Australian Foreign Minister enjoys Hanoi’s famed egg coffee

Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong today [August 22] took a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi and enjoyed egg coffee – the signature drink of the Vietnamese capital.

Penny Wong, who is on a four-day visit to Vietnam, sipped a cup of coffee on Dinh Tien Hoang Street at one of the city’s oldest cafes in the chilly Hanoi autumn morning air.

Egg coffee, a Vietnamese internationally acclaimed specialty, is made of egg yolks, condensed milk, and Robusta coffee. The coating of sweet and fatty egg foam on top combines with the scented coffee underneath.

This well-liked drink of Hanoi is also available in almost every coffee shop throughout the rest of Vietnam. In the Trump-Kim Summit held in Hanoi in February 2019, egg coffee was selected to serve domestic and international reporters covering the event.

Wong was accompanied by Sam Tran, a Vietnamese chef and an Australian alumnus who owns Gia Restaurant, one of the first three Michelin-starred eateries in Vietnam.

During his visit to Vietnam in June 2023, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese enjoyed banh mi and Hanoi’s draught beef.

Vietnam and Australia this year marked the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. The two countries upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership in 2018.

Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong on the street of Hanoi on August 22. Photos: Lam Khanh/VNA

Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (C), Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski, and Vietnamese chef Sam Tran walk around Hoan Kiem Lake in the morning.

Penny Wong and Sam Tran at Dinh Café, one of Hanoi's oldest cafés.

The Café owner decorates a cup of coffee.

Penny Wong enjoys a cup of egg coffee.