Coffee Talk English: Two Classic Vietnamese Staples Perfectly Collide
ComebaCK: What’s the story’ focuses on a more mellow, relaxed style of Coffee Talk English — an organisation built around casual, conversational English practice, run by dedicated volunteers across the city.
Coffee Talk English does exactly what it says: drink coffee and talk English. When you think about moving to Vietnam and setting up a life here, those two pursuits feel strangely perfect.
Firstly, Vietnamese coffee is famously strong — the country is the second-largest exporter in the world. It’s known for its kick, its variety of flavours, its produce, and its central place in everyday Vietnamese life, where coffee shops are absolutely everywhere and feel like the hub for everything.
Secondly, learning English is huge. A large portion of expats who come to Vietnam to work are English teachers. That can mean public schools, language centres, even international schools, with curriculums, syllabuses and structure designed to keep learning on track.
Coffee Talk English is different. It’s inclusive and welcoming — a warm setting where locals and natives learn together. The ways people practise English range from board-game nights and card games to discussion topics that spark conversation: love, relationships, money. It can be formal or informal depending on the room, easing the pressure on Vietnamese learners who feel nervous before they even walk in.
It takes courage to learn a language with strangers. It demands patience and vulnerability. Mistakes will happen — often in front of people — and you have to surrender your ego. Luckily, the club fosters exactly that kind of space, and the volunteers are happy to help.
I spoke to Lại Trúc Trang, the director of the District 12 branch and also an English teacher there, who shared her thoughts.
“I have been working here for more than five years now, especially more than two years at the District 12 branch.
What I like most about CTE is the teaching method and the English practice events. We encourage students to speak confidently regardless of mistakes, so they can really improve.
Our events are also the most practical way for students to understand what real English communication feels like.”
The confidence to make mistakes is the crucial part that hit me during our conversation. I believe in a simple philosophy: a million mistakes lead to mastery, and the faster you make them, the better in achieving one’s goal.
Locations are spread across District 3, Bình Thạnh and further out in District 12, catering to people from the centre to the outskirts. Each space feels different. District 3 and Bình Thạnh have that language-centre energy — winding staircases, white-walled rooms, shelves of old, acclaimed, vintage books (think Stephen King and John Grisham), and an abundance of board games.
District 12 sits in Quang Trung Software Park, just off the highway in Gò Vấp. It’s home to small businesses, a handful of coffee shops, and a mini park where locals gather for running and badminton. The building feels almost university-like, offering English lessons alongside sport practice for people in that area.
The premise is simple: you buy a drink for around 20k to join. In return, you get English practice, often with a foreign volunteer helping with pronunciation, grammar, and cultural exchange.
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