The Tao of Coffee's mark on the homeland of Japanese tea art

This effort marks a special milestone in Trung Nguyen Legend's journey to elevate Vietnamese coffee from a regular beverage to a cultural, artistic, spiritual, and philosophical coffee, aiming to “put Vietnam on the world map with the Tao of Coffee, contributing to human civilisation rather than just ordinary exports”.

Trung Nguyen Legend Brings the Tao of Coffee to the Homeland of the Japanese Tea Ceremony

The “Viet Nam Day 2026” program, themed “Discover Viet Nam – Connect Kyushu”, took place from September 12 to 13, 2026, organised by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka, Japan, in collaboration with Vietnamese localities, organisations, associations, and business communities from both countries. This large-scale cultural diplomacy and trade promotion event aims to foster cultural, trade, economic, and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and Japan.

As a national brand, Trung Nguyen Legend was invited to accompany and introduce Vietnamese coffee culture and spirit to Japanese local leaders, representatives of friendship organisations, diplomatic agencies, business communities, and thousands of overseas Vietnamese and local residents.

The Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture and his wife (right) and the Chairman of the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly and his wife (left) were impressed by the Zen Coffee experience during the “Viet Nam Day 2026” program.

Notably, alongside thousands of delicious energy coffee cups served at the event in Tenjin Central Park on the morning of September 13, 2026, Trung Nguyen Legend, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka, organized the first Zen Coffee experience session with the participation of the Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, Chairmen of the Saga and Kagoshima Prefectural Assemblies, representatives of organizations, and diplomatic delegations from the U.S., India, China, and Thailand.

Ms. Virsa Perkins - Consul General of the U.S. in Fukuoka, Japan (right), along with other delegates experienced Zen Coffee and remarked that “this is truly a special experience”.

In the solemn and tranquil space of the Consulate General's headquarters, guests participating in the Zen Coffee experience were guided to purify the Body – Mind – Spirit and to create and enjoy coffee in the spirit of Harmony – Respect – Purity – Tranquillity – Responsibility – Creation. The Zen Coffee experience left a deep impression on guests about the cultural beauty, philosophy, and spirit of Vietnamese coffee, right in the homeland of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Mr. Ramkumar C - Consul General of India in Fukuoka and his wife (second and third from left) experienced Zen Coffee in the homeland of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Unlike the view of coffee as a regular beverage, Trung Nguyen Legend sees coffee as a driver of the creative economy, a living entity of culture, and a heritage capable of “connecting people, communities, and civilisations”. Accordingly, the mark of the Tao of Coffee, right in the homeland of the Japanese Tea Ceremony at “Viet Nam Day 2026,” not only contributes to diplomatic and cultural connections between the two countries but also marks a significant step in defining Vietnamese coffee culture and spirit on the world map.

The Tao of Coffee – A New Language of Global Cultural Diplomacy

Before the “Viet Nam Day 2026” program in Fukuoka, Japan, Zen Coffee – a foundational practice of the Tao of Coffee had become one of the special cultural experiences in Vietnam's diplomatic and cultural programs with the world.

Zen Coffee, a foundational practice of the Tao of Coffee from Vietnam, is becoming a language of cultural diplomacy.

On July 25, 2026, during the “Walking to Understand the City” programme organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, alongside unique cultural experiences, consular delegations and international friends participated in a Zen Coffee session at the Trung Nguyen Legend World Coffee Space. In this space of dialogue and cultural connection, Mr. Werner Bardill, Consul General of Switzerland, Head of the Consular Corps in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that “the Zen coffee experience awakened the senses” and believed that “coffee not only plays an important role in Vietnamese life but also serves as a cultural value that helps promote Vietnam's image to the world”.

Previously, during the 9th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, the Zen Coffee experience at the World Coffee Museum was described by Mr. Marc Evans Knapper, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, as a “profound, unprecedented experience”. At the World Coffee Heritage Forum organised by the People's Committee of Dak Lak Province in April 2026, ambassadors and international consuls also shared special impressions of the philosophy and culture of the Tao of Coffee from Vietnam after the Zen Coffee session at Trung Nguyen Coffee Village.

Mr. Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative in Vietnam (right), experienced Zen Coffee and stated that it is “an experience and a way of perceiving coffee in a completely different way”.

Mr. Renzo Moro, Head of Agriculture, representative of the Italian Embassy in Vietnam, shared: “Unlike the fast-paced espresso coffee culture of Italy, 'Zen coffee' opens up a tranquil space where the energy of coffee is felt from within and spreads, connecting people. This is an experience I will never forget in my lifetime”. Particularly, for Mr. Hasan Barit, Deputy Head of Mission, Turkish Embassy in Vietnam, “the Zen coffee experience reminds me of turning inward, gratitude, and inner reflection”.

Runner-up Elisabeth Reynés (right), along with the Top 3 Miss World 2026, experienced Zen Coffee during their journey to explore Vietnam's culture and country at the Miss World finals.

With the delicate connection of flavours, sounds, rituals, and mindfulness converging in each moment of Zen Coffee, the Tao of Coffee transcends being merely an ideology expressed through words, but is materialised through products, tasting rituals, and “coffee – culture – lifestyle” spaces, awakening the senses, nurturing focused tranquillity, opening inner depth, and re-establishing harmonious connections between individuals and communities. This is how the Tao of Coffee transcends language barriers, connecting people from different cultures to dialogue, share, and overcome differences.

From Buon Ma Thuot to the Aspiration of Defining the Tao of Coffee Globally

As a leading brand founded in Buon Ma Thuot, with 30 years of creativity and service, and a continuously expanding range of energy coffee products and unique coffee culture spaces globally, Trung Nguyen Legend tirelessly strives to elevate the value of coffee to a lifestyle-defining philosophy.

Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak - the birthplace of the Tao of Coffee - is gradually becoming the “Capital of the World's Best Coffee”.

Before the mark of the Tao of Coffee in the homeland of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, along with widely published essays on “Coffee Philosophy” introducing new insights on coffee, elevating coffee to the energy of awakening, creativity, and philosophy, Trung Nguyen Legend has collaborated with leading global news agencies Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN, Bloomberg… to produce special films about the coffee capital Buon Ma Thuot and Vietnamese coffee culture and philosophy.

The philosophy of the Tao of Coffee has been widely disseminated and has gained strong global appeal through leading news outlets, including Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN, and Bloomberg.

In particular, the documentary “The Tao of Coffee”, broadcast by Warner Bros. Discovery in 2023, introduced Zen Coffee to a global audience for the first time. According to Discovery, “Trung Nguyen Legend's approach to elevating the value of Vietnamese coffee is not just as a regular beverage but at the level of cultural coffee, artistic coffee, spiritual coffee, to coffee lifestyle, deeply conveyed by what Trung Nguyen Legend calls the Tao of Coffee, or the Way of Coffee”.

By December 2024, Discovery continued to spread and inspire the community about the profound meaning of the Tao of Coffee philosophy in the film “The Awakenings of Coffee”. Discovery highlighted how Trung Nguyen Legend strongly asserts: “Coffee is not just a beverage but a lifestyle, a source of inspiration and energy, known as the Tao of Coffee”.

Experiencing Zen Coffee, Ms. Vanusia Nogueira - Director General of the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) shared: “I never thought coffee could be enjoyed so artistically and philosophically as Trung Nguyen Legend's creation”.

Together with Discovery, international media outlet CNN also spread the philosophy of the Tao of Coffee in the article “The Tao of Coffee: From Beans to Beauty”. CNN noted that Zen Coffee is a foundational practice of the Tao of Coffee, “inspired by, energised by, and enlightened by coffee itself and its vast heritage”, aiming to promote awakening and comprehensive wealth through the principles of Harmony - Respect - Purity - Tranquillity - Responsibility and Creation.

Mr. Marc Evans Knapper, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, experienced Zen Coffee at the World Coffee Museum and described it as a “profound experience”.

To date, the philosophy of the Tao of Coffee from Vietnam, conceived by Founder and Chairman Dang Le Nguyen Vu, which aims to promote a humane, humanistic lifestyle and open a sustainable future for the global community, has spread worldwide. Trung Nguyen Legend has been recognised by international media such as Discovery, CNN, and Bloomberg as a symbol of “The Tao of Coffee”.

Simultaneously, Trung Nguyen Legend is continuing to collaborate with the People's Committee of Dak Lak Province to establish the Coffee Academy, contributing to making Buon Ma Thuot truly the birthplace of the Tao of Coffee, as well as signing a memorandum of understanding with the University of Culture Ho Chi Minh City to jointly implement the training program “Coffee Heritage - Creative Economy”. These efforts continue the series of world coffee heritage forum events that Trung Nguyen Legend accompanies, in collaboration with the University of Culture Ho Chi Minh City, UNESCO, and the People's Committee of Dak Lak, to gradually bring Vietnamese coffee and coffee culture to the Tao of Coffee as a shared living heritage of humanity.

Zen Coffee, created by Trung Nguyen Legend, is recognised by Discovery as “transforming coffee from a regular drink into a lifestyle, a way of life”.

With its unique, distinctive, and unparalleled values, the philosophy of the Tao of Coffee is helping elevate Vietnamese coffee beyond a beverage to become a cultural and diplomatic language, connecting people through mindfulness, respect, and harmony. If the Japanese have shaped the Tea Ceremony into a national ethos, an art of living conveyed through the enjoyment of a cup of tea, then the Tao of Coffee will be a symbol of Vietnamese identity globally, and a living heritage practised, transmitted, and continuously created by the community, guiding people towards a new awakened lifestyle.

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