Grandma the landlord and the barista in Hoi An

Like everywhere else on earth, Hoi An in central Vietnam is going coffee crazy. The streets are suddenly filling with little and large coffee houses. There’s been a dramatic change in twelve months. This morning, I headed into a little alley just outside the old town, to The Espresso Station. I wanted to meet a young guy called Trung, who, a year after opening, has already built a reputation for some of the best coffee around town. Trung ditched his job in tourism to open his own coffee shop. Now he’s roasting on-site too. While chatting with Trung, an old lady emerged from the traditional Hoi An house that he’s transformed into his cafe. I asked if she was his landlord? He replied yes. And his grandmother. Turns out Ba Nham has lived in the house since her birth 86 year ago. That’s a lot of Hoi An history in one woman. And it gives Trung’s place a connection to Hoi An that more recent arrivals will struggle to match. Trung’s a friendly host and the Dalat coffee’s good too. If you're lucky, you might get to meet Ba Nham as well.