Vietnam: Coffee profit not worth beans

By Nelson Rand

HO CHI MINH CITY and DAK LAK PROVINCE - Vietnam's 80 million people consume only about 5 percent of the country's total coffee output, but one would never guess that if they were inside a Highlands cafe in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. With high-quality coffee served in a relaxing atmosphere, the coffee chain is Vietnam's version of Starbucks - and it's brewing up big business among the country's middle and upper classes. But the other 95 percent of Vietnam's coffee is exported, and with world coffee prices falling to a 30-year low last year, Vietnam's coffee farmers have been facing lean times.

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