Vợ chồng già tận 30 năm giữ cà phê phin “ẩn mình” ở TPHCM

From early in the morning, in the alley on Ba Hat Street, District 10, an old man with gray hair and less agile limbs is still busy making coffee for customers. That is the coffee cart of Mr. Truong Nghiep Dung (67 years old).

In 1995, he and his wife, Mrs. Luu Phung Thao (65 years old), started their small coffee cart business. Due to their affinity with this familiar type of drink, the couple always strives to preserve the familiar taste of traditional Vietnamese coffee.

Mr. Dung recalls: “When I started, I learned and found my own recipe for delicious coffee. Then I pushed the cart to sell and coincidentally met my wife. Both of us have a passion for traditional Vietnamese coffee, so we decided to start and stick with this profession. Almost 30 years have passed, and I have been able to maintain the coffee flavor that I want, and people have been very supportive.”

From 4 am, the elderly couple wakes up and prepares, then they ride their old motorbike through the alley to sell coffee. By 6 am, their coffee cart is bustling with customers. Most of them buy and take away the coffee because there is no seating in the alley.

“I used to brew and sell on the spot, so I displayed many filters on the counter. Now, my hands are not as agile as before, so I brew the filter at home, put it in glass bottles, and bring it here to prepare. Normally, brewing a filter coffee takes a long time, it can be up to 4 hours. I pour water slowly to draw out the coffee essence, if it is too hot, the coffee will foam immediately. I only use water once for each filter, I do not pour it back and forth, so the coffee will not be weak and lose its fragrance,” Mr. Dung shared.

The elderly couple has to take turns running from District 10 back to their home in District 8, brew coffee at home, and then bring it out to sell. Although it is a bit inconvenient, the elderly couple cannot do anything else.

“I broke my arm from falling last year. During that time, I could only lie down, even though I had surgery, because I worked too much, the screw came loose causing blood infection. Now I can only do a little bit, if I do heavy work, my hand cannot support it because it’s very weak,” Mr. Dung sighed.

The coffee made by the elderly couple has a very unique flavor. As a regular customer of the cart, Mr. Thanh Viet (54 years old) shared: “I have been drinking coffee here since Mr. Dung brewed on the spot. Passing through this street, the aroma of coffee fills the air, the coffee is brewed so richly that even if I take it away, it won’t taste diluted due to melting ice. That’s why I have become a regular customer every morning when I go to work.”

The coffee cart of the elderly couple only sells from around 6 am until it runs out by 10 am. Each cup of coffee is meticulously prepared, with the deep color of traditional Vietnamese filter coffee and the characteristic aroma being what keeps customers coming back.

Ms. Mai Ly (38 years old) said she really likes the coffee here. Even though she no longer sees Mr. Dung brewing, the flavor remains the same as when she first discovered it.

“I usually buy coffee in the morning to take to work. The coffee here is very different from the well-known coffee places that many people are familiar with. It is cheap but still of good quality, so the coffee here has truly become addictive to me, an essential part of every morning,” Ms. Ly shared.

Taking quality as a priority, the elderly couple, Mr. Dung, and his wife are proud of each cup of their coffee. They do not use machines to sell more, nor do they focus much on product packaging, but what truly captures the customers is the rich aroma of the coffee. Each cup of coffee ranges from 12,000 VND to 15,000 VND, and many people have commented that the taste is “no different from anywhere else.”

“I sell at an affordable price but it still has the deliciousness of homemade coffee,” Mr. Dung smiled.

Phan Ngan – Bao Hy