Foreign tourists, locals queue in Hanoi for premium Japanese matcha despite high prices

By mid-morning on Tuesday, about 20 people, including many foreign tourists, were lining up outside the store at a busy intersection in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, waiting 15–25 minutes to buy matcha-based drinks and desserts.

James Miller, a 25-year-old British tourist, said he paid VND130,000 (US$5) for an oat matcha drink and VND70,000 ($2.7) for a green tea ice cream.

He described the portions as small for the price but said he liked the strong matcha flavor and balanced sweetness.

Local customer Phan Linh, 31, said she took time off work to visit the shop after seeing it trending on social media.

Linh added that the VND120,000 ($4.6) matcha latte she purchased there was the most expensive she had bought in Hanoi.

The brand’s drinks typically cost between VND80,000 ($3) and VND130,000 for cups of about 300 milliliters, making it among the most expensive matcha offerings in the Vietnamese capital.

A Hanoi-based representative of the brand said the pricing reflected ingredient quality rather than mass-market positioning, adding that the matcha powder was organic and imported from Japan’s Uji and Kagoshima regions, while sugar and milk were also sourced from Japan.

The representative said organic matcha accounted for only about one percent of global production, contributing to higher costs.

The brand continues to attract attention and debate online over whether the premium price is justified.