A Melting Cup: Tracing French and Chinese Influences in Vietnamese Coffee Culture
Bert Nguyen
Associate Language Manager and Copywriter at Flynde
A quick ride around the streets of Ho Chi Minh City may lead you to a prevalent scene: cafes crowded with people who are talking and laughing beside their coffee. Indeed, enjoying this strong and bitter drink has become a big colloquial culture in Vietnam.
Interestingly, Vietnamese coffee culture is a fascinating blend of influences from multiple civilizations, but the French and Chinese influences stand out prominently. Each of these cultures has contributed linguistically and gastronomically.
French Influence: The Birth of Vietnamese Coffee
French colonial rule in Vietnam, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, left a lasting imprint on the country's culture, particularly its coffee industry. The French introduced coffee to Vietnam in 1857, bringing the Arabica coffee plant. Today, French influence remains evident in Vietnam’s coffee vocabulary and café culture.
Brewing with a phin is a must for Vietnamese coffee
Image source: 하나두리/ Wikimedia Commons
Many coffee-related terms in Vietnamese are borrowed directly from French. For example, the Vietnamese word for 'coffee,' cà phê, is derived from the French word café. Similarly, the local brewing method uses a special filter called phin*, a rendering of the French word filtre.
French-style coffee preparation also shaped Vietnamese coffee traditions. The use of sweetened condensed milk, introduced during the colonial period due to a shortage of fresh milk, became a signature feature of cà phê sữa đá—literally 'iced coffee with milk,' but better known globally as Vietnamese iced coffee. When condensed milk became scarce, the Vietnamese adapted using egg yolks, giving rise to cà phê trứng, the iconic Hanoian coffee drink. These adaptations beautifully illustrate the delicate blend of French and Vietnamese cultures, reflected in Vietnam’s cherished morning coffee rituals.
Chinese Influence: The Trade and Tea Connection
Chinese influence on Vietnamese coffee culture, though less overt than that of the French, is still significant, particularly in linguistic borrowing and social gathering traditions.
Linguistically, certain coffee preparation terms reflect Chinese influence, especially in Vietnamese communities with a strong Chinese-speaking presence. For example, bạc xỉu, a drink similar to cà phê sữa đá, originated in Ho Chi Minh City’s Chợ Lớn district. Bạc xỉu is a shortened form of bạc tẩy xỉu phé, a Vietnamese rendering of the Chinese phrase 白底小啡, meaning 'small white coffee.' The word tẩy in this name can also refer to a glass of ice, often served alongside the phin when you order coffee in southern Vietnam.
Cà phê vợt (net coffee) is also a specialty of the Chinese-Vietnamese in Saigon
Image source: Tuoi Tre
Chinese influence is also evident in the social rituals around coffee consumption. On ordering iced black coffee, you will be provided with your phin, and you must wait for the coffee to finish dripping before pouring the freshly brewed liquid into tẩy to drink. Good coffee takes time. Sounds familiar? Think of a Chinese tea ceremony.
Additionally, coffeehouses serve as spaces for business meetings, friendly catch-ups, and solitary reflection, much like they do in French and Chinese settings.
Though the French and Chinese imprints on Vietnamese coffee culture may be hidden in plain sight, their influences are unmistakable. They have shaped how people think about and enjoy coffee in Vietnam, resulting in a rich, multilayered culture that continues to evolve.
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