The name “filter coffee” (coffee in stockings, sock coffee) actually comes from the typical way of making coffee of the old Saigon people. Instead of using a filter to brew, coffee powder is put into a cloth bag shaped like a small filter, then dipped into boiling water, continuously boiling the coffee with a charcoal stove, waiting for all the coffee to come out and then pouring it into the customer’s cup.
Filter coffee therefore has a unique flavor that is hard to confuse. It has the aroma of pure coffee, a sweet, smooth aftertaste, and a little fat from milk. Although there are only a few old filter coffee shops left, this coffee culture still exists, nestled in the heart of bustling Saigon.
TIME TRAVEL CAFE
If you visit Phan Dinh Phung Street - Phu Nhuan District, it is not difficult to see the image of people waiting in long lines in alley 330. "Vot Coffee" is a regular destination for many people: from the elderly, to young people, university students; from well-dressed office workers to ordinary workers...
Vet Coffee is a regular haunt of many people.
While many trendy, luxurious coffee shops have sprung up everywhere in the dynamic Saigon, Phan Dinh Phung Coffee Filter still stands proudly in the middle of the city, witnessing many changes of the times. Initially, the coffee shop was just a pushcart owned by Mrs. Pham Ngoc Tuyet's parents. Later, this coffee "brand" was inherited by Mrs. Tuyet and her husband, Mr. Dang Tran Con (also known as Uncle Ba).
For over 70 years, apart from the Covid-19 quarantine period, Vet Coffee has not had a single day off. The cafe only closes for 10 minutes on the evening of the 30th lunar day to welcome the New Year. "While we are praying for the New Year, customers are still sitting outside waiting in front of the half-opened door. When the prayer is over and someone comes to visit us in the new year, the door will open again," Mr. Con confided.
Mrs. Pham Ngoc Tuyet still often makes coffee every afternoon.
"In the 90s, filter coffee seemed to replace filter coffee, becoming the coffee style preferred by many customers. Ca Phe Vot also updated the trend, selling more filter coffee to please customers, but most Ca Phe Vot customers still prefer filter coffee," Mr. Quy (Mr. Con's son) shared.
Space inside the restaurant.
The appeal lies not only in the age but also in the family's secret filter coffee brewing method. Therefore, the extremely delicious and unique flavor, which has never changed, has retained many old customers and attracted many new ones. "Many regular customers, after many years away, come back and order a cup of coffee and still exclaim: Oh my god, after so many years away, the coffee is still the same!", Mr. Con shared.
MORE THAN A COFFEE SHOP!
The elderly visit Ca Phe Vot as a "hard to quit" habit of enjoying a popular drink with a familiar, distinctive flavor. As for the young, they are more interested in the feeling of sitting at Ca Phe Vot, watching people passing by and feeling at peace amidst the hustle and bustle of Saigon.
The restaurant is located right at the beginning of alley 330 Phan Dinh Phung street, has a small space and simple decoration, keeping the old image mixed with a bit of modernity of Saigon.
Space in front of the Coffee Shop.
Good, cheap coffee is one thing, the reason why young people come here often is the atmosphere of the shop. As a lover of the old style, Huy (21 years old, Gia Lai) chose Vot as a favorite place to visit during his free time. The third-year student said: "On average, I visit Vot Coffee 3-4 times a week. I have been attached to this familiar place for three years, so I just need to go to the shop and pay, and the staff will know what drink I need to order."
Huy often comes here alone to read books.
"Do you want to go to Vot?" is a question that Ri Hua (1993, Da Nang) is often asked by his group of friends. "For me, Vot is not an ordinary coffee shop, but a 'place' where I feel at ease. I have been attached to Vot for the past 9 years, not because of the coffee made with a net, but because of the person making the coffee, because of the feeling of sitting on the familiar, ordinary red plastic chair, which is very comfortable," he confided.
Perhaps not only Huy or Ri Hua, but many others also come to Vet Coffee (Phan Dinh Phung) to find a place to stay during the busy days. Because the shop has no concept of opening or closing time, the door of that house is always open, a familiar place for conversations all night long.
The space around the Vet Coffee shop.
