A coffee shop ‘almost identical’ to one in Vietnam is opening in Kansas City
There are several places around Kansas City to grab a latte or drip coffee from Arabica beans.
But when it comes to Vietnamese coffee — a smooth drink that packs a caffeinated punch — not so much.
That’s one of the reasons owner Nhung Hoang is softly opening a traditional Vietnamese coffee shop in the Northland on Saturday.
Called Origin Coi Nguon, the shop is meant to be a place where Vietnamese Kansas Citians can come, order a beloved drink in their native tongue and feel right at home. Coi nguon also means “origin.”
Each one of the baristas at the 7711 N. Oak Trafficway shop speaks Vietnamese.
“A lot of things we take for granted as an English speaker in this country, I want them to also have that,” she said. “Build a third space for the Vietnamese community.”
After welcoming customers to the soft opening from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to Thursday, she’ll celebrate her grand opening June 1. It’s then that she’ll launch the full menu, complete with Vietnamese pastries like egg tarts and custard buns.
A piece of Vietnam in KC
The space is decorated with glowing lanterns — “you should see the place at night,” Hoang said — and bamboo tables handcrafted in Vietnam. On an interior mural, a lac bird flutters its wings.
The mythical creature is said to be the origin of the first Vietnamese people.
The goal was to make the space “almost identical” to a traditional Vietnamese coffee shop, like a slice of home in the Midwest.
Hoang knows firsthand how lonely immigrants can feel.
Now 23, she moved to the United States with her family at 8 years old. But her oldest brother, Timothy, especially struggled with the isolation of being a young immigrant.
“We are a bridge to our community for our family,” Hoang said. “There’s a lot of stress that goes, a lot of responsibility on one person.”
Timothy, whom she calls Tim, died two years ago at 30. He was a guiding voice for Hoang’s coffee shop, encouraging her to pursue her dream when she was unsure.
“I just really want to make my brother and my family proud,” she said, with wet eyes.
Origin’s coffee-making process
So, what is Vietnamese coffee?
It starts with Robusta coffee beans. That type of coffee contains nearly twice the caffeine as Arabica beans, which make up American coffee drinks.
Hoang demonstrated to The Star on Thursday afternoon how she prepares a cup — first by grinding the beans, then pouring hot water over a filter. It took a few minutes for about six servings to trickle down.
She then picked up a metal tool — “like a French press” — to push the beans into the filter and eke out the rest of the brew.
Then, it’s a few squeezes of sweetened condensed milk and a cup of ice.
Viola! A small but powerful cup of Vietnamese coffee.
“It’s smooth and it’s slightly sweet,” she said. “It’s balanced.”
Hoang is good friends with Jackie Nguyen, the owner of Cafe Cà Phê in Columbus Park. While Hoang described Nguyen’s shop as the “future” of what Vietnamese coffee shops could be in America, Hoang wanted a space that centered on honoring her past.
Hoang doesn’t serve American lattes with syrup. She does, however, have different flavors of coffee drinks.
The Salted Cà Phê, for instance, comes with a salted cold foam. The Pandan Cà Phê is made from pandan milk, a sweet milk made from a leafy plant.
Other drinks on the menu include an avocado smoothie and iced lime drink (lime juice and sweetened condensed milk).
Kenny Nguyen, one of the baristas, told The Star he remembers begging his parents to have a sip of Vietnamese coffee at an early age.
It’s a nostalgic drink to him.
“Introducing people to Vietnamese coffee, sharing a bit of our culture is what I look forward to the most,” Nguyen said.
Hoang hopes immigrants like her brother find community and belonging in the shop. There’s a Cà Phê Timmy drink, in honor of him.
It was Tim’s favorite drink — black coffee with salted foam.
“There’s a lot of Tims out there,” Hoang said. “We just want to somehow take that burden away from them.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.