Vietnam, the second-largest coffee exporter worldwide, is famous for producing strong coffee that is reflective of both culture and geography of its homeland. That strong coffee is readily available throughout Vietnam’s cafe scene – many shops staying open until 10pm so lingering patrons can drink to their hearts’ content!

Trung Nguyen, an international chain with more than 1,000 locations serving both fresh-brewed coffee and instant Vietnamese coffee, recently opened its first U.S. location in South Philly late last month. Local Packer Park residents Estelle Nguyen and Vandy Do invested “in the low six figures” to transform an existing cabinetry showroom into a two-floor 5,000 sq ft space featuring year-round roof deck seating, an array of European pastries from an offsite bakery, as well as year-round roof deck seating.

Nguyen says the first floor serves primarily for to-go orders, though there’s ample seating upstairs and downstairs. Popular items thus far have included Yuzu Coffee – an espresso tonic mixed with freshly-pressed yuzu juice and freshly-squeezed lemonade – and Matcha Cloud, an iced coconut water drink featuring matcha-oat milk cold foam floating atop a matcha cloud base.

All drinks at Trung Nguyen’s coffeehouse are prepared using Trung Nguyen brand beans, available in arabica and robusta varieties. Robusta makes up 90% of America’s coffee harvest and can often be blended with higher yielding arabica for less bitterness; arabica varieties feature delicate, light aromas. Nguyen wanted to give customers options and thus offer two main varieties as options for their beverages.

Trung Nguyen offers its own brands of coffee instant mixes, G7 and Vinacafe. Both provide budget-conscious coffee lovers with simple combinations of Buon Me Thuot beans and creamer, while Vinacafe’s organic three-in-one pouches provide healthy alternatives with only 0.2 g of added sugar per serving.

Nguyen came up with the idea of creating a 17-foot tree covered with fake fuschia flowers as another of her ideas, though her husband is responsible for discovering its barren stump while driving home from work. Nguyen spent an entire week gluing faux blossoms onto its branches; its dramatic presence now provides a striking counterpoint to the cafe’s dark decor.