Time to make Vietnamese Robusta coffee a global name

Winning over visitors on home soil

Many foreign tourists are choosing rail travel as a way to explore Vietnam.

Trains offer many advantages, so more domestic travelers are placing their trust in this form of transport as well.

One of the pleasures for many international visitors is heading to the dining car for breakfast, then settling down with a small phin filter as Vietnamese coffee slowly drips into the cup.

They savor the coffee while watching the scenery of the S-shaped country, with satisfaction clearly visible on their faces.

It is high time to use tourism and transportation as a bridge–a kind of ‘ambassador’– to take the image of Vietnamese coffee further and higher.

Product promotion deserves much greater attention.

Passenger carriages are equipped with LED screens at both ends, near the doors.

Putting these screens to work introducing Vietnamese Robusta coffee would be a practical option.

On sleeper trains, more catalogs showcasing the diversity of Vietnamese coffee products could also be made available.

It is somewhat regrettable that many reputable Vietnamese coffee brands are working hard to establish themselves in overseas markets through sophisticated marketing, while at home we have yet to fully capitalize on our strengths to win over valued guests from around the world.

Making a mark abroad

Vietnamese coffee remains relatively scarce in restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores in some markets such as Thailand and South Korea.

Vietnam has successfully organized the Pho Day event in several countries.

Such efforts have helped make pho a culinary experience that many international visitors consider essential when they come to Vietnam.

The same strategy could be applied to coffee.

Under current conditions, promotional activities such as coffee festivals, coffee fairs and Vietnamese Coffee Weeks are well within reach.

Inviting public figures and other influential people to participate could make these events even more appealing.

Producers should also pay closer attention to tastes.

Products should be adapted to consumer preferences in different regions, taking into account geography, weather, climate and, importantly, culinary cultures.

Alongside traditional ground coffee for phin brewing, the range of instant coffee products should be expanded.

For the European market, products could contain less milk and be less sweet, reflecting the growing preference for lower-fat and lower-sugar consumption.

Packaging and labeling also need to be upgraded to become more attractive and eye-catching.

Also, information should be presented bilingually, in Vietnamese and English.

For key Asian markets such as China, Japan and South Korea, Vietnamese could be paired with the language of the target market.

Ho Chi Minh City has recently been named among the world’s top 10 destinations for coffee lovers.

In Holafly’s Coffee Travel Index, the city ranked second, thanks to a range of factors, including its distinctive Robusta coffee culture.

This is an opportunity to elevate Vietnam’s coffee culture and help Vietnamese Robusta coffee move beyond its traditional supporting role.

Among the millions of people who drink coffee every day, there are always significant numbers of foreigners.

That represents a valuable marketing opportunity–even at humble street-side coffee stalls.

The goal should be to ensure that Vietnamese coffee finds its way into visitors’ luggage when they return home.

The ambition should be broader and more far-reaching: to make Vietnam synonymous with coffee in the minds of consumers worldwide, so that whenever the world talks about coffee, Vietnamese coffee is one of the first names that comes to mind.