I cannot remember when exactly I started drinking coffee, but I do know that I love the scent of coffee. My coffee journey probably began in 2017 when I lived in Saigon, a city known for its vibrant atmosphere and economic development in Vietnam.

At that time, it was quite challenging to find good coffee shops in the area where I lived, which is now the second center of Saigon, Thu Duc City. Based on recommendations from my husband and two friends, I decided to open a coffee shop. We named it The Six Coffee.

In 2017, the coffee industry in Vietnam underwent a shift from commercial coffee to the roasting coffee market and entered the 3^rd wave of coffee, specialty coffee. I read numerous documents about specialty coffee and how it was being operated by foreigners in their coffee shops to apply that knowledge to our coffee shop in Vietnam.

I started delving deeper into the art of making coffee and familiarized myself with terms like Espresso, Cappuccino, and Latte, aiming to provide the best coffee experience to our customers. Over time, I became curious about the diverse flavors derived from various coffee brewing methods such as Handrip (V60), French press, Kalita, Chemex, Moka pot, and Coldbrew. These innovative and suitable methods have gained popularity among today’s youth.

The coffee in the city took me further.

To gain a better understanding of the coffee production process, I traveled to coffee-growing regions in Vietnam. How many coffee processing methods are there? What is ripe coffee? What is commercial coffee? What is specialty coffee? And why are the values of these items so different?

Throughout the past five years, I’ve had numerous questions and embarked on a quest to find answers.

Vietnam is renowned for its robusta coffee exports, consistently ranking as the second-largest coffee-producing country in terms of quantity. However, the quality of Vietnamese coffee is yet to be widely recognized by many around the world.
I met many Vietnamese coffee farmers who were very miserable because they were too busy chasing quantity. Because of their size, the F1 generation of many coffee-making families cut down their trees and planted them with other fruit trees. Because coffee has changed and is changing, poor farmers cannot meet the knowledge and keep up with the rapid change in the coffee industry. When the world drinks the quintessence of specialty coffee, Vietnamese people in many places still use dirty coffee, coffee mixed with okra and spices and seasoned with salt.

I want to make a small contribution to change this.

I want the Vietnamese to understand more about coffee, one of the leading agricultural commodities, an industry that feeds many people in Vietnam.

I want international friends to change their view of the quality of Vietnamese coffee.

I wish for the sustainable growth of Lien Viet Xanh Company, enabling us to financially support bringing Vietnamese specialty coffee to the world.

I want, and I find a way.

In the next five to ten years, we will continue to explore avenues to achieve our goals.

Thank you for reading things here.

Long Huong (Mayer Chan) from Lien Viet Xanh Co., Ltd