E20 · Coffee & working life
Coffee for Entrepreneurs
Start-up ideas at a café table, a first meeting with a partner, a handshake over coffee — why the café is a familiar place to do business in Vietnam.
- Culture & lifestyle
- Updated 21 Oct 2026
"Let's meet for coffee." In Vietnam, that can be an invitation from an old friend, but it is also very often the first step of a business deal. Before there is a contract, an office or a team, many businesses have begun at a café table.
"Let's have coffee" — opening a relationship
In Vietnamese working culture, meeting over coffee is lighter than a meeting. No meeting room, no slide deck. Both sides sit down, order drinks, ask a little about family and work, and only gradually get to the main topic.
There is a reason for that slow start: people want to understand each other before talking about money. A cup of coffee lasts long enough to talk and is short enough that nobody feels held up.
The café — a founder's first "office"
For many people starting a business, a café is the first workplace. The reasons are practical:
- Low cost. A coffee is far cheaper than renting an office.
- Everywhere. Easy to meet somewhere convenient for both sides.
- Neutral ground. Nobody is the "host", so it's easier to speak openly.
- Open early. You can meet before official working hours.
Many small founding teams meet at a café every week to plan and divide work, before they can afford an office of their own.
Some people make the café itself their business. Opening a small café, a coffee cart or a small roastery is a familiar path for many young people, because coffee is something Vietnamese people drink every day. For them, coffee is both work and a joy.
Meetings over coffee
On a business's journey, several important meetings often happen at a café:
| Meeting | What the coffee means |
|---|---|
| Meeting a potential co-founder | Seeing whether you get along, before working together |
| Meeting the first customer | Listening to what they need, introducing the product naturally |
| Meeting a supplier | Asking about quality, delivery and price in a relaxed setting |
| Meeting an investor | A get-to-know-you meeting before the detailed numbers |
| Meeting someone more experienced | Asking for advice and learning from their experience |
Etiquette at the business coffee table
A café meeting is relaxed, but there are courtesies many people value:
- Be on time, or a few minutes early. Whoever arrives first picks a quiet seat.
- Let your guest order first. The person who invites usually pays.
- Put your phone down. Listening fully is a sign of respect.
- Don't rush into business. A few minutes of small talk opens the conversation.
- Follow up afterwards. An email or message recording what was agreed.
Coffee helps both sides trust each other, but important agreements still need clear paperwork. The handshake over coffee is the beginning; the contract is what counts.
From café table to meeting table
As a business grows, many meetings move into meeting rooms. But coffee comes along: a cup placed in front of a partner, a pot brewed for a long meeting, coffee offered to guests visiting the workshop. Offering a guest a good cup of coffee is a way of saying "we value you".
For Vietnamese businesses working with partners from abroad, coffee is also a cultural story to share. Many choose to have partners try iced milk coffee or phin coffee — a way to talk about Vietnam without many words.
Read on
The culture of meeting over coffee goes hand in hand with the café as a "second office" — see The Coffee Shop as a Workplace. The next article in this series is about coffee in the way leaders exchange ideas and make decisions.
Frequently asked questions
What should I keep in mind when inviting a partner for coffee?
Choose a café quiet enough to talk, arrive a few minutes early and let your guest order first. In Vietnam, the person who invites usually pays. Afterwards, send an email or message summarising what you discussed.
Why do Vietnamese people often meet for business at a café rather than an office?
A café is neutral ground where neither side is the "host", so it's easier to talk freely. Cafés are everywhere, open early and inexpensive — well suited to small businesses that don't have an office yet.
