Vietnamese coffee brands are a dime a dozen in line with coffee being a huge part of life in Vietnam. From the streets of Hanoi to the mountains of Da Lat, casual conversation over coffee with friends has become a national pastime with Vietnam’s coffee industry becoming one of the biggest in the world.
Vietnam has also developed its own unique ways of drinking coffee. From coconut coffee to egg coffee, to a standard black coffee sweetened with condensed milk, it has produced a range of coffee drinks relatively unique to this coffee-loving nation.
This love affair with coffee has also seen one of the world’s most valuable beans become one of Vietnam’s biggest agricultural exports. In fact, Vietnam is usually the second biggest exporter of coffee after Brazil though it has sometimes even been known to surpass its South American competitor.
It’s in this context that a number of Vietnamese coffee brands have sprouted and grown to become very popular. These Vietnamese coffee brands are well known within Vietnam and are steadily building their reputations outside of Vietnam too.
In this light, for consumers looking to add Vietnamese coffee to their kitchen cupboards or businesses looking to add Vietnamese coffee to their product lines, this quick guide provides an overview of the most well-known Vietnamese coffee brands. It also touches on Vietnam’s coffee market broadly and key foreign coffee brands in Vietnam.
Vietnamese coffee brands
Nguyen Coffee Supply
This Vietnamese coffee brand has boutique appeal. Focused on the US market with Vietnamese-American ownership, the company gets its coffee from Vietnam’s Central Highlands which is where the bulk of Vietnam’s coffee is grown. The company, however, is based in Brooklyn in the US. Founded in 2018, the company boasts stockists including Target, Whole Foods, and Go Puff.
Monaco Coffee
Danang-based Monaco Coffee is a relatively new Vietnamese coffee brand–it was established in 2016. The brand offers a range of roasted filter coffees and also has a change of coffee shops in Vietnam as well. It also produces coffee pods which are increasing in popularity in Vietnam but still command a relatively small share of Vietnam’s coffee market.
Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee
Possibly the most well-known Vietnamese coffee brand in Vietnam is Trung Nguyen Legend. Founded in 2006, Trung Nguyen Coffee claims to export coffee to some 60 countries all around the world.
Not only does Trung Nguyen produce coffee for export, but it also runs a chain of cafes and coffee shops under the Trung Nguyen name. These are scattered all over Vietnam and the company is currently in the process of expanding its footprint in international markets.
In fact, in 2023, the coffee chain established its first store in the United States. It also has representative offices in China and South Korea.
Notably, Trung Nguyen is also very well known for its G7 brand of instant coffee in Vietnam.
King Coffee
Run by the ex-partner of the owner of Trung Nguyen Coffee, the King Coffee brand first appeared in 2008. It wasn’t until 2017, however, that it really began to come into its own making its initial foray into the US market. The Ho Chi Minh City headquartered company currency boasts a commercial presence in 60 countries.
Highlands Coffee
Originally a homegrown coffee producer as well as a chain of coffee shops, Highlands Coffee, is currently majority-owned by the Jollibee Foods Corporation fast food conglomerate from the Philippines.
Highlands boasts 700 stores spread across Vietnam and the Philippines. It also retails a range of coffee products in both its coffee shops as well as at most major supermarkets and convenience stores in Vietnam.
Vinacafe Bien Hoa
Vinacafe Bien Hoa dates back to 1968. Originally, established by a French national and trading under the name Coronel, the company was nationalised in 1975 at the conclusion of the Vietnam War. Almost two decades later, in 2004, it was then privatised once more. As a first mover in the development of Vietnam’s coffee industry, Vinacafe Bien Hoa is well-known all over the country.
Cong Cafe
Cong Cafe is a chain of coffee shops headquartered in Hanoi. These outlets are perhaps more well-known for their vintage-Vietnam decor but are also one of Vietnam’s biggest coffee chains. Specialising in Vietnamese-style coffee, these outlets in many locations offer Western coffee too.
Of note, Cong Cafe is expanding internationally. Late last year it opened its first store in Canada, the third country to host a Cong Cafe outside of Vietnam. There are also stores in South Korea and Malaysia.
Foreign coffee brands in Vietnam
A number of big foreign brands are very active in Vietnam. Notably, the country has become a hub for growing, processing, and exporting coffee and has become pivotal in a good number of the supply chains of well-known international coffee brands.
Nescafe
Nestle, the owner of one of the biggest coffee brands in the world, Nescafe, has had a presence in Vietnam as far back as 1998. The company is one of the biggest buyers and exporters of Vietnamese coffee and has several processing factories spread around the country.
That said, Nescafe also has a huge presence on supermarket shelves and in the shopping trolleys of Vietnamese consumers. The company retails a variety of coffee products in Vietnam from instant coffee to coffee pods as well as home espresso machines.
Starbucks
Starbucks, the world’s biggest chain of coffee stores also has a sizable presence in Vietnam. In 2023, the US-based company opened its 100th store in Vietnam at the new Lotte Mall development in Hanoi’s West Lake District.
Starbucks Vietnam offers products akin to those in its North American stores though has also adjusted its menu to offer Vietnamese-style coffee.
Vietnam’s coffee market
Vietnam’s coffee market is huge and getting bigger. Mordor Intelligence estimates that Vietnam’s coffee market will be worth US$511.03 million this year and that it will grow to US$763.46 by 2029. That’s a compounded annual growth rate of 18.13 percent.
This phenomenal growth is being powered by growing incomes and an increasing taste for good-quality coffee experiences–coffee in Vietnam is a leisurely pursuit and new coffee chains with creative and aesthetically pleasing interiors are becoming extremely popular.
That said, the bulk of Vietnam’s coffee consumption is concentrated at the lower end of the pricing scale. In particular, there is a vast difference between prices at the big foreign chains like Starbucks (US$5+ per cup) and the local, street-side independent coffee shops and cafes (US$1 to US$2 per cup). The latter being far more popular, particularly in the north.
What’s next?
In an increasingly competitive global coffee market, new and unique flavours and styles of coffee are in high demand. Whereas in developed economies traditional espresso-based coffees are well-known and prolific, Vietnamese flavours are still somewhat new. In this light, foreign coffee brands may find in Vietnamese coffee their next big-ticket item.
Conversely, as Vietnamese coffee becomes more popular outside of Vietnam, inside Vietnam traditional Western coffee is becoming more common. There are already a number of big international coffee brands in Vietnam, both importing their own specialty coffees and exporting locally produced coffee, but at the rate the market is growing there is plenty of room for more.
Successfully opening and running a cafe in Vietnam, however, can be tricky. Firms looking to attempt a market entry in this potentially profitable but also highly competitive sector would do well to consult the-shiv’s guide on: How to Open a Cafe in Vietnam.
Finally, keep track of all of the latest developments in Vietnam’s coffee market by subscribing to the-shiv.
This article was first published January 30, 2024. It was updated and expanded August 2, 2024.