Anton wanted to build more than a coffee shop with his Bitcoin café — he wanted a place where Bitcoin isn’t just a topic of conversation but something people actually live: a community hub where you can get good food and coffee while learning about Bitcoin for free and connecting with like-minded people.
“More and more people are sensing that something isn’t right anymore. Everything keeps getting more expensive, and despite saving, they often don’t get ahead in real terms, because the debasement of money is happening faster than they can build wealth. Most of them, though, still don’t really understand where this is coming from.”
Anton in Portrait
Anton, 38, is from Augsburg, Germany, and has lived in Da Nang since early 2026. He left Germany to live more freely — and to found ₿itCoffee: a Bitcoin café and community space where Bitcoin isn’t just discussed but experienced firsthand. The café offers free workshops and presentations alongside good coffee and healthy food at fair prices. Anyone who wants to learn more about Bitcoin or connect with fellow enthusiasts is welcome.
Questions and Answers
Hi Anton, tell us a bit about yourself — who are you, and how did you come up with the idea of opening a café in Vietnam?
I’m Anton, from Augsburg. I left Germany because I wanted to live a freer, simpler life. Vietnam won me over with its weather, nature, people, and low cost of living.
The idea for ₿itCoffee actually came about roughly two years ago — back then it was still just a vision, something I figured I might get around to in maybe five years. I wanted to create a place where Bitcoin isn’t just a topic, but something people live: a community meeting point where you get good food and coffee while learning about Bitcoin for free and exchanging ideas with others.
How do you experience Vietnamese people’s relationship with money and saving? Is that baked into the collective mindset, or more of a niche topic?
Vietnamese people are generally frugal and practical. Many have learned to get by with little. Traditionally, they rely mainly on gold, real estate, and cash.
What I’m observing is that more and more people sense that something isn’t right anymore. Everything keeps getting more expensive, and despite saving, they often don’t get ahead in real terms, because the debasement of money is outpacing their ability to build wealth. Most people, though, still don’t really understand where this trend is coming from.
What came first for you: Bitcoin or coffee? Was this always your dream, or did it just happen that way?
Bitcoin came first. I’ve been completely convinced by the idea for years now (since 2021) — especially by the freedom and self-determination that Bitcoin makes possible.
The café grew out of practical necessity: I wanted to build something of my own in Vietnam and create a place where Bitcoin becomes tangible. Coffee turned out to be the perfect bridge — an everyday product that connects people and makes it easy to strike up conversations. Here’s the funny part: I myself don’t actually care much about coffee. I just found it brilliant, the idea of opening a café when what I’m really after is something completely different.
How does a Bitcoin payment work at your place — Lightning, on-chain, Cashu, or all three? What setup do you run at the café?
I run my own full node, including a Lightning node. In practice, payments are currently made in VND, because in Vietnam it’s not legally permitted to price goods and services directly in Bitcoin or accept it as an official means of payment. Everything is already set up on my end, though — as soon as the legal situation changes, it will most likely run over Lightning.
How do guests react when they realize they can pay you with Bitcoin?
The reactions are mostly positive once I explain why it makes more sense to hold onto your sats, and walk them through the reasoning behind it. Online, I sometimes get criticism because you can’t (yet) pay directly with Bitcoin at my place. But ₿itCoffee is about a lot more than that — it’s about education and deeper understanding, not just the payment option itself.
What percentage of your guests actually pay with Bitcoin — and are they mostly tourists, or largely locals?
Right now, nobody pays with Bitcoin on-site, for the legal reasons I mentioned. The guests who engage more deeply with the topic are mostly international visitors (90%), along with a handful of locals who found us through our meetups and our X channel.
What’s the overall mood around Bitcoin in Vietnam — is it being embraced as a new technology, or is there general skepticism?
I met several Vietnamese people a while back who had a strong interest in Bitcoin. Around the Covid period, though, the topic was portrayed very negatively in the media and by official channels, which created fear and hesitation in a lot of people. That attitude is still being passed on in some circles today, even though the landscape has changed considerably since then.
These days, among international guests, I see both enthusiasm and skepticism. The pushback usually comes from the fact that many people are deeply anchored in the existing fiat system and find it hard to imagine that alternatives even exist.
Vietnam tends to rank fairly high in adoption rankings. Does that match your experience, and is there much of a local community?
I think that high ranking comes mainly from heavy P2P trading activity. A visibly organized community like you’d find in some European cities doesn’t really exist yet in Da Nang. We’ve held our first Bitcoin meetups, but turnout has admittedly been modest so far. That’s exactly why ₿itCoffee is meant to be a meeting point — we want to close that gap and build exactly that: a real, physical place for exchange and education. Through ₿itCoffee and its X channel, I’ve already managed to find several Bitcoiners in Da Nang who had no idea a community even existed here. That’s precisely what we want to change.
Coffee and Bitcoin — is there actually a connection between the two?
The name ₿itCoffee came about pretty pragmatically. It has a nice ring to it, it’s easy to remember, and it contains almost the whole word “Bitcoin.” A former business partner of mine — one of the smartest people I’ve ever met — actually gave me the idea. He himself had no connection to Bitcoin at all, but I’m very grateful to him for the name.
The actual decision to build something of my own came from wanting to create a place in Vietnam where Bitcoin is truly lived, not just talked about.
Lastly, is there anything we didn’t ask that you’d like to share with our readers?
For me, Bitcoin isn’t just an investment or a technology — it’s a way of life.
To everyone out there: don’t let all the noise and the endless opinions throw you off. Take a few hours and seriously dig into the topic yourself. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what’s good or bad for you. Your own research and your own understanding matter most.
And if you happen to be in Da Nang, feel free to stop by ₿itCoffee.
₿itCoffee in Vietnam: Interview with Founder Anton
This article is an English translation and adaptation of the original German-language interview published by Coinfinity: “₿itCoffee in Vietnam: Interview mit Gründer Anton”.