Robusta is filler coffee, true, but Vietnam is not the only producer of robusta and there is a use for the humble stuff after all. Most coffee drinkers across the world can’t pay for the good stuff.
From what I’ve read, the point is that even as robusta goes, Vietnamese coffee was generally of poor quality.
From December 2001, the following link was a product offering on Sweet Maria’s:
The quote:
“Vietnamese Robusta: A Cruel Joke?
I thought it would be interesting to offer single Lbs. of the coffee that is taking over the universe: Vietnamese Robusta. It seems it would be fun to give home roasters the chance to try out some of the lowliest coffee on the market, the stuff that ends up in the cheapest pre-ground coffee blends in your supermarket. This coffee will set you back a big .75 cents per Lb. and we ask you to respect our 1 Lb. limit for your safety and for my sanity. Please do not consider our offering of this coffee as a Sweet Maria’s endorsement of this … er… crap.”