A post written by a tourist from London recently caught people's attention recounting his trip to Vietnam, with the highlight being his shocking experience of drinking the country’s famously strong coffee.

“Ordered a Vietnamese iced coffee. Thought, 'How strong could it be?' First sip, delicious,” Ben Maguire recalled his first encounter with Vietnamese coffee on Threads. 

“Second sip, soul leaves body. Third sip, can see through time. Now vibrating at a frequency only dogs can hear. Considered starting a business, running for office, and learning Vietnamese in 10 minutes,” he continued. 

“Locals unfazed. They’ve built empires on this caffeine. Me? Just trying to remember how breathing works.”

Vietnamese coffee is famously rich and strong, especially for foreign visitors, as locals typically use robusta beans, which are high in caffeine. 

The post quickly went viral, garnering over 14,000 likes and nearly 700 comments over three days.

Vietnamese netizens chuckled at the experience, while fellow tourists chimed in with similar stories.

“Vietnamese iced coffee isn’t a drink, it’s a spiritual awakening,” one commented. “By the third sip, you’re rethinking every life decision and communicating with ancestors. Respect.”

“I once had three Vietnamese coffees within about six hours, three years ago. I'm still awake,” another adds.

“One time event: had a Vietnamese coffee wow I thought, that tastes like another, proceeded with cup two!” one commented. 

“Que trembling and retreating to my hotel room where upon three hours of pacing the room returned my soul from celestial time travel!”

Talking to Tuoi Tre News, Maguire revealed that he had continued to try the drink multiple times. 

“I think I’m now legally classified as 50 percent cà phê sữa đá [Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk],” he adds.

“The first time, it felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Now? It fuels my entire existence. Still jittery, still worth it.”

Everything about Vietnam

Maguire said what inspired his Vietnam trip was “a mix of wanderlust, curiosity, and an Instagram algorithm that kept showing me pictures of bánh mì until I gave in.”

“Also, the legendary food scene, chaotic energy, and the chance to experience a culture so rich it practically demands a second trip before the first one even ends,” he explained. 

This time he only hit Ho Chi Minh City with a grand Vietnam tour on pause until the summer. 

The British tourist said he had stayed long enough to develop an emotional attachment to bún bò Huế (Hue-style spicy beef noodles), but not long enough to master crossing the road without a mini heart attack.

In listing things that make him like Vietnam, he said “everything,” naming the people who are warm, welcoming, and always ready to help and the culture bearing a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.

“The food (obviously), the streets that feel alive 24/7, the motorbike symphony, the coffee that could revive the dead, the way everything happens outside, meals, conversations, life itself,” he continues.

“It’s a city that never stops moving, but somehow, still finds time to sit, drink tea, and just ‘be.'

“One moment, you’re sipping cà phê sữa đá in a century-old alleyway, the next, you’re in a rooftop bar with a DJ and skyline views. 

"Temples and street art, ancient customs and buzzing nightlife, it all exists together in this perfect, chaotic harmony.”

According to Maguire, the effortless hospitality makes him feel he is not just visiting, but part of something.

“And the energy? Infectious. People hustle, laugh, and live life loudly, it’s impossible not to get swept up in it,” he described. 

“Vietnam doesn’t just grow on you, it grabs you by the hand, throws you on the back of a motorbike, and says, Let’s go!”

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