Vietnam’s milk coffee, the drink the U.S. President wants to try

Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi on May 23, President Obama said he might enjoy iced milk coffee. He would also bring his wife and children to Vietnam for travel after retirement.

The drink Obama mentioned is one of the specialties that have always been favored by international travelers to Vietnam, and praised by the international media.

Bloomberg said it was the top 10 coffee drinks in the world, including iced milk coffee of Vietnam.

This drink is served in most coffee shops in Saigon. 

A specialist on restaurants and chef John Quilter also listed milk coffee of Vietnam among the top 5 iced coffee drinks.

“A deliciously sweet variation on a regular iced coffee, this drink consists of dark-roasted coffee poured over a small amount of sweetened condensed milk. Known nationally as Ca phe sua da, the shortage of fresh milk meant that this sweeter substitute became the natural alternative. Once adopted, it quickly spread,” he wrote. 

“The coffee should be brewed directly from a French drip press into a glass that’s a quarter-full with sweetened condensed milk. This mixture should then simply be poured over ice and stirred well. If you don’t happen to have a drip press handy, simple brew with a cafetiere, or use a nice, light espresso.”

CNN also suggests milk coffee as one of the 10 dishes travelers should try in Vietnam. Coffee was brought to Vietnam by the French and is, along with baguettes, one of their lasting culinary legacies. Beans are grown in Vietnam and roasted, often with lard, before being ground and served in single-serving metal filters. Drinking a cup of cafe nau da, iced coffee with condensed milk, on a busy side street is one of Hanoi's great pleasures.

This casual but very tasty drink is also in the list of the best coffee drinks in the world by CN Traveler. This classic Vietnamese drink is widely available throughout the world, but it’s an especially delicious treat to seek out while visiting Vietnam. Coarsely ground dark roast coffee beans are slowly strained through a traditional Vietnamese coffee press (known as a cà phê phin—consider picking one up so you can enjoy an authentic brew back home) and then mixed with sweetened condensed milk and plenty of cracked ice for an intensely flavored, completely refreshing sip.

Vietnam’s milk coffee impresses international tourists, according to The Daily Meal.