Tucked away on Phu Tho Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 11, Di Phat Tea Shop has quietly endured for more than 70 years. Founded in the 1950s by a Chinese-Vietnamese couple, the business is now run by 93-year-old Tran Dung and her son, Quach Hue, 60.
Tran Dung prepares tea for her customers at the shop
Almost all the original furnishings remain intact. While foot traffic has slowed over the decades, Di Phat still draws a loyal clientele, mostly tea connoisseurs and curious visitors.
Hue, who learned tea-making from his father as a child, now oversees the monthly production of their signature jasmine-infused tea. Over 100 kg of dried tea is carefully scented and stored using traditional methods.
“My father poured his heart into tea from the very first day. My mother and I are doing everything we can to preserve every step of that craft,” Hue said.
The tea is kept in century-old metal containers, each holding about 5 kg. Despite receiving high offers for the shop’s vintage items, Hue’s mother has refused to sell. “To her, those are memories, not just objects,” he explained.
The tea is kept in century-old metal containers
Di Phat’s best-selling teas include jasmine and oolong, priced from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand dong per kilo. Among the rarest is a premium variety sourced from the remote Chaozhou mountains in China, sold for over VND 3 million (approximately USD 118) per kilo.
“It’s grown without chemical fertilisers, with a clean, delicate aroma that any serious tea lover will appreciate,” Hue said, adding that they only import a small amount as a tribute to their roots.
Though they do no marketing, Di Phat has become a quiet cultural landmark and now features in District 11’s heritage tourism tours. Local and international visitors are invited to sample the teas while hearing Hue share stories of tradition and flavour.
Quach Hue at the shop
Though the tea trade brings little profit and requires painstaking effort, Hue remains committed: “As long as I have the strength, I’ll keep going. This is my father’s legacy, and I’ll not let it fade.”