Independent reviews and recommendations by Rusty Compass. No advertorial, no paid placements and no sponsored content.

Coffee culture - Hoi An's best coffee

By Mark Bowyer | 05 Apr 2019

6 of 22

Sound of Silence Coffee - An Bang Beach, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Phinh Espresso and Drip Cafe, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Phinh Espresso and Drip Cafe, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Rosie's Cafe, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Espresso Station, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Cavalry Coffee, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Faifo Coffee, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Le Fe Cafe, Hoi An
Photo: Mark Bowyer

Coffee culture - Hoi An's best coffee

By Mark Bowyer 05 Apr 2019

Hoi An's coffee scene has been transformed over the past few years. You won't need to search far for a great cup in a cool space. Here are our specialty coffee picks, as well as a few cool places to grab Vietnam-style "phin" coffee. The international espresso-style cafes use Vietnamese beans - you won't need to try anything else. Visit all our recommendations and create a little coffee tour and you'll get a look at Hoi An's old town, its alleys, the beach, and the countryside. All our picks are locally owned and our top picks are plastic free.

Note: The information provided in this review was correct at time of publishing but may change. For final clarification please check with the relevant service

Phin Espresso and Drip Cafe

Great coffee, handsome garden space and Phin Espresso and Drip cafe is also plastic free. They keep the complimentary water flowing generously too. This is a great place to hang out over delicious coffee - roasted on site - whether you’re seeking out the Vietnamese drip stuff, lattes or whatever. Thinh the owner and his team are friendly hosts too.

Address: 132/7 Tran Phu, Minh An, Hoi An

Photo: Mark Bowyer Phinh Espresso and Drip Cafe, Hoi An

Photo: Mark Bowyer Mr Thinh, the owner at Phinh Espresso and Drip Cafe, Hoi An

Rosie’s Cafe

Vietnamese style coffee in a lovely space with good food and friendly staff. Tasty breakfast stop. Moved a little out of town just before COVID.

Address: 2 Mac Dinh Chi St, Cam Son, Hoi An

One of the fascinating things about my recent travels has been watching the efforts of small cafes across the globe to minimise single use plastic in their operations. In the past few months I’ve been to Spain, France, UK, Australia, Singapore and Vietnam. As far as I can work out, large players are MIA when it comes to reducing plastic waste. Seeing huge amounts of plastic heading out cafe doors in takeaway cups isn’t great. Seeing people drinking in a cafe from plastic cups is ridiculous. It’s a bad experience in all senses. But Starbucks seem to be OK with it? It seems to be the small businesses that are making a difference. Last week I was reminded of this again in Hoi An at a gorgeous little cafe that serves delicious food and drink - and it’s plastic-free. Rosie’s Cafe, run by two young local women (Thuy is pictured) is a Hoi An standout even before you know it’s plastic-free. And if you think the whole plastic thing is a token fad, it probably is for those who have only removed plastic straws from their businesses. Those who are removing plastic water bottles and packaging are having a real impact. And they’re creating awareness. That awareness is what is driving governments to take more serious action - the end objective of any campaign. More and more cities and countries are opting out of single use plastic completely. That’s no fad. Some are questioning the emphasis on plastic pollution as a distraction from global warming action. Climate change poses an even greater risk (including the flights we travellers love). But we’re gonna need to be able to fight more than one battle at a time here. Plastic pollution and climate change should be part of the same conversation. Congratulations to the team behind Rosie’s Cafe in Hoi An! Love your place!

Photo: Mark Bowyer Thuy from Rosie's Cafe Hoi An

Espresso Station - Hoi An old town

Great coffee specialist and the place is a charmer too. Trung the owner has renovated grandma’s traditional home down an alley and created what must be Hoi An’s cosiest cafe space.

Address: 28/2 Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An - down the lane

Photo: Mark Bowyer Trung from Espresso Station, Hoi An

Mia Coffee - Hoi An old town

These guys may well have been the first to bring specialty coffee to Hoi An and they continue to enjoy a loyal following of expats and travellers wanting to escape the busier streets of the old town. Great coffee and a basic menu of eats along one of our favourite old town streets.

Address: 20 Phan Boi Chau, Hoi An

Photo: Mark Bowyer Mia Coffee, Hoi An

Faifo Coffee

Good coffee in the heart of the old town. The old building is worth checking out too. The views from the rooftop are amazing. Mind the crowds though - especially in busy months. The rooftop may be getting more attention than the coffee.

Address: 130 Tran Phu St, Hoi An

Photo: Mark Bowyer Faifo Coffee, Hoi An

Cavalry Coffee Hoi An - near Cua Dai Bridge

This is the quirkiest and hardest to find in our selection. They do their own roasting and have started making their own roasters and espresso machines too - resourceful young guys. They’re located near the Cua Dai Bridge - which is worth an early morning or late afternoon visit. Great coffee and they’re also comfortable serving traditional Vietnamese phin drip coffee too. English might be hit and miss here - all part of the adventure. In 2018, Cavalry opened another cafe closer to town at 262 Nguyen Duy Hieu St Hoi An

Address: Duy Thành -Duy Nghia, Duy Xuyen, Quang Nam - east of Cua Dai bridge

Photo: Mark Bowyer Cavalry Coffee, Hoi An

Sound of Silence Coffee - An Bang Beach Hoi An

We’re told that Sounds of Silence sources their coffee from the lads at Cavalry. Whatever, it’s damned good. And this is one of the most picturesque places to grab a cup too - looking over An Bang Beach. Sounds of Silence is part of a guest house right on the beach.

Address: Nguyen Phan Vinh, An Bang Beach, Hoi An - around 500 metres south of the main An Bang beach action.

Photo: Mark Bowyer Sound of Silence Coffee - An Bang Beach, Hoi An

Mark Bowyer is the founder and publisher of Rusty Compass. read more
Twitter: @rustycompass

Support Rusty Compass
Rusty Compass is an independent travel guide. We’re focused on providing you with quality, unbiased, travel information. That means we don't receive payments in exchange for listings and mostly pay our own way. We’d like tourism to be a positive economic, environmental and cultural force and we believe travellers deserve disclosure from publishers. Spread the word about Rusty Compass, and if you're in Saigon, pop in to The Old Compass Cafe and say hi. It’s our home right downtown on Pasteur St. You can also check out our unique tours of Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney at www.oldcompasstravel.com Make a financial contribution using the link below. Even small amounts make a difference. Thanks and travel well!