Tea and coffee are two of the most famous and popular beverages in Vietnam. Vietnamese tea and coffee are multiple ingredients because we can make many delicious and unique drinks, such as milk tea, iced tea, fruit tea, matcha, kombucha, milk coffee, etc.
Let’s learn about tea and coffee, thereby you will know which one is suitable for you to drink.

Contents
1. Compare the nutritional value of Vietnamese tea with coffee
According to the database of USDA Food Data Centre [1] [2], with an amount of 100g of products, the nutritional value of tea and coffee is as follows:
Nutrient | Tea | Coffee |
Calories | 1kcal | 1kcal |
Protein | 0.06g | 0.12g |
Fats | 0g | 0.02g |
Carbs | 0.17g | 0g |
Iron | 0.01mg | 0.01mg |
Calcium | 3mg | 2mg |
Potassium | 18mg | 49mg |
Magnesium | 2mg | 3mg |
Manganese, Mn | 0.392mg | 0.023mg |
Sugar | 0.02g | 0g |
Copper | 0.011mg | 0.002mg |
Zinc | 0.01mg | 0.02mg |
Phosphorus | 1mg | 3mg |
Sodium | 4mg | 2mg |
Vitamin E | 0mg | 0.01mg |
Vitamin B1 | 0mg | 0.014mg |
Vitamin B2 | 0.003mg | 0.076mg |
Vitamin B2 | 0.003mg | 0.076mg |
Vitamin B5 | 0.013mg | 0.254mg |
Vitamin B6 | 0.001mg | 0.001mg |
Vitamin K | 0µg | 0.1µg |
Folate | 0µg | 2µg |
Leucine | g | 0.005g |
Lysine | g | 0.001g |
Phenylalanine | g | 0.003g |
Valine | g | 0.003g |
Histidine | g | 0.002g |
Caffeine | 11mg | 40mg |
Fluoride, F | 335µg | 90.7µg |
From this detailed table about the nutritional facts of each drink, we have some advice for you.
- In general, there is more caffeine in coffee than tea. If you want to get a small amount of caffeine, take Vietnamese tea. In contrast, if you like large doses of caffeine, drink coffee.
- For people who have high blood pressure, enjoy tea instead of coffee, as tea helps lower blood pressure.
- Coffee gives you an immediate kick, whereas tea gives you a slighter boost.
- Tea and coffee both help you lose weight. Coffee is rich in vitamins, lower in sugar but contains more fat than tea. So if you are on a low-fat diet, you may drink tea. Otherwise, you can enjoy coffee if you are on a low-carb diet.

2. Compare the advantages and side effects of Vietnamese tea and coffee
Although tea and coffee bring us numerous health benefits, there are several differences between them.
2.1. Vietnamese tea
Besides water, tea is among the most commonly consumed in Vietnam. Today, with the introduction of many types of tea, and the appearance of many teahouses, more and more young people like to drink tea. Tea from Vietnam has varieties of benefits to your health.
Advantages for health
- Helps assist to lower your risk of chronic disease: Tea contains mount antioxidants, such as catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigins. These antioxidants help prevent risks of chronic disease and enhance your general health.
- Improves heart health: Vietnamese black tea is high in flavonoids which are good for your heart. Regularly drinking black tea may help to lower your risk of heart disease.
- Reduces LDL cholesterol: Lipoproteins such as LDL (bad) and HDL (good) transfer cholesterol throughout the body. LDL levels that are too high in the body can raise the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Consuming tea helps decrease LDL levels.
- Lowers blood pressure: High blood pressure can lead to a variety of health problems. Frequently drinking Vietnamese tea has the effect of easing and dilating blood vessels, which aids in blood pressure control.
- Helps prevent the development of cancer: Polyphenols contents in Vietnamese tea may assist our body to fight against cancer. Even though tea doesn’t treat cancer, it may help to slow the growth of cancer cells.
- Helps concentrate: Vietnamese tea contains caffeine and L-theanine (an amino acid), which help you stay awake and improve your attentiveness.
- Boosts the immune function: Good bacteria in your gut play an important role in your digestion. Vietnamese tea contains polyphenols and antimicrobial agents, which support good bacteria and limit bad bacteria, so help strengthen immunity.

Side effects of tea
Besides the numerous health benefits of tea, we find side effects of tea if you over consume it.
- Decreases iron absorption: Tannins in tea can link to iron in foodstuffs, limiting the amount of iron you can absorb in your digestion. If you’re iron deficient, you shouldn’t drink tea too closely to meals.
- Increases worry, nervousness, or unease: Tea with too much caffeine might make you feel anxious and restless. If you experience these problems, reduce your tea drinking amount or drink other no-caffeine herbal teas: flowers, fruits, herbs, etc.
- Causes insomnia: Due to its high caffeine level, tea is not recommended to drink before going to bed. Caffeine inhibits the production of melatonin, which makes it difficult to sleep at night.
So, a daily tea serving of 400-500ml (1-2 cups) is sensible, don’t over consume to maintain good health.
2.2 Vietnamese coffee
Vietnamese coffee is also healthful based on the high quantities of antioxidants and other elements. Regular coffee users have a lower risk of developing dangerous diseases.
Advantages for health
- Helps get more energy and react faster: Caffeine acts as a stimulant on the brain by blocking an inhibition hormone. So Vietnamese coffee can make people feel more energized and less exhausted.
- Assists in fat burning: Caffeine has been shown to increase fat oxidation and metabolic activity, therefore helping you lose weight naturally.
- Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes: Vietnamese coffee users had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, which is dangerous for many people globally. Coffee promotes insulin activity, so decreases blood sugar levels.
- Protects liver: Some popular diseases like hepatitis, steatohepatitis… can have an impact on the liver. Vietnamese coffee consumers have a lower risk of cirrhosis caused by the diseases mentioned above.
- Helps beat depression: Depression is a serious mental illness that has a negative impact on one’s life quality. Coffee seems to minimize the risk of depression and may significantly lessen suicide activity.

Side effects
Just like other types of coffee, Vietnamese coffee is one of the best drinks for your health. But high doses of caffeine, on the other hand, might have uncomfortable and even serious side effects.
- Anxiety, restlessness and shakiness: High caffeine content in coffee may lead to unpleasantness, jitteriness and dizziness. To assess how much caffeine you can endure, keep an eye on your own reaction.
- Insomnia: Caffeine might keep you feeling awake all day, but it can also affect the efficiency of your sleep. To avoid sleeping issues, you shouldn’t drink coffee in the afternoon or evening.
- Digestive problems: While little to medium amounts of coffee may help with gastrointestinal motility, higher doses can cause loose stools and nausea. It will be better to cut back on coffee or switch to tea.
3. How to choose between Vietnamese tea and coffee
Vietnamese tea and coffee have many great health benefits. According to your caffeine tolerance, you may prefer one over the other. The caffeine level of tea and coffee from Vietnam varies substantially depending on the kind and preparation. The caffeine content in coffee is higher than in tea.
For those who like high-caffeine beverages:
- You may enjoy espresso, iced-brew coffee, and high-caffeine teas.
- Limit your caffeine intake to less than 400 mg a day (4 cups of coffee), and don’t take more than 200 mg at a time, to avoid addiction.
- Coffee contains more caffeine than tea, which may be beneficial to people seeking a quick energy rush.

Related post: Does Vietnamese lotus tea have caffeine? Facts you should know
For caffeine sensitive individuals:
- You should drink white tea, herbal tea or decaffeinated tea, or coffee, as they have the lowest caffeine amount. Black tea is totally oxidized, so it contains more caffeine than other teas.
- You can also make teas with smaller amounts or for less time, such as one minute rather than three minutes, to reduce caffeine from tea.
- Loose tea and hot-brewed tea contain more caffeine than tea bags or RTD tea. Taking a small serving size also helps to reduce the caffeine amount absorbed.
- Caffeine should be avoided by people who have heart problems, migraines, or are taking certain drugs.
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not drink high-caffeine tea and coffee.
If you are sensitive to caffeine, we have a variety of Vietnamese teas for your choice. For example, RTD tea (matcha milk tea, peach milk tea, kumquat honey tea, lychee tea, lemongrass tea, etc.), or teabags (red tea, green tea, flower flavored tea, fruit-flavored tea, herbal tea, oolong tea, etc.) These teas are low-caffeine and convenient to make tea and enjoy.

We hope you can distinguish between Vietnamese tea and coffee, which one is good for your health. Vietnamese tea has many convenient and healthy types for people who love drinking tea but scare its side effects.
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