Da Nang bids farewell to Long Coffee founder Do Long

Do Long passed away on July 27 at the age of 70, according to his family.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper the same day, his youngest daughter, Do Nguyen Nam Tran, said her father passed away after battling illness for some time.

Long began his career as a schoolteacher before leaving the profession in the early 1980s to pursue his passion for coffee.

He traveled to the central Vietnamese cities of Tam Ky and Tuy Hoa to learn coffee roasting and brewing before returning to Da Nang to open a small café at 123 Le Loi Street in Thach Thang Ward.

Established in the early 1980s, Long Coffee is regarded as one of the first coffee shops in Da Nang.

What began as a small sidewalk café grew into a popular gathering place for generations of local residents.

"My parents were among the first to open a coffee shop in Da Nang," Tran said.

"Through years of experimentation, my father discovered that blending Arabica and Robusta beans in a proprietary ratio created a balanced flavor that preserved the aroma while retaining the bold character of Vietnamese coffee.

"That blend became Long Coffee's signature taste and has been enjoyed by customers for decades," she added.

After nearly half a century, Long Coffee has grown beyond Da Nang, expanding to multiple locations across Vietnam.

The brand has also established a presence in the United States, serving the Vietnamese community there.

In Da Nang, the original café at 123 Le Loi Street remains a familiar morning destination for local residents.

The shop serves hundreds of cups of coffee each day while maintaining the simple, unpretentious style that has defined the business for more than four decades.

Long's passing has left many longtime customers mourning the loss of a figure closely associated with one of Da Nang's enduring coffee traditions.