# Cà phê sữa đá: Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk

> Cà phê sữa đá is Vietnamese iced coffee: strong coffee dripped slowly through a small metal filter (phin), stirred into sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice. At a street café it usually costs 20,000–35,000 VND. Order with “Cho tôi một ly cà phê sữa đá, không lấy ống hút”.

- URL: https://eatgreenvietnam.com/guides/ca-phe-sua-da
- Region: South Vietnam · City: Saigon
- Published: 2026-09-29 · Last updated: 2026-09-30
- By: the Eat Green Vietnam team (https://eatgreenvietnam.com/about)

Vietnam grows more coffee than almost anywhere else in the world – and in Saigon, most of it seems to end up in a glass with ice.

## At a glance

- **What it is:** Strong coffee, usually robusta, brewed through a phin filter and mixed with sweetened condensed milk over ice.
- **Where:** Pavement cafés, coffee carts and cafés on every street in Saigon.
- **Typical price:** Around 20,000–35,000 VND at street cafés; more at modern coffee shops.
- **Eat green:** Sit down for a glass instead of a plastic takeaway cup, and say “không lấy ống hút” to skip the straw.

## How to order

> “Cho tôi một ly cà phê sữa đá.”

One iced coffee with milk. Say **cà phê đen đá** for black iced coffee, **bạc xỉu** for a milkier version, and **không lấy ống hút** for no straw.

## How it’s made

Ground coffee goes into a small metal filter that sits on top of the glass. Hot water drips through slowly – it can take a few minutes. Stir it into the condensed milk, then pour over ice.

## Order it your way

Too sweet? Ask for **ít sữa** (less milk). Too strong? Try **bạc xỉu**, a milky coffee that started in Saigon’s Chinese cafés.

## Questions travellers ask

### What coffee is used in cà phê sữa đá?

Usually robusta, often with some arabica, brewed strong through a phin filter.

### How much is Vietnamese iced coffee?

Around 20,000–35,000 VND at street cafés.

### What is bạc xỉu?

A milkier iced coffee with more condensed milk and a little coffee.

### How do I say no straw in Vietnamese?

“Không lấy ống hút.”

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Photo: Simon Law / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C%C3%A0_ph%C3%AA_s%E1%BB%AFa_%C4%91%C3%A1_(509309424).jpg
Source: Eat Green Vietnam, https://eatgreenvietnam.com/guides/ca-phe-sua-da. Prices are typical ranges and change often. You may quote and summarise with attribution and a link to the original page.