Vietnamese Coffee Names and How to Order
The main Vietnamese coffee names are cà phê đen đá (iced black coffee) and cà phê sữa đá (kah feh soo-uh dah, iced coffee with condensed milk, called nâu đá in Hanoi). Then come bạc xỉu (mostly milk with a little coffee), cà phê trứng (egg coffee from Hanoi) and cà phê muối (salt coffee from Huế). Below are 32 cards in six groups: the coffee names, how to call staff and order, sweetness and ice, size and to go, paying, and what staff say to you. Each card notes where Hanoi and Saigon use different words.
Vietnamese Coffee Names and Ordering
Teaches the main Vietnamese coffee names, from cà phê sữa đá and nâu đá to bạc xỉu, egg coffee and salt coffee, and how to order them. Covers sweetness, ice, size, to go, paying and what café staff say back.
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Coffee Names
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cà phê đen đá | kah feh den dah | Iced black coffee. Strong drip coffee poured over ice. Many shops add sugar unless you ask for none. Hot black coffee is cà phê đen nóng. | |
| Cà phê sữa đá | kah feh soo-uh dah | Iced milk coffee. Strong drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk, poured over ice. This is the drink most people mean by Vietnamese iced coffee. Common name in the South, and understood everywhere. | |
| Nâu đá. | nuh-oo dah | Iced milk coffee, Northern name. Hanoi says nâu đá (brown with ice) for the drink the South calls cà phê sữa đá. You will also hear cà phê nâu đá. | |
| Cà phê sữa nóng | kah feh soo-uh nawng | Hot milk coffee. Drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk, served hot. In Hanoi it is often called nâu nóng. | |
| Bạc xỉu | bahk syew | A milk drink with a small amount of coffee. Milder and sweeter than cà phê sữa đá. It started in Saigon and many cafés across the country now list it too. | |
| Cà phê trứng | kah feh choong | Egg coffee. Coffee topped with egg yolk whipped with sugar and condensed milk into a thick cream. A Hanoi specialty, served hot or iced. | |
| Cà phê muối | kah feh moo-oy | Salt coffee. Coffee with a lightly salted cream on top. It comes from Huế and is now sold in many cities. | |
| Cà phê dừa. | kah feh zuh-uh | Coconut coffee. Coffee with coconut cream (cốt dừa), often blended with ice into a slush. | |
| Cà phê phin | kah feh fin | Coffee made in a phin, the small metal drip filter that sits on top of the cup. It drips slowly, so wait a few minutes before you drink. |
Call and Order
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Em ơi | em uh-ee | Excuse me. How you call a server who is younger than you. Use anh ơi for an older man and chị ơi for an older woman. Calling out like this is polite in a Vietnamese café. | |
| Cho em xem thực đơn. | chaw em sem tuk dun | Can I see the menu? Call yourself em with a server older than you or about your age. With a younger server, call yourself anh (a man) or chị (a woman). Tôi is correct but sounds stiff in a café. Many cafés also say menu. | |
| Ở đây có cà phê trứng không? | uh day kaw kah feh choong khohng | Do you have egg coffee here? Swap in any drink name. Có ... không asks if something is available. | |
| Cho em một ly cà phê sữa đá. | chaw em moht lee kah feh soo-uh dah | One iced milk coffee, please. Ly means glass and is the Southern word. Cho em (give me) with a kinship word is the friendly way to order; cho tôi sounds stiff. | |
| Cho em một cốc nâu đá. | chaw em moht kawk nuh-oo dah | One iced milk coffee, please, the Hanoi way. The North says cốc for glass and nâu đá for milk coffee. |
Sweetness and Ice
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ít đường. | it duh-uhng | Less sugar. Add it after the drink name. | |
| Không đường. | khohng duh-uhng | No sugar. Useful with black coffee, which many shops sweeten by default. | |
| Ít ngọt. | it ngawt | Less sweet. Use it for milk drinks like cà phê sữa đá and bạc xỉu, where the sweetness comes from condensed milk. | |
| Ít đá. | it dah | Less ice. | |
| Không đá. | khohng dah | No ice. | |
| Để đá riêng. | deh dah zee-eng | Put the ice on the side. Handy when you want to stir the coffee and milk first, or drink it slowly. Usage varies, so you may also hear đá để riêng. |
Size and To Go
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cho tôi ly lớn. | chaw toy lee lun | A large one, please. Lớn means big in the South. Hanoi often says cốc to. Chain cafés usually say size, as in English. | |
| Uống ở đây. | oo-ohng uh day | To drink here. Your answer when staff ask if you will stay. | |
| Mang đi. | mahng dee | To go. You also hear mang về, which means the same thing. |
Pay
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tính tiền. | ting tee-en | The bill, please. Common in the South. You also hear thanh toán, which is a bit more formal and common in the North. | |
| Bao nhiêu tiền? | bow nyee-ew tee-en | How much is it? | |
| Quẹt thẻ được không? | kwet teh duh-uhk khohng | Can I pay by card? Small street cafés often take only cash or a bank-app QR code. | |
| Tôi trả tiền mặt. | toy chah tee-en maht | I will pay cash. |
What You'll Hear
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anh dùng gì ạ? | ahn zoong zee ah | What would you like? What staff say to take your order. Dùng is a polite word for have. Staff say anh to a man and chị to a woman. | |
| Uống ở đây hay mang đi ạ? | oo-ohng uh day hai mahng dee ah | For here or to go? Staff ask this when you order. Answer uống ở đây or mang đi. | |
| Anh cần thêm gì không ạ? | ahn kun tem zee khohng ah | Anything else? Staff ask this after your order. Say dạ, không for no, thanks. | |
| Món này hết rồi ạ. | mawn nai het zoy ah | We are out of this one. Staff say it when a drink is sold out. Pick another drink. | |
| Của anh hết bốn mươi lăm nghìn ạ. | koo-uh ahn het bohn muh-ee lahm ngeen ah | Yours comes to 45,000 dong. Staff say this when you pay. The North says nghìn for thousand and the South says ngàn. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cà phê sữa đá and nâu đá?
None. They are the same drink: strong drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice. Cà phê sữa đá is the common name in the South. Hanoi says nâu đá.
What is bạc xỉu?
A milk drink with a small amount of coffee. It is milder and sweeter than cà phê sữa đá. It started in Saigon and is now on many menus across Vietnam.
How do I order coffee with less sugar in Vietnamese?
Say the drink name, then ít đường for less sugar or không đường for no sugar. For milk drinks, ít ngọt means less sweet. For example: cà phê đen đá, không đường.
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