Vietnam Diaries Day 8: Egg Coffee, Pork Belly and Chè in Hanoi
Egg coffee to start
Day three in Hanoi started bright and early with a true local staple: egg coffee.
The story goes that in the 1940s, when fresh milk was scarce, a bartender whisked together egg yolks, condensed milk and sugar, then poured it over strong Vietnamese drip coffee. The result was something rich, silky and completely distinctive. Coffee, but also almost dessert.
It tastes a little like coffee crème brûlée. Sweet, deep, creamy and strong all at once. That is exactly why we loved it. It is not just another coffee order. It has a story, a texture and a sense of place.
Vietnamese coffee culture has always been inventive. The French introduced coffee and condensed milk, but Vietnamese cafés made something far more personal from them. The phin filter, the strong robusta brew, the sweetness, the ice, the layers – all of it became its own world.
It is not just another coffee order. It has a story, a texture and a sense of place.
Why the story matters
We love the egg coffee story because it says so much about Vietnamese food and drink culture. It is practical, creative and full of character. Something was missing, so someone found another way. What began as a substitute became a signature.
That spirit is something we wanted to carry into Diary to Dish. Not by overcomplicating the drink, but by respecting what makes it special. The strong coffee base. The silky egg cream. The sense that it sits somewhere between a drink and a treat.
Chef Jeff later showed how we make our version, and it is one of those things that immediately makes people curious. What is egg coffee? Is it sweet? Is it hot or cold? Does it taste like egg? The answer is that it tastes like Hanoi, in the best possible way.
Something was missing, so someone found another way. What began as a substitute became a signature.
Chè to finish
To finish, we had chè.
Chè is often translated as sweet soup, but that barely explains it. It is more like a whole style of dessert, with many versions under one name. Fruit, jellies, tapioca pearls, mung beans, sticky rice, coconut milk and ice can all play a part.
What makes chè so special is the texture. It is cold, refreshing and layered. Sweet, but not heavy. Playful, but still rooted in everyday Vietnamese food culture. You find it all over Vietnam, especially in the South, where fruit and coconut bring so much brightness to drinks and desserts.
For us, chè became one of the trip’s wow moments. It opened up a different way of thinking about dessert at HOP – something more refreshing, more textural and much more connected to Vietnam.
It opened up a different way of thinking about dessert at HOP - something more refreshing, more textural and much more connected to Vietnam.
Three very different lessons
This was one of those days where every stop taught us something different.
Egg coffee reminded us that invention can come from scarcity and still become iconic. Pork belly reminded us of the power of doing one thing brilliantly. Chè reminded us that dessert can be light, cold, colourful and full of texture.
Together, they showed the range of Vietnamese food culture. Strong and sweet. Crisp and rich. Cold and refreshing. Heritage, craft and playfulness all in one day.
By this point in the trip, we were already thinking about what would come home with us. Not everything directly, not everything literally, but the lessons. The textures. The balance. The moments that made us stop and say: that belongs in the HOP story.
From invention to comfort
What tied this day together was the idea of invention becoming comfort. Egg coffee began, as the story goes, because milk was scarce. Pork belly becomes extraordinary because one vendor focuses on it completely. Chè works because many small textures and flavours come together in a way that feels refreshing and familiar once you understand it.
That is a very Vietnamese pattern: practical beginnings, generous results. Something starts with what is available, then through repetition and taste it becomes part of everyday culture. It is why stories matter. They explain why a dish feels the way it does.
For HOP, Day 8 became one of the clearest bridges into Diary to Dish. Each stop could become a piece of development without losing its origin. Egg coffee could become a menu drink. Pork belly could become a protein across formats. Chè could become a dessert that feels bright and genuinely connected to Vietnam.
It was also a day that showed how wide the HOP menu could become without losing focus. Coffee, pork belly and chè might seem very different, but all three share the same qualities we love in Vietnamese food: contrast, freshness, skill and a sense of joy. That is the thread we wanted to keep.
That thread matters because it keeps the menu from feeling random. A coffee, a dessert and a protein can all belong together when they come from the same place of learning. They are different expressions of the same trip.
Watch Day 8 of The Vietnam Diaries, then follow the Diary to Dish reels to see egg coffee, crispy pork belly and chè come to life.