TacoCat's TrEats #51: The Sweet Taste of Tradition ☕

Cover image source: news.zing.vn

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Tbh I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but coffee culture is a huge thing in Vietnam, so when we visited our friend in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, he brought us on a coffee tour where we tried different types of coffee in 4 very different places.

One of which was at a fancy "hipster" cafe called L'Usine, which I wrote about a couple months ago.

And today I'll be sharing another coffee place we went to, called Cafe Vợt!

The name is derived from the method with which they make their coffee, also called “stocking coffee,” a direct reference to a cloth filter used to strain the coffee grounds.

Source: tin247.com

Cà phê vợt was once much more popular and is oftentimes referred to as the traditional coffee of Saigon. In the last half century, however, this coffee was gradually replaced by coffee made in a metal Vietnamese coffee filter. Very few shops still serve cafe “vot” in Saigon; I read that there are now only 3 known cafes in Saigon left that specialise in stocking coffee, each with their own unique histories, dating back many decades.
The place our friend brought us to, Cafe Vợt, opened in the 1950s!

Source: thoibaotoday

Nestled in an alleyway in the Phu Nhuan District, Cafe Vợt is more than just a street coffee shop: it’s a Saigon landmark, a family heirloom and a cultural hangout all rolled into one simple shopfront.

Cafe Vợt was started by a man known as Uncle Con, who has since become an easily recognisable face in Phu Nhuan District. The 80-year-old veteran has been brewing a type of smooth but ridiculously powerful "sock" coffee for longer than he can remember.

Source: blueskytravelvietnam

The origins of stocking coffee are vague; many countries claim to be its pioneer, like Mexico and even Singapore and Malaysia. I do remember seeing the exact same method in Singapore, and it became prominent enough for my parents to get the same sock filter for our house. I did some research, and apparently the coffee sock is the most common way for making a great brew in Costa Rica, so maybe it originated there?

Anyway, to actually make the coffee, the beans are roasted with butter or margarine (or lard!), and sometimes sugar, to lend them an especially rich, dark character. The shells turn oily and aromatic, caramelized and browned, but not burnt. Once ground, the beans are brewed in a long-spouted pot inside a "sock," a small cloth sack that acts as an infuser.

In Singapore, the coffee is typically served hot, mixed with your choice of canned dairy (milk/condensed milk), sugar, and water to thin out the cup. But here in Saigon, it's served cold with condensed milk, which is great to combat the sweltering heat there.

The ice coffee tastes mildly sweet, but I could tell it was pretty strong even with the dilution from the ice and the condensed milk covering up the bitterness of the coffee. Thankfully this was the first coffee we drank that day. Since it's cold, it was really refreshing, which I appreciate in the 35°C weather.

Source: hongsaigon

I think one of the unique aspects of Cafe Vợt (other than its remarkable history) is that it hasn't increased its prices in years! I read that this is because of Uncle Con's focus on making his customers happy. He says that price and quality is important, and although the price of condensed milk increases constantly, he doesn't raise his prices to keep customers pleased.

I think that's actually Uncle Con's son; you can see the family resemblance.

Cafe Vợt has been continually serving customers now just like it did back when it first opened. Those who gather here savor the taste of this excellent coffee atop plastic chairs, so feel free to pull up one of your own and experience the old taste of the city.

Thanks for reading!

To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!

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Restaurant Information

Cafe Vợt

Phan Đình Phùng, Phú Nhuận, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

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TacoCat's TrEats #51: The Sweet Taste of Tradition ☕
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Check out my previous post in this series!
TacoCat's TrEats #50: Sushi so Oishii you'll want salmore