Vietnamese Sidewalk Coffee Culture

Sidewalk Coffee, Sidewalk Quality?

 

Calling it sidewalk coffee doesn’t mean the quality is low, the service is poor, or the dining culture is bad. In fact, sidewalk coffee surpasses these criteria and is a cultural “specialty” of Vietnamese people.

 

Sidewalk coffee isn’t sold in dusty, dirty places, but on clean, airy sidewalks by lakes, in streets, and on tree-lined roads. In spring, people watch the trees blossom, in summer, they enjoy the blooming flowers, in autumn, they chat and sip egg coffee with a bit of green rice "Com xanh", and in winter, they watch the leaves change.

 
Urban people come to sidewalk coffee for a space to savor the bitter, sweet, nutty, and fragrant coffee while watching the flow of people passing by. They listen to the familiar sounds of life: the calls, the motorbike engines, the vendors selling tofu, sticky rice, and desserts, happening every day, every hour, like the heartbeat and breath of life.

 

Some come to enjoy every drop of coffee, listening to the drip, counting each drop of time passing by, creating lyrical and profound verses. Others come to sidewalk coffee to hear conversations and lively discussions from friends around, gaining new information and life lessons.

 

Sidewalk coffee isn’t just for the common folk; it’s a style of coffee that doesn’t discriminate between high and low, rich and poor. Coming to sidewalk coffee means entering a “sanctuary” of gentle and modest culinary culture. There’s no showiness, no pretense, just sincerity and empathy. All patrons come to enjoy coffee according to their taste, to share and converse. Often, coffee is just an excuse, and the sidewalk is just an excuse for them to sit, share, discuss, confide, or comment on matters they care about.