Green Coffee From Vietnam: A Practical Guide for Roasters

Vietnam is the second largest coffee origin in the world by volume and the largest Robusta producer, with well over 40% of world Robusta output according to USDA-cited figures for 2025/26. For a roaster, that scale is both useful and confusing. Useful because almost any Robusta profile, grade or lot size is available somewhere in the country. Confusing because the supply chain runs from smallholder farms through collectors, processors and exporters, and quality varies more than the headline grade names suggest.

This guide walks through what a roaster needs to know before buying green coffee from Vietnam: what grows where, how grades work, which processing methods exist, when to buy, how lots are sized and shipped and how to write a spec that gets comparable quotes.

What Vietnam grows and where

By volume, Vietnam produces roughly 95% Robusta (Coffea canephora) and 5% Arabica. Annual green coffee exports typically land between 1.5 and 1.8 million tonnes depending on the crop year and weather.

Robusta regions

Most Robusta comes from the Central Highlands:

• Dak Lak (around Buon Ma Thuot): basalt red soil, 500 to 800 m elevation, the historic heart of Vietnamese Robusta.
• Gia Lai: large planted area, similar volcanic soils, strong commercial volumes.
• Dak Nong: newer plantings, often mixed with pepper and durian intercropping.
• Lam Dong (lower districts such as Di Linh and Bao Loc): Robusta at slightly higher elevation, some of which feeds fine Robusta programs.

Arabica regions

Arabica is concentrated in two places:

• Cau Dat plateau near Da Lat, Lam Dong: 1,400 to 1,600 m. Catimor dominates, with smaller plantings of Bourbon and Typica. Good lots cup with brown sugar, stone fruit and citrus notes. Specialty lots commonly score 80 to 84 on the SCA scale and selected micro-lots reach 85 and above.
• Son La in the northwest: larger Arabica volumes, mostly Catimor, traditionally sold as commercial washed Arabica but with a growing number of specialty lots.

For a region by region breakdown, see our origins overview.

Robusta, fine Robusta and Arabica

Roasters usually approach Vietnam with one of three goals, and each points to a different type of supplier.

Coffee type	Typical use	Typical supplier	Typical lot size
Commercial Robusta (S13 to S18)	Espresso blends, base for commercial blends	Large exporters and processing mills	20ft containers and up
Fine Robusta (cup 80+)	Single origin espresso, specialty blends	Farm groups and specialty processors	300 kg to a few tonnes
Commercial washed Arabica	Blends, filter house coffee	Exporters in Lam Dong and Son La	20ft containers
Specialty Arabica (cup 80 to 84, micro-lots 85+)	Single origin filter and espresso	Specialty processors and farm cooperatives	60 kg to a few tonnes

Commercial Robusta is priced off the ICE London Robusta futures contract (quoted in USD per tonne) plus or minus a differential that reflects grade, processing and shipment period. Fine Robusta and specialty Arabica are usually priced flat per kilogram, because the quality premium has little to do with the futures market.

Grades at a glance

Vietnamese grades follow TCVN 4193:2014, which combines screen size, moisture and defect limits. The table below shows the grades roasters see most often.

Grade	Screen retention	Moisture max	Defects max
Robusta S18 (natural or washed)	90% on screen 18	12.5%	30 black/broken per 300 g
Robusta S16	90% on screen 16	12.5%	60 black/broken per 300 g
Robusta S13 commercial	90% on screen 13	13%	150 black/broken per 300 g
Arabica washed	Screen 16+	12.5%	5 primary defects
Arabica natural or honey	Screen 15+	12%	8 primary defects
Specialty Arabica	Screen 16+	12%	5 full defects, cup 80+

Screen 18 means the bean is retained on a sieve with holes of 18/64 inch, or about 7.14 mm. Bigger beans roast more evenly but do not guarantee better flavour. The full table with notes is on our green coffee grades page.

Processing options

Processing drives cup profile as much as origin does. The main options found in Vietnam:

• Natural (dry processed): whole cherry dried on patios or raised beds, then hulled. The default for commercial Robusta. Quality depends heavily on drying control; poorly managed patio drying gives ferment and earthy defects.
• Semi-washed (pulped natural): cherry is pulped and the bean is dried with some mucilage attached. Cleaner than a basic natural, common for better Robusta.
• Honey: a controlled version of semi-washed, with the amount of remaining mucilage specified. Used for fine Robusta and some Arabica.
• Fully washed: pulped, fermented and washed before drying. Standard for Cau Dat and Son La Arabica and used for some premium Robusta.
• Wet polished: a post-hulling step, not a processing method. Beans are polished with water to remove silver skin and improve appearance. It is common in Robusta specs and changes looks more than taste.

Ask every supplier how the coffee was dried (patio, raised bed, mechanical dryer), for how long and to what target moisture. For storage stability, a water activity of roughly 0.55 to 0.65 aw is a commonly used target alongside moisture of 10 to 12%.

Crop calendar

Period	Robusta (Central Highlands)	Arabica (Lam Dong, Son La)
October to November	Early picking starts late in the period	Harvest begins at lower farms
November to January	Main harvest	Main harvest
December to April	Processing, grading, best fresh-crop selection	Processing, cupping, lot selection
May to September	Old crop from warehouses, fewer specialty lots	Remaining lots, limited choice

Specialty buyers who want fresh fine Robusta or Arabica usually sample in January to March and book shipments for March to May. Commercial Robusta trades year round from stock.

Lot sizes: small lot or container

The standard minimum for most exporters is one 20ft container. Common packing options:

• 60 kg jute bags: 320 bags per 20ft, about 19.2 t.
• Jute bags with GrainPro or similar hermetic liner: better protection for longer transits and humid storage; container loads vary with bag size.
• 1,000 kg big bags: about 19 per 20ft, used mainly for commercial Robusta going to industrial roasters.
• Vacuum packs of 1 kg or 5 kg: for specialty lots, often shipped by air or consolidated in LCL.

Some exporters consolidate LCL shipments of 2 to 10 t. Independent roasters buying a few hundred kilograms usually work with specialty processors who pack in vacuum bags or lined jute and ship via a consolidator.

Samples and approval

A normal sampling sequence looks like this:

1. Offer sample (300 to 500 g) from an available lot or a representative lot of the grade.
2. Your evaluation: physical grading (screen, moisture, defect count), then roast and cup. SCA cupping protocol is the common reference for Arabica and fine Robusta.
3. Contract referencing the approved sample number and spec.
4. Pre-shipment sample drawn from the actual lot before loading, checked against the approved sample.
5. Optional independent inspection by firms such as Cafecontrol, SGS or Cotecna for weight, quality and fumigation.

Keep a retained portion of every approved sample. If an arrival dispute happens, the retained sample is your evidence.

Shipping, Incoterms and payment

Most Vietnamese coffee leaves through Ho Chi Minh City ports (Cat Lai and Cai Mep), with some northern Arabica shipped via Hai Phong. Exporters typically quote:

• FOB Ho Chi Minh City: you control freight and insurance.
• CFR or CIF: exporter arranges freight (and insurance for CIF) to your port. CFR is common for EU and Japan.

Typical payment terms are 30% T/T deposit with 70% against a scan of the bill of lading, or an L/C at sight for larger or first-time contracts. Certified lots (Rainforest Alliance, 4C, EU or USDA Organic, Fair Trade) often carry premiums of roughly 200 to 400 USD/t over conventional Robusta and may need 6 to 10 weeks lead time.

Export documents

A standard shipment includes:

• Commercial invoice and packing list
• Bill of lading
• Phytosanitary certificate issued by the Vietnamese plant protection authority
• Certificate of origin (Form B, or preferential forms such as EUR.1 or EVFTA origin statements, CPTPP or RCEP forms where applicable)
• ICO certificate of origin carrying the ICO identification mark, as described by the International Coffee Organization
• Weight and quality certificates, and fumigation certificate where required
• Certification documents for certified lots

Check import rules in your own market too. EU buyers should confirm how the supplier will support EUDR traceability data (plot geolocation and due diligence information).

How to write a green coffee spec

A clear spec is the fastest way to get quotes you can compare. Include:

• Species and type: Robusta, fine Robusta or Arabica.
• Grade and screen: for example S18, or Arabica screen 16+.
• Processing: natural, semi-washed, honey, washed, wet polished or not.
• Moisture and defects: maximum moisture, black/broken limit, foreign matter.
• Cup requirements: minimum score, flavour notes to avoid (earthy, ferment, rubber).
• Region preference: Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Cau Dat, Son La or no preference.
• Certification: none, Rainforest Alliance, 4C, Organic or Fair Trade.
• Quantity and packing: kilograms or containers, bag type, liner.
• Shipment period and Incoterm: for example CFR Hamburg, March to April shipment.
• Sample request: size and number of pre-shipment samples.

A spec line such as “Robusta S18 wet polished, moisture 12.5% max, black and broken 2% max, 1 x 20ft, CFR Rotterdam, April shipment” gives an exporter everything needed for a firm offer.

Send your spec

coffeebeanvn.com is a free matching service for buyers. You send your spec, we reply within 24 business hours and introduce you to up to 3 Vietnamese exporters, processors or farms whose coffee fits your grade, volume and shipment window. They quote and work with you directly. An NDA can be signed on request if your spec or blend targets are confidential.