Tin du lịch What's at the "most expensive tea shop in Hanoi": 90,000 VND/cup, only increasing in price, never decreasing.

Confident in the quality of the cups of tea she makes, Mrs. Lê Minh Dung, owner of the "most expensive tea shop in Hanoi," asserts: "I will never reduce the price, only increase it."​

The old mixed tea shop 1976 is located in a small alley on Trần Hưng Đạo Street (Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi). The shop has 2 floors, with about 15 square tables, plastic chairs, each table seating 4-5 people.
True to its name, all the shop's items from the signboard, tables and chairs, cups and spoons to the wall paintings, and decor are all old and rustic.
Mrs. Lê Minh Dung (63 years old), the owner, says: "Most of my customers are middle-aged, regular ones who have been coming for several decades, so I think they don't come here for the seating. The important thing is a tidy, clean space and the quality of the tea cup delivered to customers must always be delicious."
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The second-floor space of the mixed tea shop (Photo: Thanh Thúy).

According to Mrs. Dung, the mixed tea shop was opened by her mother in 1976, and she took over in 1996. In the early days, tea was sold for 7,000 VND per cup, double the price of a bowl of pho at about 3,000 VND per bowl at that time.
"My tea has been expensive for 50 years, not just now," Mrs. Dung said. Because of this, the shop was quite deserted in the first few years; people would rather eat two bowls of pho to fill their stomach than one cup of tea. However, her mother remained persistent.
Mrs. Dung's mother is from Phú Yên, which is also the reason why a cup of mixed tea in Hanoi has a unique flavor.
The menu of the shop offers 72 different types of tea. Each cup of tea here has 15-20 types of ingredients such as green rice, mung beans, red beans, coconut milk, various fruits, etc. In addition, a highlight is the large jelly balls with flavors of chocolate, grape, mung bean, lotus seed, sesame, and coconut.
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Each cup of tea here has 15-20 types of ingredients such as green rice, mung beans, red beans, coconut milk, various fruits (Photo: Thanh Thúy).

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Among them, stir-fried green rice is particularly loved by many diners, and can be ordered separately with coconut milk (Photo: Thanh Thúy).

The chocolate part is sent by Mrs. Dung's sister from Germany, about 10 kg each time, equivalent to 500 bars. Mrs. Dung has tried several types of chocolate available in Vietnam but found them unsatisfactory, not tasty.
"Each ingredient must be carefully selected for the cup of tea to be perfect. I maintain the meticulousness and sophistication passed down from my mother," Mrs. Dung said.
Seasonal fruits are also carefully chosen by Mrs. Dung. Always ensuring they are really fresh and delicious. Besides, for ingredients like tea powder, mung beans, red beans, or coconut milk, and green rice, Mrs. Dung also states that they must all be top-quality.
The tea is served in large cups, with the filling nearly reaching the rim of the cup. Customers who order tea will also receive a complimentary cup of jasmine tea. Before eating, diners take a sip of tea to balance the flavor.
The mixed tea with durian has quite a lot of durian flesh, along with other ingredients such as jelly balls, stir-fried green rice, etc. Everything is mixed well with coconut milk, thick and creamy.
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Tea here is uniformly priced at 60,000 VND per cup, and the most expensive cup is mixed tea with durian priced at 90,000 VND per cup (Photo: Thanh Thúy).
"The mixed tea here doesn't have the taste of artificial sweeteners, but rather a sweet, pleasant flavor of fresh fruits. I think people shouldn't add too much ice when eating tea," said Hoàng Huyền, a young diner trying the tea at the shop for the first time.
Dubbed the "most expensive tea shop in Hanoi," tea at the shop is uniformly priced at 60,000 VND per cup, with the priciest being the mixed tea with durian priced at 90,000 VND. With this price, after 50 years, a cup of mixed tea at Mrs. Dung's shop is still double the price of a bowl of regular pho, about 45,000 VND.
Still, Mrs. Dung insists that there will be no price reductions, only increases. "Expensive but worth it, anyone who has eaten tea at my shop knows this, especially those who have been coming for several decades. It's still the same cups, the same space, and the flavors, and quality have not changed at all," Mrs. Dung said.
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The menu of the shop has 72 different types of tea, made according to the family’s traditional recipe (Photo: Thanh Thúy).

Daily, Mrs. Dung's shop operates from 9 AM to 10:30 PM. The peak hours are from 11 AM to 1 PM and after 7 PM. In addition to direct customers, the shop also accepts phone orders, which is why the shop, though small, has 15 staff members, always busy preparing tea for customers.
On average, Mrs. Dung's tea shop sells about 700 cups of tea a day, and on weekends or holidays Tet, it sells 1,000-1,200 cups per day.