Chocolate brands from Ho Chi Minh City are challenging how the world thinks about Asian chocolate. In a city better known for its busy streets, endless coffee shops, and rich food culture, a chocolate movement has risen. A movement dedicated to transforming Vietnam’s homegrown cacao into world-class chocolate. What began as a handful of passionate makers experimenting with local beans has evolved into a thriving scene, positioning Vietnamese chocolate makers among the best in the world and restoring Vietnam’s cacao to one of the most sought-after origins in the chocolate industry.
Vietnamese Cacao
Cacao was first introduced to Vietnam in the late 1800s by French colonists, but it never took hold commercially as coffee and rubber dominated local agriculture. The crop was revived in the early 2000s by Dr. Pham Hong Duc Phuoc of Nong Lam Agricultural University, who identified four strong cacao varietals and helped farmers establish plantations across southern provinces like Bà Rịa and Bến Tre. Support from development programs and companies such as Mars and Cargill fueled early growth, though falling global prices around 2008 caused many farmers to abandon the crop.
In 2011, Samuel Maruta and Vincent Mourou founded Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat, using cacao from those same southern farms and proving Vietnam could produce fine-flavor chocolate. Dr. Phuoc after retiring started working on Stone Hill Chocolate, continuing the movement he helped start.
Vietnam produces only around 4,000 tons of cacao annually, tiny on the global scale when compared to giant Côte d’Ivoire’s 2 million tons. Yet the share of its exports classified as fine-flavour cacao has risen from 40% in 2010 to 80% in 2024, reflecting growing recognition of Vietnam’s agricultural efforts.
Cacao in Vietnam is mainly grown in the Mekong Delta, the Central Highlands, and Southern provinces near Ho Chi Minh City. The Mekong Delta notably Bến Tre, Tiền Giang, and Đồng Nai, produce bright, tropical beans with hints of coconut and fruit, while the Central Highlands regions like Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng yield deeper, nutty flavors from their cool climate and red basalt soil. Around Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu and Bình Phước, farms closer to the city produce cacao with a rich chocolatey aroma.
The Best Chocolate Brands from Ho Chi Minh City
Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat
When people talk about Vietnamese chocolate, they almost always start with Marou. Founded in 2011 by French entrepreneurs Samuel Maruta and Vincent Mourou, Marou was Vietnam’s first true bean-to-bar chocolate maker and the brand that put the country’s cacao on the global map. Working directly with farmers in provinces like Bến Tre, Tiền Giang, and Đồng Nai, they built transparent supply chains and showcased the unique, fruit-forward flavor of Vietnamese cacao to the world. Their single-origin bars, wrapped in distinctive handmade paper, reflect both craft and place, bright, bold, and unmistakably Vietnamese. Today, Marou remains a benchmark for Southeast Asian chocolate, inspiring a generation of local makers and changing how fine chocolate from Asia is perceived globally.
Stone Hill Chocolate
Located just outside Ho Chi Minh City in Đồng Nai Province, Stone Hill Chocolate carries forward the vision of Dr. Pham Hong Duc Phuoc, the Ho Chi Minh City based professor who helped revive Vietnam’s cacao industry in the early 2000s. Founded by Loc Pham, one of Dr. Phuoc’s collaborators, Stone Hill is a family-run company operating on a tree-to-bar model, meaning the chocolate is made entirely from cacao grown and processed on its own farm. This rare level of control, achieved by less than 0.01% of chocolate makers worldwide, ensures controlled quality and transparency. Stone Hill also works with small local farmers who share its commitment to clean, sustainable practices and fair pay. The result is chocolate that reflects the fertile terroir of southern Vietnam rich, balanced, and deeply connected to the region’s agricultural roots.
Belvie Chocolate
Founded by Jannie Ha Tran and Marc Vanborren, Belvie Chocolate blends Belgian chocolate making with Vietnamese cacao to create some of the country’s most refined bars. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Belvie sources cacao beans directly from provinces like Bến Tre, Đồng Nai, and Lâm Đồng, working closely with farmers to ensure quality and fair pay. Their chocolate is bean-to-bar, made only with cacao, cocoa butter, and cane sugar, no additives or emulsifiers. Each origin highlights Vietnam’s terroir, tropical fruit notes from the Mekong Delta and deeper, nutty tones from the Central Highlands. Belvie’s bars have earned international recognition, including Academy of Chocolate Awards.
Alluvia Chocolate
Alluvia Chocolate bridges the gap between Vietnam’s countryside and its biggest city. While the brand’s retail and creative base are in Ho Chi Minh City, its cacao is grown and crafted nearby in Tiền Giang Province, part of the fertile Mekong Delta, just a few hours away. Founded as a family business, Alluvia works directly with local farmers to cultivate and ferment cacao under sustainable, UTZ-certified standards. Their full bean-to-bar process highlights the region’s natural terroir, producing chocolate that’s bright, fruity, and distinctly tropical. With bars ranging from 70% to 100% cacao, Alluvia has become one of southern Vietnam’s most respected makers, showing how the best chocolate often begins just beyond the city limits.
Ho Chi Minh City is the heart of Vietnam’s bean-to-bar movement, each brand celebrates Vietnam’s cacao in its own way. For more on Vietnam’s growing chocolate scene, read our blog The Best Vietnamese Chocolate Brands to Try or shop Marou Chocolate on our website. To explore a variety of makers and flavors, try the Kekao Box, a curated taste of the world’s best craft chocolate.
