Vietnamese Coffee Harvest 2024-2025

Coffee is one of the major modern exports and one of the favourite delicacies in Vietnam. However, the harvest is still a traditional activity here that highlights the tremendous and diverse cultural heritage of the country

Best time: November–February

Coffee or ca phe in Vietnamese was introduced by the French colonists and has quickly grown into a local habit and major export. The plantations are mainly located in the Central Highlands regions of Vietnam, such as Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Buon Me Thuot, Dak Lak, and Kontum.

The coffee is mostly harvested by the locals who pick the ripe beans and put them into special baskets on their shoulders. In major part, Vietnam grows Robusta coffee (about 95%), and only a few areas in Lam Dong province grow Arabica coffee. There are also some controversial styles of coffee bean harvesting that have raised criticism regarding their ethics. This specifically concerns the so-called Civet coffee, or Weasel Coffee, or Ca Phe Chon in Vietnamese. This is a $600 per kilo coffee that is harvested from the feces of civet cats, which are often kept in cages and fed only with the coffee beans. The taste from the excrement of coffee beans is said to be a mix of coffee that is not bitter and with a little hint of chocolate.