Short answer: Egg coffee (cà phê trứng) is strong coffee topped with egg yolk whipped with sugar and condensed milk until it becomes a thick, custard-like foam; it is credited to Hanoi bartender Nguyễn Văn Giảng in 1946. Salt coffee (cà phê muối) is a much newer drink from Huế: phin coffee with condensed milk, topped with lightly salted cream. Both are dessert-like and worth trying once; neither is vegan.
Most visitors arrive in Vietnam knowing about iced milk coffee. Fewer know that the country also has two signature "topped" coffees that have spread from their home cities to cafés across Vietnam and abroad. They sound odd on paper. In the cup they make sense, and the stories behind them say a lot about how Vietnamese cooks adapt to what is available.
Egg coffee: a Hanoi answer to a milk shortage
The widely repeated origin story, told by the founding family to outlets including Vietnam News, VietNamNet and CNBC, goes like this. In 1946, during the war years, fresh milk was scarce in Hanoi. Nguyễn Văn Giảng, a bartender at the Metropole hotel, whisked egg yolk with sugar as a substitute for milk foam on coffee. The drink caught on, and Giảng later opened his own café, Café Giảng, which his family still runs in Hanoi's Old Quarter at 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân.
It is worth noting that this history comes mainly from the family and from press accounts repeating it, not from archive records. Sources also differ slightly on dates. What is consistent is the core idea: egg replaced dairy foam, and the result became a Hanoi institution. The family keeps its exact recipe private; the son interviewed by the press described yolk, condensed milk, coffee and a few undisclosed ingredients.
How egg coffee is made
The basic method used by most cafés today is simple, and you can see it at the counter:
- Brew a small, strong coffee, usually in a phin, about 30–40 ml.
- Whisk one egg yolk with sugar and a spoonful of condensed milk for several minutes, by hand or with a small electric whisk, until pale, thick and roughly doubled in volume.
- Pour the coffee into a small cup and spoon the foam on top, usually a thick layer.
- Serve the hot version with the cup sitting in a bowl of hot water to keep it warm.
The foam tastes like a cross between tiramisu cream and a light custard. Good egg coffee does not taste eggy; if it smells strongly of raw egg, the yolk was under-whipped or not fresh. Many people eat the foam with a small spoon first and then drink the coffee, while others stir everything together.
Salt coffee: Huế's modern classic
Salt coffee is far younger. According to a 2023 Vietnam News report, it was first made by the owners of a café at 10 Nguyễn Lương Bằng in Huế "just over a decade" earlier, which puts its origin in the early 2010s. Other Huế cafés soon made their own versions, and since the idea was never protected, it spread to Đà Nẵng, Hội An, Hanoi and Saigon. Today many chains sell a salted-cream coffee, often on the menu in English as "salt coffee" or "sea salt coffee".
The classic Huế version is phin coffee with condensed milk, topped with cream that has been whipped with a little salt, sometimes with a dusting of cinnamon or cocoa. The salt does not make the drink taste salty in the way soup does. It sharpens the sweetness, softens the bitterness of robusta and makes the cream taste richer, the same trick as salted caramel.
Egg coffee vs salt coffee at a glance
| Egg coffee (cà phê trứng) | Salt coffee (cà phê muối) | |
|---|---|---|
| Home city | Hanoi | Huế |
| Origin | Credited to 1946, Nguyễn Văn Giảng | Early 2010s, a café on Nguyễn Lương Bằng street |
| Topping | Whipped egg yolk, sugar, condensed milk | Lightly salted whipped cream |
| Texture | Thick, custardy, spoonable | Light, airy, pourable |
| Served | Hot (in a water bath) or iced | Mostly iced, sometimes hot |
| Typical price | Around 30,000–60,000đ (US$1.20–2.30) | Around 25,000–55,000đ (US$1–2.10) |
| Vegan? | No (egg, dairy) | No (dairy cream, condensed milk) |
Prices above are rough ranges seen at cafés in Vietnamese cities in 2026; heritage cafés and tourist-facing places may charge more. Treat them as a guide, not a rule.
How to find a good cup
In Hanoi, egg coffee is everywhere in the Old Quarter, and the famous family cafés draw long queues of visitors, particularly in the morning and late afternoon. You do not need to go to the most famous address to have a good cup; many small cafés make it well. Signs of a careful version include foam that holds its shape on the spoon, a pale yellow colour rather than bright orange, and coffee underneath that is still hot and strong.
In Huế, salt coffee is a local habit rather than a tourist novelty, and you can try it at simple neighbourhood cafés. In Saigon, both drinks are widely available in modern cafés. Quality varies more there, since some places use pre-made toppings. If the cream comes from a spray can or the egg foam is runny and thin, it is not the real thing.
Tips for ordering
- Ask for "cà phê trứng nóng" (hot egg coffee) for the original style, or "đá" for iced.
- Ask for "cà phê muối" by name; menus may also say "salt coffee" or "kem muối" (salted cream).
- Both are sweet. Say "ít ngọt" (less sweet) if you prefer, although the topping itself is sweetened in advance.
- Have it as dessert or an afternoon treat rather than with a savoury breakfast, since the richness can overwhelm.
Food safety and dietary notes
Traditional egg coffee uses raw yolk, whipped but not cooked, although pouring hot coffee underneath warms it. Pregnant travellers and anyone told to avoid raw eggs should skip it or choose a café that confirms it uses pasteurised eggs. Both drinks contain dairy through condensed milk, and salt coffee also uses dairy cream.
If you are vegan or avoid dairy, neither drink suits you, but Vietnamese café culture has caught up: more modern cafés offer coconut coffee made with coconut milk or coconut cream, and nut-milk coffee made with cashew, almond or mixed nut milk. Always ask whether condensed milk is added, because many coconut coffees still contain it. Our guides to eating vegan in Vietnam cover the phrases that help.
Where these drinks fit in a food trip
If you are travelling the length of the country, it is satisfying to try each drink in its home city: egg coffee in Hanoi, salt coffee in Huế, iced milk coffee in Saigon. If your trip is Saigon only, you can still try all three in one afternoon in the central wards. Pair them with a light snack rather than a full meal, and save savoury food such as a banh mi for breakfast or a late-night bite. For full day plans that slot coffee breaks between meals, see our food trip planning section.
Sources
- Vietnam News – vietnamnews.vn ("Salt coffee, a Huế delicacy, conquers Hà Nội taste buds", 2023; "Wake up and smell the egg coffee")
- CNBC – cnbc.com ("In Vietnam, coffee-drinking locals skip the cream and add an egg", 2017)
- Vietnam Airlines – vietnamairlines.com (travel guide: egg coffee in Vietnam)
Frequently asked questions
Does egg coffee taste like eggs?
A well-made one does not. The yolk is whipped with sugar and condensed milk into a sweet foam that tastes like custard or tiramisu cream. A strong egg smell usually means the foam was under-whipped.
Who invented egg coffee?
It is credited to Nguyễn Văn Giảng, a Hanoi bartender, in 1946, when fresh milk was scarce. His family still runs Café Giảng in the Old Quarter. This account comes from the family and press reports rather than archive documents.
Is salt coffee actually salty?
Only slightly. A small amount of salt in the whipped cream balances the sweetness of condensed milk and the bitterness of robusta. It tastes more like salted caramel than like anything savoury.
Can I get egg coffee or salt coffee in Saigon?
Yes, many modern cafés and chains in Saigon serve both. Quality varies more than in Hanoi or Huế, so look for foam or cream that is freshly whipped rather than sprayed from a can.
Is there a vegan version of egg coffee?
The traditional drink is not vegan because it uses egg yolk and condensed milk. Some cafés offer coconut coffee or nut-milk coffee as dairy-free alternatives; ask whether condensed milk is added before you order.
Prefer your coffee without egg or dairy?
When you are back in Saigon after the egg-and-cream tour, Bánh Mì XANH pairs fully vegan banh mi with nut-milk coffee and nut-milk bubble tea. Its five central shops are open 24/7, so a late coffee and sandwich is always possible, and you can find the one nearest your hotel in a few taps.
Find the nearest Bánh Mì XANH shop · 24/7 hotline / Zalo +84 923 183 183
