This is the life of an average American living in a city like New York or Los Angeles. In the morning, he wakes up, walks into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, of course filled with ice, the cool sensation helps him feel alert right away. Then he stops by Starbucks on his way to work to order a drink with a pile of ice. By noon, it's another glass of ice-filled water. Sometimes the ice even takes up more than half the glass. In the evening, going to a bar with friends, he orders a cocktail that also has ice. Even when drinking beer, it's likely that the beer is kept cold to the point of almost freezing. Because Americans like everything to be really cold. This scene is familiar in America, isn't it?
According to a survey, over 70% of Americans want their drinks to be cold below 5°C and ice is the main factor in achieving this. But why is ice so important? And how massive is the ice industry in America? To understand this, let's turn back time over 200 years to meet a man who changed everything. Federic Tudor, the king of ice. The story began in the 19th century when ice was not something everyone could have, similar to Vietnam a few decades ago. Back then, to get ice, you had to wait for winter to cut it from ponds and lakes and store it in warehouses.
But there was a guy in Boston named Federic Tudor who came up with a crazy idea. He wanted to sell ice to the whole world. It sounds a bit strange because who would buy ice? But Tudor not only succeeded but also turned ice into a multi-million, even billion-dollar industry. In 1802, at just over twenty, Tudor began cutting ice from ponds and hoped to make money. His first trip was a complete failure; the ice melted on the way, and people didn't know what to do with ice. But Tudor didn't give up. He improved preservation by wrapping the ice in sawdust and dry grass to keep it cold longer.
By 1816, ten years later, he began making money selling ice to Cuba and then expanded to India, the southern United States, and even Europe. What was special about Tudor was his marketing approach. He gave away free ice to bars and restaurants and told them to try putting ice in their customers' drinks and see. Customers would surely love it and sell more drinks. And indeed, customers loved the cold sensation of ice. Bars began buying ice in bulk to meet the demand. More than 20 years after the initial idea, Tudor's company was exporting over 12,000 tons of ice each year, earning millions of dollars, a huge figure.
At that time, Tudor was called the ice king, and he sowed the seeds for the American habit of drinking iced water. Initially, technology was not as advanced as today, so the American ice industry began with harvesting natural ice from frozen ponds and rivers. In winter, thousands of workers would cut ice with hand saws or use horses. They cut the ice into large blocks and then pulled them into storage. The ice storage was an important part, consisting of huge buildings over 20 meters high built with insulation from sawdust and straw. The cut ice would be transported by ship, train, or even horse-drawn carts to the hot southern cities.
The peak of the natural ice industry was in the 1880s when ice became a symbol of wealth. Every middle-class family had an icebox, and this industry was the second-largest export in the United States, only after cotton. But this industry was also fraught with danger. Workers often got injured from heavy ice, cold water, or accidents while cutting ice. Additionally, warmer-than-usual winters could cause ice shortages and disrupt supply.
By the early 20th century, ice began to be mass-produced and started to surpass natural ice in some areas in terms of output. At this point, people were interested in how to create ice from regular water. By 2025, the ice industry in America had become a massive sector focused on producing packaged ice and ice machines. Overall, the ice industry in America brought in $2.5 billion annually, equivalent to about half of what Vietnam earns from rice exports each year. And this figure in America continues to rise due to demand from cold drinks, food, and events. Now let's talk about the present.
In America, ice is not just something to cool down; it is a part of the culture. When you enter a restaurant, whether it's a casual diner or a fancy restaurant, your drink is always full of ice. Even in the freezing winter, many people still order iced drinks. Americans spend over $100 billion each year on cold beverages, from iced sodas to iced coffee. Iced coffee is one of the big stars with revenues of $17.7 billion from places like Starbucks and other chains. But did you know? A large iced coffee at Starbucks sometimes contains only 40% coffee, the rest is ice. This has caused controversy, but customers still buy it because they love that cool sensation.
Ice is also the standard of service in America.
If a restaurant forgets to add ice, customers can complain right away. Even in fast-food chains, employees are trained to ensure customers' drinks are always full of ice, unless the customer has a special request. And have you noticed? Americans are willing to pay extra for more ice because for them, ice makes drinks taste better, cooler, and more enjoyable. Now let's compare this to Europe. If you've ever been to major cities in Europe, you will definitely notice a big difference. Ice is not as common as in America. In America, ice is the default. In Europe, sometimes you have to ask for it, and sometimes you get strange looks.
Why is that?
Firstly, it's due to culture. Europeans prefer to preserve the original flavor of their drinks. They view drinks as an art, and ice is sometimes seen as compromising the original taste, making the drink less enjoyable. Secondly, in many European countries, especially in smaller cities, ice machines or industrial refrigerators are not as common as in America. Because they are not accustomed to it, they do not like to invest, not because they lack money. Thirdly, regarding health, in Europe and some Asian countries, people believe that warm water is better for the body.
For example, in China or Singapore, where there are many Chinese and people of Chinese descent, restaurants often serve warm water because they believe it aids digestion and does not cause temperature shock. Although Europe and Asia are clearly different from America, the culture of iced drinks is spreading globally, especially thanks to American fast-food chains and coffee shops. Chains like Starbucks, McDonald's, or KFC bring ice to everywhere. In large cities, you start to see restaurants serving iced water to cater to tourists, especially Americans.
So what about Vietnam?
In Vietnam, ice is not just a block of frozen water in the refrigerator; it is also a part of life, culture, and even an essential part of a whole culinary tradition. We jokingly call it street food culture. Because in a hot country like Vietnam, drinking anything without ice feels lacking. Even in the cold winter in the North, people are still used to drinking iced drinks and eating ice cream. It is not wrong to say that iced tea is the national drink; just 3000 VND now, a bit more expensive, and you have a refreshing glass of iced tea to sip on. And in coffee shops, it is obvious that you must order iced milk coffee; few people drink hot milk coffee in the sweltering 35-degree summer.
As for drinking establishments, it's needless to say. Beer must have ice. It has become an unwritten rule. Some even prefer to add a lot of ice so that the beer is both diluted and cold, allowing them to drink more and for longer. This habit stems from Vietnam's climate. Vietnam is hot and humid, with blinding sunshine, and sweat pours down continuously. Each glass of iced water feels like a savior helping the body cool down. In Japan, people can be proud of drinking hot tea all year round.
In Europe, the best beer is beer without added ice. In Vietnam, if there is no ice, it feels like half the enjoyment is lost. This story has gradually become a part of the identity. The coldness of ice blends with the sounds of traffic outside, the laughter of friends creating a very Vietnamese picture. I remember when I was young in the countryside, ice was very rare because not every house had a refrigerator. Back then, buying a bag of ice made in a freezer and then using it to eat with sweet soup or mix with lemon syrup was very delicious.
Today, Vietnamese people consume tens of thousands of tons of ice daily from coffee shops, drinking establishments, karaoke bars to street food stalls. Everywhere needs ice. There are two main types: block ice and cube ice. Block ice is very long, very heavy, transported on trucks and then broken at the shop. Cube ice is more compact, packaged, and cheaper. It may seem like just a supplementary material, but it turns out to be a significant source of revenue. The story of ice, such as clean ice and dirty ice, has also stirred society. Many ice production facilities used to only use unfiltered well water, which could easily be contaminated. Drinkers consumed it carelessly, while their stomachs had to bear the consequences.
Today, large restaurant chains even invest in their own ice machines to control quality. Overall, the ice industry in Vietnam is like a giant lurking in the shadows. Few mention it, but it is present every day because just imagine a sweltering summer day when you walk into a drinking establishment with a beer without ice, coffee without ice, tea without ice; who would call it iced tea? Surely that would be a feeling as dull as a fried bug overwhelming.