Na Uy, a 17-year-old boy from Da Nang, said that he had started selling salt coffee with his two housemates Phung Gia Phat, a 17-year-old from Ho Chi Minh City, and Pham Minh Quan, a 15-year-old from Hanoi.

The three students, who are studying a high school program at Sulkava High School in the southern town of Sulkava, said they decided to sell Vietnamese coffee in order to allow Finnish people to gain a better understanding of Vietnamese culture. In addition, their effort was also a good way to cope with homesickness, they noted.

Uy and his two friends spent lots of time testing various types of cream and coffee to make a drink that is suitable for Finnish tastes.

In October, 2023, the startup project opened in front of a local supermarket which is located 500 metres from their home.

With an initial capital of only VND500,000, the coffee shop, opening from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., has only several old tables and chairs, some mixing tools, and painted signs in Finnish, English, and Vietnamese.

Each cup of salt coffee costs EUR2, equal to VND53,000, milk coffee costs EUR1.8, equivalent to VND47,000, and black coffee costs EUR1.5, equal to VND39,000.

On the first day, Uy said that there were only six or seven customers. However, the coffee shop quickly began to attract more customers coming to try the unique drink. Most Finnish people who drank the salt coffee were surprised at how sweet and flavorsome the drink was.

The story of the three Vietnamese students selling Vietnamese salt coffee also appeared in a local newspaper. In addition, they also went viral on Tiktok with millions of views thanks to their interesting videos recording customers’ reactions when trying the delicious Vietnamese salt coffee.

The three Vietnamese students shared that they will sell Vietnamese-style grilled meat sandwiches next summer.

Source: VOV