Trying Vietnamese Egg Coffee in Ho Chi Minh

The story of Vietnamese egg coffee is an interesting one. Apparently it was created in around 1940 when Vietnam was separated into the North and the South. Coffee with condensed milk was popular in the south, but the poorer residents in the north couldn’t afford to buy it, so they used egg yolks with sugar in their coffee instead. It’s very unique and well worth a try.

What is egg coffee like?

Thankfully, it doesn’t taste anything like egg. In fact, we were very pleasantly surprised. The whole thing is very creamy. The top layer is delicious and sweet, so you’re supposed to enjoy that a little bit first. Then you stick your spoon in all the way to the bottom and mix together the strong black coffee and the creamy layer on top.

The flavour and the texture kind of reminded me of a meringue before it’s cooked, but with a coffee flavour to it. It’s very rich, so it’s not something I could have every day. But DEFINITELY worth trying.

Also, be prepared to get a frothy moustache every time you drink it.

Where to find egg coffee

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We found a lovely little place off Bui Vein Street called Goc HaNoi or Little HaNoi. It’s down a little alley and really easy to miss, but well worth a visit. The price of an egg coffee there was around 40,000 VND. The cafe itself is multi storey with narrow little stairs you need to climb to get to the first and second levels.

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If you climb all the way to the top level, you will find a jar of delicious free cookies made from the left over egg whites, since egg coffee only uses the egg yolks. There is a donation jar next to the cookies, which goes to charity.

This cafe also had free water, and super fast internet, so could be a nice place to sit and work. There was a lot of interesting art and information on the walls. They also gave us a glass each of complimentary cold tea, which was lovely.

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