Cà phê sữa đá and 'cà phê sữa nóng'

Cà phê sữa đá means iced coffee and 'cà phê sữa nóng' means hot coffee. I've mentioned the Vietnamese coffee a few times already, but I believe this drink could be one of the reasons why Vietnam will inevitably ascend to global powerhouse. It's powerful and fortifying, rich and black, almost syrupy. And it's more addictive than any other caffeinated drink I've had -- and that means sales! It's brewed strong and straight into a cup and mixed with condensed milk. (Although you can request to have it without the milk.) You have to get used to swallowing almost the whole cup in one slurp -- the Vietnamese prefer espresso-sized portions -- which means that the Americans I know are constantly buying small coffees throughout the day to equal one healthy cup of Starbucks.

Mrs. Trang, pictured here, makes her living selling coffee to the locals living in this alley. I think she must be a single mom because I never see any man around. She has a little daughter about four years old. Her coffee is especially delicious, and she sells you a small amount in a plastic cup with a straw for 5,000 dong.

The French hooked the Vietnamese on coffee, and eventually, thanks to government subsidies, Vietnam became the world's number two coffee producer after Brazil, according to Wikipedia. Privatized enterprise in the last few years has now also supposedly boosted the quality of the beans, and Vietnam's gourmet coffee is starting to spread, and is exported widely in southeast Asia.

The coffee is grown in the micro-climate of the Buon Me Thuot region in the central highlands. I can't find a good map at the moment and must run to class! The blue section gives a rough indication of the location of the Central Highlands.