As part of the ninth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, Trung Nguyen Legend, in collaboration with festival organizers, broke ground on Southeast Asia’s largest coffee facility on March 10, 2025, at the Tan An 2 Industrial Cluster in Buon Ma Thuot City. This event is a key highlight of the festival and a major milestone in this year’s coffee investment promotion efforts.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, member of the Party Central Committee; Vanusia Nogueira, executive director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO); and representatives from ministries and central agencies, international diplomatic delegations, domestic and international organizations, associations, and partners.
The event also saw the attendance of numerous guests, as well as journalists and media representatives from local, central and international outlets.
The event marks a significant milestone in the continuous efforts of Dak Lak Province and Trung Nguyen Legend to enhance the value of Buon Ma Thuot Robusta coffee, elevate Vietnam’s coffee industry to new heights, reaffirm the country’s position as a global coffee powerhouse, and establish Buon Ma Thuot as the “coffee city of the world.”
Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plant – Southeast Asia’s largest coffee facility
Coffee is a vital industry for both Vietnam and Dak Lak Province. In 2024, Vietnam’s coffee exports surpassed US$5 billion, placing it among the country’s top 10 export commodities. Buon Ma Thuot Robusta, in particular, is seeing a surge in global demand and becoming increasingly popular in major coffee markets like Germany, Italy, China, the United States, Japan, Spain, and Indonesia. This growing demand reinforces Vietnam’s coffee quality and solidifies its status as a leading force in the global coffee industry.
Despite an annual coffee harvest of around 530,000 tons from over 200,000 hectares in Dak Lak Province, only about 20% undergoes deep processing. Provincial leaders see this as a major opportunity and urge businesses to invest in advanced processing technology. These efforts aim to increase the value-added of coffee and cater to the rising global demand for processed coffee products.
Therefore, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plant has been recognized as the “highlight of this year’s festival” and a key initiative in the province’s coffee investment promotion efforts.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Tuan Ha, vice chairman of the Dak Lak People’s Committee and head of the organizing committee for the 2025 Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, said: “The Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plant is the second Trung Nguyen Legend facility in Dak Lak. Its investment and construction not only drive the development of the coffee processing industry and deep processing segment but also enhance Dak Lak’s diverse coffee ecosystem. Moreover, it opens up new opportunities, creates jobs, improves local livelihoods, and makes a significant contribution to the province’s economy.”
The Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plant requires a total investment of VND2,000 billion. The project is developed in two phases, with the first phase valued at nearly VND1,000 billion. It features cutting-edge technology from Germany, Italy, and collaborates with leading global technology brands. As Southeast Asia’s largest coffee production facility, it is a flagship project for Dak Lak Province and plays a pivotal role in advancing Vietnam’s coffee industry. By incorporating comprehensive, deep, and refined processing, the factory aims to create high-value coffee-based materials that support various industries.
Covering 50,000 square meters, the Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plant is designed as a net zero-standard, eco-sustainable facility, with 60% construction density and more than 20% dedicated to green spaces and water features. Its architecture draws inspiration from the Ottoman, Roman, and Zen coffee civilizations, blended with local cultural elements. Surrounded by lush greenery, water features, herbal gardens, basalt stones, and a modern solar energy system, the factory offers a harmonious, natural, and balanced environment for both work and visitor experiences.
At the groundbreaking ceremony of the Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plan, Vanusia Nogueira, executive director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), extended her congratulations to Dak Lak Province and Trung Nguyen Legend, stating: “Global demand for Robusta coffee is accelerating, driven by its bold flavor, higher caffeine content, and climate resilience. As the world embraces sustainable practices, Robusta’s adaptability positions it as a cornerstone of the future coffee industry. From specialty blends to everyday beverages, its versatility meets market needs and environmental imperatives. Buon Ma Thuot—the heart of Vietnam’s coffee industry—embodies the spirit of Robusta: resilient, enduring, and rooted in tradition. Trung Nguyen Legend’s investment here is more than economic growth—it is a testament to the synergy between global vision and local legacy. Together, you are building a model for sustainable development that benefits farmers, communities, and consumers worldwide. On behalf of the International Coffee Organization, I commend Trung Nguyen Legend and Dak Lak Province for this visionary collaboration. May this facility become a beacon of innovation and shared prosperity.”
This is Trung Nguyen Legend’s fifth coffee production facility in Vietnam and the second in Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak. The groundbreaking of the Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Plant is a significant step in the company’s efforts to elevate the value of Buon Ma Thuot Robusta coffee, advance Vietnam’s coffee industry, and drive economic and social development in Buon Ma Thuot and Dak Lak Province.
Trung Nguyen Legend leads the awakening of Vietnamese Robusta Coffee
In the 2024 global broadcast of “Trung Nguyen Legend’s Vision for Vietnamese Coffee – The Robusta Awakening,” Bloomberg emphasized that “So much of the world’s Robusta beans are grown in Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak Province, solidifying Vietnam as the world’s second-largest coffee producer.” However, citing historical trading data for Robusta and Arabica, Bloomberg noted that Robusta coffee has traditionally been undervalued compared to Arabica in the global market, stating “the value and versatility of Robusta have not always been reflected in its trading price, which has historically trailed that of Arabica.”
Established in Buon Ma Thuot, Trung Nguyen Legend, under the leadership of founder and chairman Dang Le Nguyen Vu, has always carried a grand vision: “to elevate Vietnam’s coffee industry to a higher stature” and “to promote balance between coffee-producing and coffee-consuming nations.” With this mission, the company is dedicated to bringing Vietnamese coffee to the global stage.
In 2012, at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Trung Nguyen Legend’s founder and chairman Dang Le Nguyen Vu introduced the “Seven initiatives for the global coffee industry,” which received enthusiastic support from experts across various fields worldwide. He emphasized, “Vietnam’s coffee industry could generate about US$20 billion a year if we learn to do better than we do now and develop a national strategy for the growth of the coffee sector.”
For nearly 30 years, Trung Nguyen Legend has been a pioneer in elevating the value of Buon Ma Thuot Robusta coffee, helping to redefine Vietnam’s position in the global coffee industry. With a diverse lineup of over 300 coffee products made from Buon Ma Thuot Robusta, the brand is highly favored in more than 100 countries and territories. Meanwhile, its coffeehouse models have gained strong traction and are expanding rapidly in key markets, such as the United States, China, Australia, Europe, and South Korea.
Trung Nguyen Legend is reshaping global perceptions, emphasizing not just Arabica but also the value of Robusta, and advocating for greater recognition of coffee brands from producing nations alongside those from Europe and America. The goal is to foster diversity while uniting the global coffee culture.
In “Trung Nguyen Legend’s Vision for Vietnamese Coffee – The Robusta Awakening,” Bloomberg highlighted the foresight of Trung Nguyen Legend’s founder, backing it with statistical data from the International Coffee Organization (ICO). “In 2024, the price of Robusta soared to a 45-year high,” surging from around US$2,225 per ton to over US$5,000 per ton, peaking at over US$6,000 per ton.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam’s coffee exports in 2024 were projected to reach 1.32 million tons, with total revenue of over US$5 billion. This marks the highest export value ever recorded in a single coffee season, surpassing the US$5 billion milestone for the first time. The average export price of coffee in 2024 was estimated at US$4,151 per ton, an upsurge of 56.9% compared to the same period in 2023.
The groundbreaking of the Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Factory signals a strategic move to expand the whole, deep, and refined processing of Buon Ma Thuot Robusta coffee industry. The facility aims to produce high-value materials for major global coffee brands and other processing industries, boosting value-added production and reinforcing Vietnam’s position in the international coffee market.
It also represents a key milestone in implementing the fourth initiative of Trung Nguyen Legend’s founder, which is “comprehensively circular and integrated coffee production.” As part of the “Seven initiatives for the global coffee industry,” this concept envisions a closed-loop production system that eliminates harmful waste, optimizes resources at every stage, and maximizes sustainability in coffee manufacturing.
As part of Trung Nguyen Legend’s key projects and initiatives in Buon Ma Thuot, the coffee capital and the birthplace of the “Coffee Zen” philosophy, the groundbreaking of the coffee facility further cements the brand’s leading role in elevating Vietnamese Robusta coffee. It also reaffirms Trung Nguyen Legend’s commitment to working alongside government ministries, Dak Lak Province, and Buon Ma Thuot City to elevate Buon Ma Thuot Robusta’s global standing. The project contributes to realizing the “US$20 billion vision for Vietnam’s coffee industry”, striving for a future where the world thinks of Vietnam when it thinks of coffee.
