How to Make Vietnamese Coffee at Home

A phin is a small metal brewer that sits above a cup. Water passes through the ground coffee and drips into the cup below. You can drink the brew black or combine it with sweetened condensed milk; for cà phê sữa đá, the milk coffee is served with ice.

You need a phin, suitable ground coffee, hot water and a heatproof cup. For the milk-coffee version, add sweetened condensed milk and have a second glass with ice ready. Our phin preparation guide shows the brewer setup.

Choose a recipe that fits your phin’s capacity. A small single-cup brewer and a larger filter need different coffee and water quantities.

Start with the actual coffee you want to drink: check its composition, roast description and recommended preparation. Vietnamese coffee includes different products and roast styles; the country name alone does not specify one blend or flavour.

The current MR.VIET coffee range is a starting point for comparing available products. When buying ground coffee, check the intended brewing method. When grinding beans yourself, keep the grind and dose with your recipe notes.

Try the coffee both black and in the milk-coffee drink if that is how you intend to serve it. The condensed milk and ice change the balance, so choose the coffee from the finished drink as well as the plain brew.

Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and a thick texture. Put it in the cup below the phin so you can stir it into the coffee after brewing.

For a larger, 8 oz phin, the Vietnam Tourism recipe collection gives a Vietnamese iced milk-coffee recipe using two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. Use that reference with the matching brewer and coffee-and-water quantities, then adjust sweetness to your preference.

If you use fresh milk or a plant-based drink instead, the sweetness, texture and dilution will change. Write it as a separate recipe and taste the finished version rather than swapping equal amounts and expecting the same result.

For iced milk coffee, finish brewing and stir the coffee and condensed milk together before pouring the mixture over ice. This spreads the milk through the drink rather than leaving a thick layer at the bottom.

Use a measured amount of ice when comparing recipes: melting ice dilutes the drink. Taste it at the temperature and stage at which you plan to serve it, then adjust the next batch’s coffee, water, milk or ice.

To enjoy it hot, use a suitable heatproof cup and serve after brewing and stirring. Keeping the hot and iced versions as separate written recipes makes it easier to repeat the result you prefer.

The Vietnam Tourism reference recipe is written for an 8 oz drip filter. It uses four tablespoons of ground coffee and three-quarters of a cup of hot water. Level the grounds, place the filter plate and use about a quarter-cup of the water for an initial wetting. After roughly 30 seconds, add the remaining water and cover the brewer.

A smaller phin needs a recipe that fits its capacity. Keep the coffee and water quantities with the brewer size, rather than filling every phin with the same number of spoonfuls.

Let the water drip through instead of forcing it through the bed. If flow is too slow or too fast, check the grind, dose and filter-plate fit, then change one thing on the next brew. Record the preparation and the finished drink so you can repeat a successful cup.

Start with one coffee product and a written recipe. Record the coffee, water, milk or sweetener and finished cup, then adjust one part at a time to find the version you prefer.

For a phin, use the phin preparation guide to check the setup. For another brewer, compare options in our coffee brewing methods guide.