Viet House

ARTICLE BY STARLA GATSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Rooted in heritage and community, Kate Nguyen is brewing authentic Vietnamese culture into North Louisiana’s coffee scene, one phin-dripped cup at a time.

Kate Nguyen can’t hide her pride in her Vietnamese heritage. Not that she’s trying to. That pride is essentially the foundation on which her business, Viet House Coffee & Tea, is built. 

Nguyen comes from a family where you drink coffee every morning and an area where, as she told KNOE in 2024, “there are coffee shops sitting right next to coffee shops.” Nguyen isn’t talking about the coffee drinks that likely came to your mind — drip coffee or espresso-based drinks like lattes, Americanos, or cortados. She’s talking about authentic Vietnamese coffee, slow-dripped through a phin filter from strong, bold beans and sweetened with condensed milk. When Nguyen noticed Monroe-West Monroe lacked an establishment that served the authentic pick-me-up, she was inspired to solve the problem. Thus, Viet House Coffee & Tea was born.

The shop, located at 100 Basic Drive in West Monroe, opened in 2023 and boasts a diverse menu that not only includes the traditional Vietnamese coffee Nguyen longed to share with her community, but also offers a variety of other options. Between the Vietnamese coffee beverages, espresso-based drinks, matcha, fruit teas, and milk teas, there’s something for everyone to sip on. 

While Nguyen can’t pick a personal favorite menu item — “[That] would be like picking a favorite child!” she cries with a laugh — she says customers tend to order The Hanoian, Salted Cream, and Coco Cloud most often. These three beverages are particularly special, Nguyen explains, as each represents a different region of Vietnam. 

“[The Hanoian] is creme brulee, which is egg coffee, and the recipe is originally from Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam,” she says. “The [Salted Cream] came out of Central Vietnam, and the [Coco Cloud] represents South Vietnam since coconut is mainly grown there.”

Despite having coffee and tea in its name, the shop sells more than just those beverages. In fact, Viet House sells more than just beverages, period. Food items are on the menu, too, as breaking bread with friends and family is another aspect of Vietnamese culture that Nguyen is eager to share with Ouachita and the surrounding parishes. 

“Similar to in America, food is the way to our heart, and it’s how we open up a lot of conversations,” she shares. “People do business over food, and like over here [in America,] every time we get together, we ask each other to go eat or cook something. I grew up with friends and family gathering around a table full of food. Our parents would show love by asking our friends and us if we’ve eaten yet. They would literally show love through food and drink. It’s a big part of the culture.” 

Because food is such a key player in Vietnamese culture, the pho, ramen, and egg rolls Nguyen sells are cooked according to traditional recipes. 

“We are trying to be as authentic as we can,” Nguyen declares, explaining that it’s sort of her generation’s responsibility to do so as they pass pieces of the culture down. “We call ourselves second generation. The first generation is our parents, and our children are fully American. We are the bridge generation.” 

Clinging to tradition not only keeps Vietnamese tradition alive for the generations to come. It also adds to American culture as a whole, Nguyen says.

“America is a melting pot,” she states before noting how honored she is to share part of her culture with the community. “It’s a way of showing thanks to the community and country that welcomed us. We became a part of it, and since we bring aspects of our culture, we’re adding onto it.” 

Besides serving authentic Vietnamese food and drink, Nguyen also shares her culture and its traditions through events like the Lunar New Year. She and the Viet House crew celebrate it in the shop every year, decorating the space with authentic decorations, wearing traditional garb, and handing out red lucky envelopes — an act wishing the recipient good fortune in the new year — to customers and staff members. 

Some may assume Nguyen’s devotion to tradition means she’s unwilling to embrace change or modernity in the shop. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, she says, noting, “I want to bring an authentic vibe, but also fun for younger generations.” Viet House sells an assortment of non-traditional foods, including ice cream, house-made cheesecake, waffles, Hong Kong-style bubble waffles, and the croissant-waffle hybrid, the croffle.

Additionally, Nguyen is committed to learning and evolving, which is why she sets aside a few days multiple times a year to learn about Asian cuisine. Coincidentally, as Nguyen speaks to BayouLife, she’s out of town taking classes in preparation for the changes she plans to implement throughout 2026.

“I take about two or three trips to California, Dallas, Houston, any area dense with our Vietnamese community,” she shares, “and I take courses so we can update our menu with new items and bring those here. We want y’all to be able to [go to other places] and say, ‘Oh, I already had that at Viet House back home.’”

Anything that goes on the menu is meticulously researched and tested, as Nguyen is eager to serve only the highest quality food and drink. 

“We tell people to drink or eat with a critic’s mind,” she explains. “I don’t mind taking criticism. Let us know how you like it and how we should improve.” 

With that in mind, Viet House customers can have full faith that, if Viet House introduces something new, it’ll be worth trying. Speaking of new items to try, Nguyen says Viet House patrons can expect to see quite a few of them on the menu beginning in January 2026. 

“We’ll have more Asian fusion items, so Asian food with a twist of Western fun in it,” she says. 

Viet House will also be offering breakfast items to customers, plus refreshing, dirty soda-like beverages Nguyen is calling mojitos. The shop will also be leaning more heavily into its partnership with the Monroe Moccasins hockey team — Viet House is the team’s official sponsor — by hosting meet and greets with players and offering ticket giveaways.

Nguyen says 2026 will bring “nonstop change” to Viet House, but she’s not nervous about it. 

“Change is good, right?” she asks before adding, “We’ve been planning these for a while, and we’ll go one or two at a time.” 

Though a lot about Viet House will shift, you can bet two things will remain unchanged: Nguyen’s cultural pride, which shows up in all she and her shop do, and her deep gratitude to the team that helps keep Viet House running. 

“They put me at the front [of the company,] but I credit the whole team,” Nguyen says. “My husband was helping us. My brother-in-law was a manager, helping us as well. My sister, even though her name isn’t on [the business,] helps. I can’t take all the credit for it. It takes a village.” 

If you’ve ever supported Viet House in some capacity, by making a purchase or even through an act as small as sharing a social media post about it, Nguyen considers you part of her village. She says she knows she and her team wouldn’t be able to do what they do without her customers, and she’s grateful for each of them.

“We are deeply, deeply blessed and thankful,” she says of owning and operating Viet House. “It’s been a tremendous blessing from God and from the community.”

Nguyen and her crew are at Viet House seven days a week, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, or from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sundays. Lunch service begins at 10:00 a.m. daily, and for a fast Vietnamese coffee fix, take advantage of Viet House’s drive-through.