Our Story

Where it started

After moving to the UK from my hometown of Hanoi in 2009, I have always found accessing artisan quality Vietnamese specialities quite difficult. Most often I will find myself getting lost in an Asian supermarket trying to get all the different items to recreate an experience close to home.

So I was inspired to make these experiences more accessible to everybody wherever they are. In July 2020 I embarked on a journey to introduce the best Vietnamese specialities to the UK.

Founder Linh Nguyen in a cafe in her hometown Hanoi

Inspirations

Our mission is to bring authentic Vietnamese experiences to you, wherever you are.  

Our brand name Vi Asia, deriving from Vị Á – Vietnamese for "Taste of Asia”  – reflect this mission. The two tones from Vị Á have been designed to resemble a rice terrace and the sun, a very familiar landscape seen in Vietnam, and respectively green and orange have been selected as our brand colours. Throughout our packaging, we incorporate the very familiar settings of daily life in Vietnam, such as the street corner or the drip “phin” filter, to capture the Vietnamese culture.
Rice terrace in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam

Our Values 

Artisan Quality

We believe there are so many artisan quality produce and crafts from Vietnam that haven't yet been introduced to the rest of the world, and we are ready to change that. All of our coffee beans are of grade 1 as defined by international standards, and of single origin in Vietnam. As we introduce more products in the future we will always ensure their quality is the best you can find in Vietnam.

Grade 1 artisan coffee beans from Vietnam

Ethical Trade

Ethical Trade is at the forefront of our core values that guide our decision making on a daily basis, some of the examples include:

  • Direct Trade with farmers, cutting out the middlemen and paying the farmers a fair price.
  • Supporting farmers to improve on sustainable farming practices.
  • Sustainability considerations in transportation, packaging and shipping.
Coffee-farm-in-Buon-Ma-Thuot-Vietnam-direct-trade

Our farmer's coffee plantation in Buon Ma Thuot

Intentional Curation

For each product we aim to tell a story of the culture and the daily life of the ordinary Vietnamese people. Our experience boxes are curated to include all the ingredients so our customers can recreate and enjoy the experience close to what they would find in Vietnam. Each of the products sold is truly representative of the Vietnamese tradition and culture.

Coffee experience box filled with all ingredients needed