Vietnam for coffee lovers – 10 day detailed Itinerary

You love coffee and want to explore Vietnam by tasting different coffees, staying at coffee farms and taking coffee workshops all over the country? Then this guide is for you. 10 Days | 9 Nights | 10 Coffees & things to do in between

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Timeline

This itinerary should be done from the North to the South, but you can also reverse it. There is an international airport in Hanoi, however there is also an international airport in Ho Chi Minh City. This is an overview about the timeline:

• Hanoi – Day 1 and 2
• Hue – Day 3 and 4
• Hue to Hoi An – Daytour on Day 5
• Hoi An – Day 6 to 8
• Da Lat – Day 9 and 10

Every city includes the best Café(s) to drink, the local coffee speciality, the ideal place to stay, things to do besides drinking coffee and what to eat for the perfect 10 day journey.

Vietnamese Coffee Culture

Vietnam has a very strong and diversified coffee culture. Both Arabica and Robusta Beans are grown in the country and many small and bigger roasteries have been established in the last years.

Vietnamese Coffee is traditionally made with 100% Robusta in a small metal drip pot called the Phin that is placed on top of a cup.

Hanoi – Vietnamese Coffee and Egg Coffee

Hanoi is not only the capital of Vietnam, but also the home of egg coffee. Here you can find many cafés to drink Vietnamese Coffee and different variations of the famous egg coffee.

Day 1 – Arrival Day

Download the Grab App at the Airport with the help of the free airport Wifi, then book a transport directly to your accommodation.

The ideal place to stay in Hanoi is a room at Wecozy Noi Mieu*. My favourite location of theirs is linked below. The rooms are spacious, safe and most importantly clean, while located in the centre of the Old Quarter, making the entire neighbourhood and everything linked walkable.

Cafe Giang

Cafe Giang is supposedly the birthplace of egg coffee when it was invented in 1946 by Mr. Nguyen Van Giang, the father of the current owner of this Cafe Giang. Egg coffee is made from egg yolk, sugar, coco powder and Vietnamese Phin Coffee.

Inventor of the egg coffee or not; their egg coffee is amazing and the café feels like you’re stepping back in time.

You can also try egg-beer here, which is made in a similar fashion, but without the coco and with beer instead of coffee.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

To get a comprehensive overview about Vietnam and it’s people, as well as the different minority groups and the origin of traditions all in one place visit the Museum of Ethnology. You’ll need 3 – 5 hours for this museum, it has an amazing audio guide, two buildings and an outdoor living-museum area.

Bánh mì

A Banh Mi is the perfect sandwich. Nothing more. Nothing less. A crispy baguette with fillings like liver paté, fried pork, cucumber, carrots, coriander, chilli and soy sauce. It’s a great option for a quick snack, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Massage at Dao’s Care

To end a day on a relaxing note treat yourself to a massage or spa package at Dao’s care. Near the West Lake you can take a medical herbal bath, based on the herbal baths of the Dao tribe or get a massage by one of their visually impaired massage therapists.

Day 2 – Full Day

Xôi xéo

Xoi Xeo is sticky rice with shaved mung bean, chicken fat, crunchy fried onions and pork floss. It’s the most delicious breakfast and fills you up for the entire day without making you feel stuffed. My favourite breakfast in Hanoi!

Eggyolk Coffee

The most “instagrammable” version of egg coffee is undoubtedly served at the two establishments of eggyolk coffee. Both are located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, but I preferred the one in a backalley of X.

Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature was the first university in the country, founded in the year 1070. Now it is a must-see for everyone who wants to learn about history, education or the history of education in Vietnam.

I was lucky to go here with a guide who was able to tell me about the history of the building and the traditions people still follow today, but you can also get an audio guide on site. I spend half a day on the grounds of the Temple of Literature, it’s a nice escape from the heat and bustle of the city.

National Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam

The National Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam in Hanoi is one of the best curated fine arts Museums you will ever see. It also has a super modern audio guide that works directly on your own phone, with a pair of headphones you can lend for free (and also fast and reliable free Wifi).

Phở

Pho is Vietnam’s de facto national dish, a delicious soup with savoury broth, rice vermicelli, herbs, and beef strips. It’s delicious, it fills you up, it hydrates and especially when it’s cold (or raining) outside it’s the perfect meal. Known for good Pho by locals for years Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su even got a Michelin Star in 2023.

Maison Centrale – Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison was used for Vietnamese prisoners during French colonialism and for American soldiers during the Vietnam War. This prison complex was mostly torn down in the 90s and the remains have been turned into a museum. I recommend this for everyone who wants to learn from history so the horrors of the past may not be repeated.

All Day Coffee

At All Day Coffee, a modern cafe in an industrial style you can try different modern takes on egg coffee, with one version made with salted egg. This Café also has strong and stable free WiFi as well as good aircon. Take a different Banh Mi from the same Banh Mi streetfood cart as before for the train journey.

Hanoi to Hue

There are several overnight trains departing from Hanoi to Hue between 7 PM and 9:30 PM every day. The cost for a ticket ranges from 55$ to 90$ for a bed in a four person cabin.

Depending on your departure time you will arrive between 9 AM and 11 AM in Hue, both are too early to check in, but the hotel I linked below stores your luggage and if possible lets you check in early.

You can book your tickets on 12Go for secure payment and instant confirmation.

Hue – Home of Salt Coffee

Hue is the former capital of Vietnam, during the reign of the Nguyễn dynasty, It has a lot to offer in terms of historically important places, but it is also the home of salt coffee.

An important tip I wish I had known before I got to Hue: There are combo tickets available for the imperial city and some tombs. They are considerably cheaper than buying all the tickets by themselves.

Day 3 – Arrival Day

Close enough to the nightlife district to be walkable, but far enough away to be quiet, the Pisces Hotel Huế* on the other side of the Perfume River is the ideal place to stay in Hue. It’s a clean, well maintained and picturesque hotel. Pick a room with windows to the outside!

Museum of Royal Antiquities

This museum is one of the oldest museums in Vietnam. It contains artefacts from the royal family and their court, from furniture to clothes to pottery, jewellery and even games from a time long gone.

It’s well taken care of and you learn a lot about the royal family and customs in the country during the Nguyens reign. The museum is housed inside Long An Palace, which was built in a traditional style and is a sight to see in itself. Even though it doesn’t have AC it’s pleasantly cool inside and it feels like a quiet break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Salt Coffee

Cà Phê Muối or salt coffee is the only special coffee on my list for Hue. It has taken the country by storm, as it has become a food trend. I’ve been obsessed with salt coffee ever since I had it for the first time in 2022. It’s the perfect mix between bitter coffee, sweet condensed milk and lightly salty cream. Cà phê Muối – Đặc sản Huế has my favourite salt coffee in the city.

An Dinh Palace

This villa was built as a palace, mixing Gothic European and Vietnamese architectural styles. However, it was never used as a palace, instead, the royal family received foreign delegations there.

Today the main hall and front yard have largely been restored, but most of the building is still in varying stages of decay. Inside the restored parts of the building, you can see intricately carved wooden arches, portraits of former emperors and landscape paintings from all over the province.

Dinner at Hanh Pancake

At Hanh Pancake you can try many of the traditional Hue foods: Nem Lụi Huế, grilled pork skewers with minced meat wrapped around lemon grass with Bánh Xèo, crunchy, savoury rice pancakes with shrimp and pork, served with a peanut dipping sauce, young banana and papaya and green, as well as Bánh bèo, small steamed rice tapioca cakes, topped with dried shrimp, crispy pork skin, scallion oil and chilli to taste. Their Banh-Xeo were my favourite in all of Vietnam.

Day 4 – Full Day

Something non-Hue-specific, but still delicious, are the French pastries at La Boulangerie Française Huê. Since 1999 they have been training French bakery students who make all the baked goods sold at the adjacent cafe. Their pains au chocolat and cafe au lait make a great breakfast to start a day of exploring Hue!

Imperial City

From 1802-1945 the imperial city was home to 13 emperors of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last monarchy of Vietnam, their families and their royal court, so it was literally the city of emperors within Hue. The Forbidden City is located inside Hue Citadel where the families of court members lived. The Imperial Citadel has been recognised as a part of the Hue Monuments Complex by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site!

The Imperial City* combines traditional Vietnamese architectural rules, Chinese influences such as feng shui, yin-yang, the five elements theory and Western military architecture.

The Meridian Gate, officially called Ngọ Môn (Noon Gate) is the main entrance of the Imperial city, facing south. It is considered to be one of the most valuable architectures among the Nguyen dynasty’s monuments complex in Hue.

Another Salt Coffee

The Cà Phê Muối (at 142 Đặng Thái Thân, Thuận Hoà, Huế, Thành phố Huế, Vietnam) cafe claims to have invented the salt coffee, so of course you should at least stop by and try “the original”. Be careful with salt coffee. I was sceptical at first, now I can’t get enough.

Banh Mi Hue

Every place has their own Banh Mi, at this “restaurant” (it feels more like a street vendor still) you can try Banh Mi with a thick meaty sauce and fried egg. Delicious!

Mausoleums of former Emperors

You can take a dragon boat from the city to the mausoleum of Gia Long, the first Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. It has been restored in the past years, so it is one of the most beautiful mausoleums around Hue.

Gia Long also built the Imperial Citadel, considering the same influences from feng shui, yin-yang, the five elements theory, traditional Vietnamese architectural rules, Chinese influences and Western military architecture. Take a dragonboat* down the perfume river for an immersive visit to the tomb.

The tomb of Khai Dinh, the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, blends Vietnamese architecture with Western styles. Since he was close to the French colonial government it also features more „modern“ materials such as concrete, iron and steel, as well as coloured glass, directly imported from France and a bronze statue of the emperor, which was made in Marseille.

It also has the largest ceiling painting in the country called Cuu long an van “nine dragons amidst fleeting clouds”. The tomb, officially called Ung Mausoleum, was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Bún Bò Huế

This soup is named after the city. It is a beef noodle soup with blood pudding, fermented shrimp sauce, lemongrass and pork knuckle. The broth is savoury and delicious, the noodles nicely chewy and the fermented shrimp paste gives it a tangy flavour. Bun Bo Hue is as important as Pho for Vietnamese cuisine. My favourite in the city was at Quán Bún Bò Huế Bà Tuyết- Nem lụi bà Tùng.

Day 5 – Hai Van Pass

The best way to get from Hue to Hoi An is on a motorbike via the Hai Van Pass. There are many different tours* you can book where you can sit on the back of a motorbike and enjoy the views and security of an experienced driver.

This route is well known to some people from the TV show top gear.

If you book the tour I linked (which I highly recommend, it was an amazing experience, the pace was just right and the lunch was amazing) you will see the Marble Mountains on the way between Da Nang and Hoi An, one of the most interesting and beautiful cultural sights of the region.

The second best way is by train along the most beautiful route in Vietnam. Sit on the left side!

You can book your tickets on 12Go for secure payment and instant confirmation.

Hoi An – Coconut Coffee and other specialities

With its rich history Hoi An offers a lot to see. From its past glory days as a port and merchant town, the surrounding crafting villages and the ethnic groups living to this day in the Quang Nam province, there is much to learn, many different coffees to drink and many delicious foods to eat.

Day 5 – Arrival from Hue

The H Boutique Hotel Hoi An* is an affordable boutique hotel with a chic interior, away from the noise and crowds of the old town. Below the hotel is a cafe and they have a pool in the backyard as well. They have beautifully designed rooms with a great value for money.

Mê Coffee

Your first coffee in Hoi An should be a coconut coffee. You can explore the picturesque ancient town with it’s yellow houses and many colourful lanterns on foot and stop at Mê Hoi An to have a wonderful view from their rooftop while sipping on a delicious and pretty coconut coffee.

Get clothes tailored

Hoi An is the city of lanterns and tailors. If you are looking for something unique that you can’t find off the rack at home and you can’t see yourself, this is the perfect place to get it made. You should go in on your first day to give the most time for your things to get made and allow for more than one fitting.

For simple copies visit Hoi An market were tailors have set up small boots, like Sewing Bee.

For high-end designs with high-end fabrics, go to one of the big tailor shops like Yaly Couture.

For drawing-to-clothing items go to one of the smaller tailor shops like Two Ladies Tailors. I had a jersey dress, two dress pants, a neckholder top and a three piece suit made by them (over three years), which I really love. Their customer service is impeccable and the value for money is incredible.

Day 6 – Full Day

FeFe Roastery

In the heart of the beautiful old town, right across from the entrance gate to a temple than no longer stands today you find FeFe Roastery. Here you can get delicious breakfast and coffee. I recommend the cold brew mocktail with lemon and the French toast with local fruits.

Hoi An Ancient Town

As of now there is no charge to enter the ancient town, however if you want to visit the sights you have to buy a ticket for 120k VND / 4,7€ . With this ticket to the ancient town you can visit five places of your choice, these are the ones I recommend after having been to ten over two years:

1. Fujian Assembly Hall
2. Japanese Bridge Temple (reopened in 2024)
3. Cantonese Assembly Hall
4. Museum of Folk Culture
5. Tan Ky Ancient House

While you’re already in the ancient town, check out these two free to visit spots: Cổng Chùa Bà Mụ – This is the gate of a former temple, the only remaining part of it. It is surrounded by great cafés and offers a peaceful view and a great backdrop for pictures and the Precious Heritage Museum where you can find beautiful photography of portraits and landscape, as well as costumes and traditional garb of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam and their subgroups.

Coffee Making Class

By the time you are in Hoi An and are taking this class* you will have tried many different coffees already. Now it is time to learn more about them and how to make them,

The coffee workshop* starts with some background info about the coffee and coffee plantations in Vietnam. Then you start by making the most famous Vietnamese coffee Ca Phe Phin, followed by white coffee, egg coffee, salt coffee and coconut coffee.

Day 7 – Full Day

Rosie’s Cafe

If you are craving European food I can recommend Rosie’s Cafe. They do some very European dishes, but some with a Vietnamese twist. I went there several times for breakfast. Their full Irish Breakfast is a big portion, the poached eggs on toasted sourdough bread with avocado and red beet puree are refreshing, but my favourite was their french toast with fresh local fruits.

Rosie’s Café is on the way from the Hotel to the beach, you can walk here and then take a Grab motorcycle taxi to the beach.

Spend time at the beach

An Bang Beach with it’s 4km of fine sand, many beach beds and bars and restaurants close by is probably the most well known beach of Hoi An. Being roughly 6km away from the ancient town you will need a bike, scooter or mobile data connection to catch a Grab motorbike taxi to get to the beach and back. The morning is the best time to enjoy this beach.

Seafood lunch

Hoi An might be best known for Cao Lau, but don’t sleep on seafood while you’re there. With several fish markets and its location between the sea, Cửa Đại Bay and Thu Bồn River the seafood in the region is diverse and delicious.

You can get superb clams, mussels, fish and other seafood dishes, freshly caught, right on the beach or just a few meters away, like at Phương Beach Restaurant only 150 meters from An Bang Beach. Try the grilled mussels and seafood spring rolls.

Make or buy a lantern

At several lantern workshops* in Hoi An you can make one of their iconic lanterns and bring it home with you. You can pick your fabric, the shape and size of your lantern and even the colour of your tassel. And don’t worry about fitting it inside your suitcase, they can be folded!

The Espresso Station

One of my favourite cafes in Vietnam is The Espresso Station. Right on the edge of the ancient town you can get coffee specialities like Espresso Macchiato and Coconut Coffee, Bac Xiu, Black Charcoal Lattee, Cold Brew Ice Cube Coffee, as well as colour changing butterfly-pea-tea and many more delicious drinks! The Cold Brew Ice Cube Coffee is my favourite drink here.

Dinner on the riverbank

Cao lầu is Hoi Ans trademark dish and something you have to try while you’re there. This dish has two typed of rice noodles, one chewy and one crispy, which can only be made in the region. Next to the noodles you’ll also find thin pork slices and lots of greens. Compare prices though! The restaurants directly facing the river are more expensive than those in side streets.

Day 8 – Half Day

On this day you will have to take a taxi or a shuttle bus to Da Nang to board your plane to Da Lat. In the morning you can eat breakfast on your way to the old town at

Go shopping for souvenirs

Spend the last hours in Hoi An in the beautiful old town in the morning and shop for some souvenirs for your trip. Here are some stores I can recommend with no haggling required:

Hợp Handi – Handmade Notebook, Embroidery & Gifts – Everything hand embroidered

Hart Hoi An – Upcycled Home Decor – Upcylced and handmade objects for sustainable shopping

OCOP House – Đặc sản & Quà tặng Hội An – Hoi An Gift & Specialty & Craft – A store with many handcrafted items from different small artisans.

Da Lat – Coffee Farms and Speciality Coffee

Da Lat is located in the southern parts of the central highlands of Vietnam and one of the most important areas for coffee farming. 

Day 8 – Arrival from Hoi An

You can take a taxi directly from the airport to your hotel and should arrive around lunchtime. The Da Lat Stram Hotel* is a small family run hotel with clean and quiet rooms and a lovely host family. Choose a balcony room for more natural airflow, Da Lat has high humidity all year long and ACs are not common.

Hot Pot or Home Style Meal

If you want to try hot pot (careful, it will be too much food if you’re by yourself) you can do that here, or you can go for a home style Vietnamese meal at Cơm Tiệm A Vũ. For that you pay 2-3€ and get a variety of dishes that are unique to the day and the region. Even if you don’t know what you’ll get, it’ll be delicious! It is in walking distance from the hotel.

Bao Dai Summer Palace

In the  afternoon you should visit one of three palaces in Da Lat city and the one where you can learn more about the same emperor you’ve started learning about in Hue. But where An Dinh palace in Hue was more traditionally Vietnamese, the summer palace in Da Lat is built in the art deco style.

This Summer Palace was used by King Bao Dai and his family to live in and work in when visiting Da Lat. It gives a closer look at the every life and family life of Vietnams last emperor.

La Viet Coffee

A ways away from the palace, but at the same time an unmissable coffee experience in Da Lat is La Viet Coffee.

In 2010 the founders of La Viet Coffee began “planting, processing and trying to sell the green coffee beans”, but quickly noticed that it wasn’t a viable business for them.

Roasting their beans in-house, this Da Lat based Coffee Roastery and Café now sells speciality coffee all over the world and has five locations all over the country.

At the original location of La Viet you can try different coffee blends with different brewing methods, or choose from their menu of cold brew cocktails (coffee instead of alcohol) or innovative coffee drinks. Try the Mulberry Lemon Cold Brew and Lavender Milk Coffee.

Da Lat specialties for dinner

Banh Can are small rounded rice pancakes with different savoury fillings and different sauces, Bánh căn Nhà Chung restaurant has a pineapple based sauce and an onion and meatball based sauce made from a family recipe. Try the Banh Can with chicken egg and beef!

Baked rice paper (banh trang nuong): This is a savory snack made by grilling a thin rice paper topped with a variety of ingredients, including minced meat, dried shrimp, sausage, scallions, and herbs. This crispy, savory, and slightly sweet snack is perfect for enjoying on the go. Go for Beef and cheese at Bánh tráng nướng Cô Mai Nhà Chung.

Explore Lam Vien Square

Lam Vien Square is a well loved picture spot in the city, with two illuminated modern glass buildings on the banks of Xuan Huong Lake.

Day 9 – Full Day

Elon Farm* is located in the Gia Lâm Commune, Lâm Hà District about an hour drive from Da Lat. This area is well known for both tea and coffee farming. Elon Farm grows and produces high-quality Robusta coffee. They offer an immersive coffee experience to visitors of the region.

Book an overnight stay with them. The stay includes a full day of experiencing of the full process of growing coffee, processing the coffee beans, roasting coffee and making several delicious cups of coffee as well as accommodation for a night, all meals and a driver from Da Lat city to the farm and on the following day from the farm to the airport.

After half a day of everything about coffee you can also explore the village on bicycles with the family. During the afternoon you can see a silkworm farm and silk factory, as well as the nearby Linh Ẩn Pagoda and get an up close view of the normally closed to tourists Elephant Waterfall.

Day 10 – Last Day

Start your last day with a home-grown coffee on the balcony and a hearty Vietnamese breakfast at Elon Farm, take a walk through the village or relax with more coffee before eventually being picked up by a driver to make your way to the airport.

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