A2A: I don’t know if there are “so famous” coffee shops in Vietnam given that the F&D industry is confronting its non-lucrative period at the presence and continuing down the road by the omnipresence and invasion of foreign franchises.
Generally we Vietnamese love coffee. Similar to Japanese who spent their leisured time for tea, we fill our free moments with coffee. Vietnamese coffee is unique and special, easy to prepare and not too expensive to owe an amazing cup. Unlike Western coffee such as Cappuccino or Latte which requires certain condition to prepare, and thus becomes quite expensive with Vietnamese low income population. Vietnamese coffee is easier to prepare with what calls “phin” - our special tool to produce coffee.
It’s not only a drink, it’s also about the space that people can gather and gossip together. Students love studying/employees like working at the coffee shops where wifi is given free and air condition is available the entire day. The recent trend of learning English and organizing workshop is also happened at the coffee shops. Bang! Services comes as being demanded!
There are certain famous brands:
If you’re young, proactive and modern-designed loving person, you might want to check out the brand “THE COFFEE HOUSE”. This brand is my favorite. I love the space and the hospitality here. I think their marketing strategy is really smart, their customer understanding is excellent and their stories are quite inspiring. I love Arabica and thus, enjoy the unique sour taste passing though my tongue and slowly disappear at its end. THE COFFEE HOUSE formulation satisfies me at this point as well.
If you love Robusta, you might prefer HIGHLAND COFFEE over THE COFFEE HOUSE. Particularly, I feel the quality of coffee at HIGHLAND COFFEE is less genuine nowadays. I didn’t have hand-shaking behavior or severe headache after drinking their coffee few years back, but it’s happening many times recently until I start to fear the bitter taste of them and change my favorite brands.
Another brand name you might want to try is TRUNG NGUYEN - the genuine Vietnamese coffee. I particularly like the taste here. The founder of TRUNG NGUYEN was a medical student before he figured out his passion with Vietnamese coffee and worked hard to globalize it. The story of their milestones is interesting. If you’re seeking special presents to give your beloved people while leaving Vietnam, I strongly recommend this brand.