'Ka ni Kim

It’s no secret that Vietnam is a top destination for coffee lovers. We went to multiple cafes a day to try as many drinks as we could squeeze into our five-day trip. Here’s what we found.

Mint Cafe

We landed in the early afternoon, so the weather was just cool enough for us to walk from the hotel to Mint Cafe. Formerly occupied by Dreamer Cafe, Mint is part of the large garden compound, Lighthouse. There’s a lot of seating, and if you’re hanging out there as the sun sets, you’ll catch the moment the lights turn on. It’s a cool, relaxed vibe, and a wonderful introduction to the Da Nang cafe scene.

We tried the coconut cream coffee and the salted cream coffee. The coconut cream coffee was topped with desiccated coconut, as God intended. The salted cream coffee had a thick layer of cream – not foamy, but velvety. I’d recommend tasting a spoon of just the cream first, to fully appreciate the hint of salt.

The coffee didn’t taste very strong to me at first, but it turned out to be a kind of sleeper hit. I checked my heart rate a few minutes after we started enjoying our coffee and was surprised to see that I had hit the triple digits, peaking at 105 beats per minute. Quite the welcome back to Vietnam!

When placing your order, you can choose whether you want your coffee made with the espresso machine or the more traditional phin filter. If you opt for the latter, expect it to take a bit longer.

Mint cafe is located at 23 Nguyễn Công Trứ. They also have a branch at 46 Pasteur, Hải Châu. They are open from 6:00am to 10:00pm. Follow them on Facebook for more updates.

Soul Specialty Coffee, Bana Hills

Discovering this cafe and brand was a happy accident. After a tiring but fun day exploring Bana Hills, we had a pocket of free time while waiting for the rest of our tour group. We used it to grab some coffee at Soul Specialty Coffee. Since it was an odd hour, we had the place to ourselves.

Soul is a multi-awarded company specializing in fine robusta. Some of their certifications include Q-Grader Certificate issued by Coffee Quality Institute and Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), Processing Certificate, SCA Roaster, and SCA Barista. In 2025, they placed fifth at the Vietnam Amazing Cup contest. That same year, they were recognized at the Vietnam Coffee Producer Competition, where their three entries got first, seventh, and 20th place.

Their Bana Hills location is one of seven where you can enjoy their robusta and fine robusta drinks, and buy their products to take home and do it yourself. I had an iced white coffee, which consists of phin coffee, fresh milk, and condensed milk. The condensed milk is minimal; you can just taste a hint of it complementing the coffee flavor. Despite being a bit heavy on the milk, this coffee left me extremely awake. I was bouncing off the walls of the cafe. It was a cooling pick-me-up on a sweltering day.

If you find yourself in one of their branches, don’t forget to pick up some beans, and maybe even your own phin filter. For each type of beans they sell, they have a recommendation for whether it’s best prepared using a phin filter, espresso machine, or manual brewing.

The branch we visited is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Soul Specialty Coffee has locations in Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh, Ha Noi, Phu Quoc, and Buon Ma Thuot. Visit their website for more information and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Cafeholic

We made a stop at Cafeholic after dinner, to wind down from a long day. When we were checking out cafes online, we stumbled upon Cafeholic and saw a wealth of positive reviews, many of them highlighting the coffee shop’s dessert selection and cold drinks. It also looked like a cool place to just hang out and get some work done.

When we visited, we immediately noticed how the space is thoughtfully designed. The interiors have neutral colors with a few floral elements, and houseplants and furniture that make it feel extra homey. We opted to sit inside because of the humidity, but their outdoor seating is quite welcoming, too.

Since it was a bit late in the day for more caffeine, I had their Holic Milk Tea with black boba. I love a good bubble tea in any country, at any time, and this one did not disappoint. One thing I sometimes dislike about bubble teas from cafes and stalls is how the sweetness and/or artificial flavorings are overwhelming. This is usually to overcompensate for the pearls not being fresh, or being bland due to not marinating them in syrup. Cafeholic does a good job of balancing the flavors. Their boba was creamy, refreshing, and not overly sweet. It’s milk tea, after all, so you should be able to actually taste the tea.

Cafeholic is located at 52 Lê Lợi, Hải Châu. They are open every day from 6:30am to 10:30pm. For more information, check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

Wonderlust Coffee and Souvenirs

You know you had a good time at a cafe when you end up coming back just two days later. Such was the case with Wonderlust Coffee and Souvenirs. The first time, we stopped in for a post-breakfast coffee. The space is narrow but  well-utilized, with three floors of seating. The ground floor and second floor house small gift shops – crafts and souvenirs on the ground floor, and various coffee products and tools on the second. We came in while the hanging plants were being misted. It’s a picturesque indoor garden.

Wonderlust offers a wide selection of drinks, from coffee to matcha to unique tea concoctions. The first time around, I had a hot coconut latte. Because they use both fresh milk and coconut milk, the latte has a nice creaminess balanced with the rich coconut flavor. They serve it with a sugar cube, but the drink doesn’t need it. The natural sweetness of the coconut works well with the slightly bitter phin coffee.

We tried the iced truffle latte as well, which consists of espresso, oat milk, truffle cream foam, and honey. This was an interesting find. There’s just a hint of truffle – the cream is thick, but not overpowering. Like with the salted cream coffee from Mint, I’d suggest tasting a bit of the foam before mixing it into the coffee.

When we came back for round two, I ordered a cherry juntea. Juntea, I learned, is fermented tea and honey. This particular drink has a fermented oolong tea base. The fermentation makes it similar to kombucha, albeit with a lighter flavor. I was so excited about getting my coconut latte the first time we went that I didn’t even see the scroll far enough down the menu to see the cherry juntea. But I had been craving something with cherries since the start of the trip, so it turned out that coming back was a good decision.

Wonderlust Cafe and Souvenirs is located at 96 Trần Phú, Hải Châu. They are open from 8:00am to 7:30pm. Learn more on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

XLIII Factory

If one place gave us the full coffee-enthusiast experience, it was definitely XLIII Factory. With an impressive selection of rare and limited coffee beans, they charge more than the other cafes we tried, but it’s well worth it. Each type of beans comes with a card with information on what flavor notes to expect, as well as acidity, aftertaste, and origins. There’s even a breakdown of how the taste evolves with temperature, from hot to warm to cold.

I had a cup of the XLIII.XXV.Competition – Santa Lucia Triangulo Gesha by Mierisch. At the risk of sounding dramatic, drinking this coffee felt like walking through a garden on a summer night. It was extremely smooth and light, with a sweet floral aroma.

It’s important to come in with the right expectations. This is not the “kick in the face” type of coffee that jumpstarts your day with a big jolt of caffeine. Depending on what you order, you might even get more of a tea-like flavor. There’s also a range of acidity (check the info cards) from, for example, “medium high” to “truly high”. Visiting XLIII Factory will give you a fantastic opportunity to explore and appreciate those kind of nuances that come with different cups of coffee.

The interiors are beautiful – ample greenery and natural light. You can settle down at one of their tables or pull up a seat at the bar. The staff are more than happy to chat and answer questions, so don’t be shy!

XLIII Factory is located at 422 Ngô Thì Sĩ, Ngũ Hành Sơn. They are open from 6:30am to 10:30pm. They also have branches in Hoi An, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh. For more information and updates, check out their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.

Uncle Huan Coffee

Our last full day in Vietnam, we took a trip to Hoi An. Our first stop post-40-minute-Grab-ride was Uncle Huan Coffee. It was a short walk to this charming little spot in Old Town, amid the flowering trees and well-preserved historical buildings.

They’re revered online for their egg coffee, so we had to give it a try. They serve it in a traditional tea light candle holder, with the flame gently keeping your coffee warm. They use a strong, dark coffee, which contrasts nicely with the creamy egg foam. If you’ve read this far, you probably already know what I’m going to suggest – taste the foam first, then mix it in and enjoy the full drink. Don’t forget to snap a picture, too! The staff uses a few extra ingredients (like cocoa powder) to create latte art of a tree.

I often tell people that cafe hopping in Vietnam heals my soul. Sipping on a bittersweet coffee while sitting in a World Heritage Site, absorbing people’s excited energy, was one of those healing moments.

Uncle Huan Coffee is located at 675 Đ. Hai Bà Trưng, Old Town, Hội An. They are open from 7:30am to 11:30pm. See more updates on Facebook and Instagram.

Looking for more Vietnam content? Check out my Ho Chi Minh food blog and “How Much Does a Trip to Vietnam Cost?”