A “café of the future” in Hanoi has officially deployed four intelligent robots that take on diverse roles, including preparing drinks, serving customers, taking photos, and even writing calligraphy. This marks a significant step in applying automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in Vietnam’s service industry.

Robots deliver a high-tech coffee experience

During her lunch break after a busy morning at work, Vu Thi Hien and her colleague were pleasantly surprised and thoroughly delighted by their experience: enjoying a cup of black coffee served entirely by robots.

After placing their orders at the counter, Hien watched as a robotic arm named “Tu” expertly brewed their drinks, and then “Bao,” a robot server, delivered the beverages to their table. Each robot is programmed with a table-numbering system. Staff simply place drinks on its tray, and the robot automatically navigates to the correct customer table.

“I found it quite novel and exciting, especially since this is my first time being served by a robotic arm in a Vietnamese coffee shop. It’s more flexible and modern than traditional service,” Hien shared.

Young patrons have also shown enthusiasm. Gen Z customer Hoang Giap commented, “I’m really impressed by the robot’s skills. This feels like a breakthrough in technology. Although it’s not as fast as a human, this innovation could significantly reduce costs and support human labor in the future.”

Beyond brewing and delivery, the café enhances customer experience with a calligraphy-writing robot that blends traditional culture with modern technology, and a photo-taking robot that captures memorable moments.

Robots as tech-savvy teammates

According to Lam Kieu Oanh, CEO of Twitter Beans Coffee, implementing robots isn’t merely about adopting technology - it’s part of a broader strategy to blend local identity with creative innovation.

“We didn’t purchase off-the-shelf solutions. Instead, we co-developed the robots with partners. Each robot is specifically designed, programmed, and customized to suit our café environment, ensuring both hardware and operations are tailored,” Oanh explained.

Tasks such as dosing, extraction, and brewing times are all standardized and precisely programmed. Each cup of coffee takes about 2–4 minutes to prepare. However, Oanh emphasized that the biggest challenge isn’t the technology, but preserving the emotional aspect of the coffee experience in an increasingly digital space.

In the initial stage, robots handle repetitive tasks like brewing and delivering drinks, while human staff focus on customer interaction, assistance, and helping patrons navigate the automated system.

The robot-based service model officially launched on April 21. During this trial phase, the café is collecting customer feedback to refine the experience before expanding to other locations in the future.

Ha Thuong