Despite living in Vietnam for a long time, many foreigners are still not used to drinking milk coffee or iced black coffee.
Florian (left) likes to drink coffee every day but not the traditional Vietnamese style. Photo: Anh Tu.
Florian has lived in Vietnam for over 30 years. He has a familiar coffee shop in Thao Dien and drinks here every morning. Florian says he drinks at least two cups of coffee a day, either latte or cappuccino. Milk or black iced coffee in Vietnam is quite “heavy”, so it is not a choice with Florian.
Enough to lose sleep all night
Sharing with Zing, Florian commented that Vietnam’s iced milk coffee is really different from the coffees he has enjoyed in other countries. Although mixed with milk, it is still too strong to enjoy.
Sitting with Florian at the familiar cafe was Mark. He is enjoying his vacation in Vietnam. He used to come here many times and also learned the Vietnamese habit of drinking coffee all day. However, like Florian, traditional coffee in Vietnam is something that Mark often “doesn’t dare to touch”.
He shared: “Of course your coffee is delicious. A cup of coffee with milk in the morning is enough to keep me awake all day. If I drink it in the evening, I will not sleep all night. Even in the afternoon, I also I dare not touch milk coffee for fear of losing sleep at night.”
Grant often chooses to dilute the coffee to “reduce dollars”. Photo: Anh Tu.
Mark continued sipping his half-finished cappuccino. He prefers gentle coffees like that. When traveling to Thailand, Mark also tried coffee. In general, coffee in the land of the Golden Temple is quite light, made in the style of espresso. Meanwhile, coffee in Vietnam is much stronger.
The “fear” of the strength of Vietnamese coffee has been confirmed by many foreigners. And that’s also what makes them love the coffee here. Some people do not like light coffee like cappuccino or latte but are afraid of the strength of traditional Vietnamese coffee. Therefore, they choose to add more water to dilute the coffee.
Grant Wilson (from Australia), who lived in Vietnam for 7 years, chose this way to be able to enjoy a cup of traditional Vietnamese coffee. Later, Grant discovered a milder coffee than silver. He said he likes silver because the amount of coffee is just enough, with the aroma of coconut milk (depending on the shop).
Cheap and delicious
That is the common comment of many foreigners when asked about coffee in Vietnam. A cappuccino in the US costs more than 100,000 VND. In Vietnam, they can enjoy an equally delicious glass for less than half the price.
Just came to Vietnam for the first time to visit his wife’s hometown, but Emilio has loved Vietnamese coffee for a long time. Sharing with Zing, he said that every morning, his wife makes him a cup of Vietnamese milk coffee. This American tourist said that a cup of Vietnamese coffee helps him to wake up and get excited every morning.
“I can only drink cappuccino or Vietnamese milk coffee. I can’t drink black coffee like Vietnamese people,” he said.
During this visit to Vietnam, American tourists can experience sidewalk coffee culture – a “specialty” that has been in foreign newspapers many times. The happy face of Vietnamese people drinking coffee and chatting makes Emilio amused. The cafes are designed to look out onto the street. It’s an experience not available in many parts of the world.
Mat, who has lived in Vietnam for 3 years, has similar thoughts. He commented that the open space, easy to see street is the characteristic of Vietnamese coffee shops. In Melbourne (Australia), Mat’s hometown, this model is not much.
Since living in Vietnam, Mat also owns 2-3 favorite shops. The quality of the shops is almost all good. Good coffee, cheap but strong, so Mat only dares to drink milk coffee sometimes. Mainly, he chooses cappuccino and latte.
“In Melbourne, people also have a coffee shop culture similar to Vietnamese people. Some people come to meet friends, some come to work. Some people come to buy coffee and then take it away… I think the coffee culture of Vietnamese people. It’s really great. Knowing how to drink coffee is also a good thing because it is good for health,” commented Mat.
@ Zing News
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Source: Vietnam Insider