Everyone knows Vietnamese coffee is fantastic, but you should also try egg coffee while you’re here. It can be a bit difficult to find, so we recommend you head to Giảng Cafe, where they’re famous for their egg coffee.
Vietnam’s most extravagant cup of joe, cà phê trứng (“egg coffee”), has a less glamorous backstory than its lavish appearance suggests. Born out of necessity and quick thinking; this clever hack was invented to cope with wartime dairy shortages.
In Hanoi, coffee drinkers rely on a steady stream of condensed milk to balance out the strong Robusta brew served in most coffee shops. In fact, simply ordering a cà phê sữa (“milk coffee”) is interpreted as hot Robusta coffee with sticky-sweet condensed milk. What happens when the milk runs out? The remaining breakfast staples—eggs and coffee—are called upon for greatness.
First created in Hanoi in 1946, egg coffee is the brainchild of Nguyen Van Giang. In response to the pressures of a milk shortage caused by the French War (also known as the First Indochina War), Giang whisked in an egg as a much-needed substitute while bartending at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel. Giang’s signature drink became such a hit that he opened Café Giang in the wake of its success, where his son still serves the legendary egg coffee.