Australian foreign minister sips Hanoi's signature egg coffee

By Hoang Phong August 21, 2023 | 10:50 pm PT

Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong (R) enjoys egg coffee at a café in Hanoi, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by VNA

Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong took a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on Tuesday and enjoyed a cup of egg coffee at one of the capital's oldest cafés.

Wong, who is in Vietnam for a four-day trip, walked with Chef Sam Tran who introduced the history of the lake, a tourism symbol of the capital.

They then visited Dinh Coffee on the second floor of a small building at 13 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in Hoan Kiem District, one of the oldest cafés in Hanoi.

Wong tried a cup of egg coffee, a specialty that has gained international attention in recent years.

A cup of egg coffee starts with a layer of condensed milk at the bottom, and then topped with strong black coffee. A scrambled egg yolk is then poured over the top.

Wong shook hands with the café owner and learned about the coffee culture in the capital.

Wong was Australia's first Minister for Climate Change in 2007-10 and Minister for Finance in 2010-13.

She then became foreign minister in May 2022. Just a month afterwards, Wong visited Vietnam and tried pho ga (chicken noodle soup) at a restaurant in Hanoi.

Vietnam and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1973 and became strategic partners in 2018.