As anyone who has sat down for a cup of coffee at a Vietnamese restaurant knows, Vietnamese coffee (whether hot or iced) is absolutely delicious. The most recognizable way to drink this coffee is as cà phê sua dá, a Vietnamese coffee recipe featuring delicious, darkly roasted Vietnamese coffee that is brewed directly over sweetened-condensed coffee. It traditionally is brewed with a small filter called a phin.

Us decaf drinkers just have one familiar problem: cà phê sua dá is rarely made with decaffeinated coffee. Fortunately, it’s easy to make your own Vietnamese coffee at home, and just as easy to make it decaf. Let’s dive in and take a look at what makes Vietnamese coffee special, and how to make it sans caffeine.

The History of Vietnamese Coffee

Coffee is a relatively recent addition to Vietnam. As is often the case with culinary history, Vietnamese coffee is intrinsically tied to violent colonialism. In this case, that would be the French colonial occupation of Vietnam. The first coffee tree was introduced to Vietnam by a French priest in 1857. By the early 20th century, coffee production began to increase in the fertile soil of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. As of 2023, Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world.

The prevalence of drinking sweetened-condensed milk with Vietnamese coffee also owes its origins to French citizens living in Vietnam. Because dairy was not produced in southeast Asia, French coffee drinkers imported condensed milk to use in place of fresh dairy. The long shelf life of condensed milk meant it could survive the long trip to Vietnam.