The city of Ca Mau sits in the Mekong delta at the southernmost tip of Vietnam. It’s a city of canals and waterways and boasts a number of designer cafes well worth a visit. 

One such cafe is Anni Coffee, a multi-storey space with a calm, cave like interior that riffs on natural textures of brick, timber and leather enlivened with glass pendant lighting and simple graphics depicting coffee harvesting and coffee-making accoutrements. Upstairs, a full-height window allows patrons a serene view of tropical greenery, while the cool and calm interior gives respite from the outdoor tropical heat.  

Vietnam is the third largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil and Columbia. So it is no surprise that Vietnam is a coffee lover’s dream destination. You’ll find so many cafes in this country in many different styles from rural regions to the cities and from the flat delta area to the mountains. In each province the taste and coffee style is also different. 

A cool and calm cafe in Ca Mau, on the southern tip of Vietnam

Southern Vietnamese prefer iced coffee. Northern Vietnamese like strong coffee in the Phin (filtered) style. Some locals prefer coffee with sweetened condensed milk or the famous egg coffee of Hanoi.

Most Vietnamese prefer their coffee slow, strong and sweet. They take time over a coffee and Vietnamese cafes are often quiet places to sit in peace. 

Most popular is  Ca Phe Phin or filtered coffee. Using a filter, drinkers let the coffee absorb boiling water then they will pour more boiling water on top and wait as each drop filters into their cup. Listening to coffee dripping, or even counting the drops, is a favourite pastime. Often, the cup  is kept in a bowl full of boiling water to ensure it remains hot from beginning to end. 

So sit by the window at this cafe in Ca Mau and absorb the view while taking your time to savour your coffee. We don’t know what’s on the menu here, however popular local dishes include voles fried with chilli and bee pupae salad  so it’s sure to be interesting!

Anni Coffee, 10 Nguyen Thai Binh, Ward 5, Ca Mau City. 6am – 10pm daily. 

Photography by Nhu Nguyen Huynh

For further Asian Cafe designs click here