- Nguyen
- Trung Nguyen
- Vinacafe
- Lang Tang Coffee Co.
- Heirloom Coffee
- Dakoli
- Cafe du Monde
- King Coffee
- Weasel
- The Hill Coffee
Every country has its own style of roasting and harvesting coffee. If you’re a global coffee connoisseur, then you will want to give our list of coffee brands from Vietnam a try.
Before We Begin: A Quick Note About Vietnamese Coffee
Vietnamese coffee is meant to be sweeter and more dessert-like than most other coffees. To get the best results and try a true Vietnamese treat, grab some sweetened condensed milk and a phin filter to make your set complete. If you aren’t sure how to make a classic Vietnamese coffee, check out this recipe. It’s authentic AF and tastes amazing.
What Are The Best Vietnamese Coffee Brands?
Vietnam is one of the biggest “coffee countries” in Asia, and that means that you can rest assured that the cup you’ll drink will be amazing. To get a taste of true Vietnam, we suggest trying one of these coffee brands below.
1. Nguyen
So, I normally try to get brands that are fully made and sold in the country of origin for these types of articles because I want it to be as authentic as possible. Nguyen is going to be an exception to this rule, primarily because it has an amazing story behind it. Founded by a first-generation Vietnamese American, Nguyen coffee is about bringing ethical and sustainable coffee practices to a global level.
The coffee beans from this company are shipped over through partner farms that have a direct trade relationship with Nguyen. The beans are then roasted by the company in Brooklyn. So far, they have been featured in major newspapers like The New York Times and Vice because of their coffee quality.
2. Trung Nguyen
Oh, now this is a treat for your coffee maker! If you want to try a Vietnamese coffee brand that locals swear by, then check out Trung Nguyen. This affordable coffee comes from Vietnamese coffee beans and is roasted in Vietnam. One thing that might take Westerners by surprise is the way that it tastes. In Vietnam, coffee is often brewed with chocolate essence, giving it a sweeter and more aromatic taste.
This is a great coffee for people who want to have a flavor that (nicely) kicks you in the teeth. It also comes in a good airproof coffee tin, which is a lot better for keeping it fresh than a typical bag. To make sure that you get a truly Vietnamese coffee experience, add a little sweetened condensed milk to the brew.
3. Vinacafe
If you’re like me, you might not have enough time to brew your own cup of coffee to perfection. Vinacafe is one of Vietnam’s top instant coffee brands, and I’ll be honest, you would never be able to tell their brews are instant. Every packet of Vinacafe coffee comes with some milk and sugar built into the mix, making it an amazing way to start off your day fast and carefree.
Vinacafe is the type of quick fix that most of us need in our kitchens, if only because it’s a nice way to shave off some time during your food prep. Considering how affordable it is, there’s no reason to avoid trying it. You’ll love the sweetness of this coffee, plus the punch of caffeine it offers in every cup.
4. Lang Tang Coffee Co.
Vietnamese coffee isn’t just known for its preparation. It’s also known for the flavor of the actual beans, too. Coffee that is sourced from the Tay Nguyen region is known for being particularly mellow and flavorful. Lang Tang Coffee is a company that is proud to source a lot of their beans from Tay Nguyen. The rest of them are also sourced nearby and blended to perfection.
A truly authentic luxury coffee brand, all of Lang Tang’s beans are roasted in Saigon. This brand is particularly popular among the upper crust of Vietnam as well as expats. Thankfully, you don’t have to travel too far to get a bag of this stuff. You can find them on Amazon pretty well.
5. Dalat Highlands by Heirloom Coffee
So, this is an American-based coffee company that I happen to be a major fan of. This is a Massachusetts-based brand that’s all about collecting amazing global flavors of coffee all under one roof. Their Dalat Highlands coffee is made from (you guessed it!) the Dalat Highlands, a highly sought-after coffee region of Vietnam.
This is a coffee brand that knows how to roast a good bean well. The flavor profile of this one is fairly chocolatey but not as harsh as what many would expect. Decadent? Oh, yes. Despite all the chocolate aromas, you can expect this coffee to be a full-bodied one. Most agree that it’s one of the better choices for people who want to have a bag for espresso.
6. Dakoli
During our research, we tried to look for brands that are native to Vietnam. This is one of those brands that take a special pride in sourcing their beans straight from Vietnam and tries to do it sustainably. Dakoli seems to have a certain reverence for the art of growing coffee, which is why they do their best to source all their beans from the highlands.
Dakoli’s main claim to fame is its robust flavor and the way that its coffee just seems to melt in your mouth. While you can always try this “American style,” the truth is that you should give this a shot using traditional Vietnamese coffee recipes. It will be the sweetest treat you’ll ever have. With that said, the actual company is based in California. Still, it’s not a bad look.
7. Cafe du Monde
So, this was kind of a shock for us. As you can tell from the very large print on the can, this is actually a fully American brand. You might be wondering, then, what it’s doing on a list of Vietnamese coffee brands. Believe it or not, it’s because it’s actually crazily popular in Vietnam due to the combination of coffee and chicory added in each can.
According to top food blogs, Vietnamese coffee stand owners swear by this brand for their traditional egg coffees and cream coffees. It’s so popular, you can even find links to it on most Vietnamese coffee recipe blogs too. So while it’s not actually a Vietnamese brand, it’s so heavily significant to the food culture there that we felt like we needed to include it.
You might be wondering what made the Cafe du Monde brand so popular in Vietnam. Apparently, the chicory that is added to the coffee blend makes the cocoa-type flavor stand out more. It also produces a lower acidity and has a strong caramel aftertaste that most other coffees do not have. Cafe du Monde also tends to work amazingly well with sweetened milk, which is a must in a place like Vietnam.
8. King Coffee
Okay, back to Vietnamese coffee brands that are totally based in Vietnam. King Coffee is one of the top-performing coffee brands to come from Vietnam into the US. Their coffee selection isn’t just Vietnamese though. The company regularly imports coffee beans from all over the world, including places like Ethiopia and South America.
However, there’s some good news for people who yearn to taste true coffee from Vietnam. They do have special blends of coffee that are exclusively harvested from their homeland, too. To make things even better, they also offer up their caffeinated goods in the form of both instant, whole bean, and ground coffee. There’s a coffee for everyone, and King’s been working on getting to the United States.
If you like the idea of having quick and easy coffee that you can sweeten to your own personal preference, then you will find King to be a royal treat.
9. Weasel
Though many coffee companies that are based out of Vietnam (or otherwise linked to the country) tend to have names that are Vietnamese in origin. However, that’s not always the case. Weasel is a coffee company that gets almost all of its beans straight from Vietnam near Dak Lak and Buon Me Thuot. Those that aren’t from those regions are still grown in elite parts of Vietnam.
Like most other traditional Vietnamese coffee brands, Weasel is all about using a traditional roasting process to help bring out the chocolatey notes of every bean. Though this might not be as famous as others on this list, we have no doubt that this affordable coffee brand will weasel its way into your heart.
10. The Hill Coffee
There seem to be two schools of thought when it it comes to coffee in Vietnam. One school is all about taking time to savor the cup and all the little parts of making it. The other school of thought just wants to have bangin’ good coffee as soon as possible. Both ways of living that #coffeelife are great in their own way. If you want to try out an instant coffee that comes from Vietnam, give Hill Coffee a shot.
The Hill Coffee company is pretty well-known in Vietnam, and it’s primarily an instant coffee brand. Every box comes with petite, individual portioned packets that can be prepared within a matter of seconds. All you need to do to get the cup you want is to add 7 ounces of hot water, and if you want, a little bit of sweetened condensed milk.
One thing that we found a little quirky about Hill Coffee is that the company has a unique “Women’s Flavor” of coffee. Women’s Flavor is apparently an extra creamy coffee that comes with added ginseng and collagen to help keep their youthful glow. While we are not sure how well that would translate into American markets, it’s definitely a neat twist to your average cup of coffee.
Related Questions
What makes Vietnamese coffee different from other types of coffee?
Vietnamese coffee can be seen as different from others in a number of ways. If you are talking about the coffee bean itself, then the difference is that Vietnamese coffee beans are roasted at a higher temperature than others. If you are talking about the methods of preparation, then the big difference is that Vietnamese coffee tends to use thickened condensed milk and extra sugar to give their coffee a sugary kick.
If you want to try an authentic Vietnamese coffee, you will also need the right gear to make it happen. You will need a phin filter to make it, and thankfully, they’re affordable on Amazon.
What does Vietnamese coffee taste like?
If you want to go for a Vietnamese coffee, you need to grab a phin filter. Once the coffee is put through this filter, the consistency of the coffee is thicker than a typical espresso would be. They also add sugar and butter to the roasting process.
If you like having a kick of extra caffeine, you’ll be happy to know that this brewing process offers a more condensed amount of it in every sip. It’s also worth noting that most Vietnamse coffees are also sweeter and richer than regular coffees.
Why do so many people call Vietnamese coffee “bulletproof” coffee?
Bulletproof coffee is an American term for coffee that has butter added to it. It supposedly helps with concentration and energy levels. Since Vietnamese coffee roasting involves adding butter and sugar to the beans, many people think of it as a form of bulletproof coffee. However, this isn’t quite true.
Bulletproof coffee has butter added after the coffee is brewed. Meanwhile, Vietnamese coffee has butter added when the bean is still roasted.