When your usual street coffee stall isn’t hitting the spot, cafe-hopping covers our goals of getting good coffee and food, IG-worthy pictures, and relaxation – and that includes those of Vietnamese millennials.
Whether you’re a caffeine lover or simply looking for pictures to brighten up your feed, check out these unique Instagrammable cafés in Saigon with treehouses, windmills, vintage cars, and sprawling water features for your next Saigon snaps.
Image adapted from: Cong Caphe
Cong Caphe has more than 50 outlets in Vietnam – and more in South Korea. But while their decor is pretty much the same across the board, the outlet that you’ll want to visit is the one in Huong Vuong in District 7 as it is their largest outlet.
Once you enter, you’ll be greeted by an impressive 5-metre high book wall literally stuffed with real old books. It houses a wooden mezzanine half-floor reminiscent of an old shophouse.
The antique typewriters, rotary dial telephones, Singer sewing machine-tables, flowery cushions set on low wooden benches, the intentional dim lighting, and even the serving staff’s traditional communist-style green outfits simply ooze 1970s retro charm.
Image credit: Cong Caphe
Their coconut with coffee (VND45,000, ~USD1.95) is a favorite among those who want a cuppa that’s not too strong.
Image adapted from: Cong Caphe
While they don’t sell many food items here, they do sell more traditional snack items such as spicy starchy corn (VND25,000, ~USD1.08), dried pulled beef (VND40,000, ~USD1.73), croissant served with condensed milk (VND25,000, ~USD1.08) – all of them meant to remind you of the flavours of 1970s Vietnam.
Address: Various locations
Opening hours: 7AM-11PM, Daily
Website
The Middle Eastern-themed room
Image credit: Au Parc Saigon
Just a short hop away from the must-visit-while-in-Saigon Reunification Palace is Au Parc, a one-of-a-kind Mediterranean and Middle Eastern bistro café that faces the gigantic Thong Nhat Park in front of the palace.
A bar counter
Image credit: Au Parc Saigon
Every floor in this café has a different theme and flavour, so chill at the lounging chairs in its yellow Middle Eastern-themed room, enjoy the hustle and bustle at the bar counters on the ground floor, or soak in the thoroughly Mediterranean mood up on the rooftop floor with a gorgeous park view.
The rooftop floor
Image credit: Au Parc Saigon
Throngs of diners flock this cafe for its awesome food, and it’s packed during lunch hours starting from noon, so it’s best to visit in the morning to get pictures that are not cluttered with people. Au Parc does well in almost all their dishes, but their extensive vegan menu is one that received rave reviews from numerous vegans.
Vegan Mezze
Image adapted from: Au Parc Saigon
While you may not be a vegan, you just might want to try some of their vegan dishes simply because of how good they look even in photos. One of them is the Vegan Mezze (VND180,000, ~USD7.73).
Address: 23 Han Thuyen, Ben Nghe, District 1
Opening hours: 7.30AM-10.30PM, Daily
Telephone: 028 3829 2772
Website
Image credit: Propaganda Saigon
Propaganda is right next to Au Parc, and is its Vietnamese sister bistro café. Now before you get uneasy about that name in communist Vietnam, their key motto has cleverly explained that they, “Propagate The Food, The Mood, The Art”.
So if there’s anything you should be worried about, it should be about which camera angle will get you the best pictures of their gorgeous propaganda “pop art” splashed everywhere — on their walls, couches, menus, and so on.
BBQ pork and fried spring rolls on rice noodles
Image credit: @trinh.m28
Here, you can order home-cooked Vietnamese dishes to savor and obviously to snap more photos of. Try the rather sinful yet refreshing mix of BBQ pork and fried spring rolls on rice noodles at VND125,000 (~USD5.37). It is not as cheap as those at the street food stalls, but the great view overlooking the park more than makes up for it.
Address: 21 Han Thuyen, Ben Nghe, District 1
Opening hours: 7.30AM-10.30PM, Daily
Telephone: 028 3829 2772
Website
Image adapted from: Ca Phe Co Ba Dong Khoi
Co Ba Dong Khoi Rooftop Café is prominently located on the corner of Dong Khoi street – the most famous shopping street in Ho Chi Minh City.
Image credit: @_nguyencao
Its strategic location means you can catch views of both the majestic Saigon river on one side, and the bustling cityscape on the other.
Image credit: @caphecoba
Other than its panoramic view of Saigon, items such as a gramophone and a real BMW vintage motorcycle, with intimately arranged old school wooden furniture and paintings, all help to create the perfect backdrop of old 1980s Saigon.
Cơm Tấm Sườn Chả Trứng
Image adapted from: Ca Phe Co Ba Dong Khoi
Though having rice for breakfast might be a little too filling for many, one of Vietnam’s favourite breakfast is exactly this sumptuous dish of Cơm Tấm Sườn Chả Trứng (VND79,000, ~USD3.39), which is broken rice with grilled pork, a fried sunny-side up egg, and a slice of Vietnamese steamed omelette meatloaf with pork. Eat it with crunchy preserved vegetables, complete with a sweet blend of fish sauce that most locals will drench their rice in.
It’s available only for breakfast, so come before 11AM – that’s usually when they switch to selling the lunch menu – if you want to try this delicious brunch.
Address: 5th floor, No. 2-4-6 Dong Khoi, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
Opening hours: 7.30AM-11PM, Daily
Telephone: 028 3823 3658
Website
Featuring a whopping 7-metre tall windmill as its anchor decoration, numerous miniature windmills, varying styles of country houses, ponds and water fountains, remodeled vintage cars, Vespas and virtually extinct Vietnamese cyclos all spread out over their terraced floors of varying heights, you’ll feel as if you’ve entered Alice’s Wonderland at Country Houses Café.
Image credit: Country Houses Cafe
On any given day, you’re bound to run into couples posing for wedding photos here, or groups of youths excitedly exploring the space and finding the best backdrop for a cute photo. These groups certainly help create an exciting vibe around the cafe, almost like that of a country house theme park.
Image adapted from: Country Houses Cafe
Service staff are extremely helpful too and will not hesitate to help you take a few pictures, and might even advise you on which angle to take the best shot.
Bún Bò Huế Bắp Bò (Hue Beef Noodles with pork trotters at VND60,000, ~USD2.61)
Image credit: Country Houses Cafe
This place is not just pretty, it serves up some pretty unique coffees too – such as Mexican coffee with kahlua, cream, and Chantily, Bailey’s coffee, and rum coffee. Their beverage options include cocktails too, such as Margarita, Long Island, and Singapore Sling. The best part? Most of their items are priced at around VND55,000 (~USD2.39).
Address: 18C Phan Van Tri, Go Vap District
Opening hours: 7AM-11PM, Daily
Telephone: 028 3921 2350
Website
Image adapted from: @ntan567
Charm a date or catch up with the girlfriends at Khanh Casa’s whimsical Ho Chi Minh City outlets. A good place to start is Khanh Casa Vegetarian and Tea Garden, opulent with plush Tiffany blue Victorian-style leather seats and a ceiling completely covered in beaded, hanging crystals.
Image credit: @huang.liiiii
Their Khanh Casa Dong Khoi outlet is a palatial-looking three-storey café with a full grand piano sitting on its ground floor, a full-sized porcelain horse sculpture, and dozens of floating bird cages acting as a giant chandelier.
Image credit: @davu2357
Even though their newest outlet, Khanh Casa Tea House, is much smaller compared to its sister outlets, you will still be wowed by their signature theme of grandeur when you enter – with its gigantic low-hanging chandelier, paired with the plush royal blue sofas fitting a Disney princess movie scene.
Image credit: @nekohoang
To complete the royal look, order their Sweet Cake Set (VND195,000, ~USD8.37) that comes on a golden two-layer dessert stand, complete with their unique teas such as Champagne Sangria Tea or Berry Almond Amaretto Tea (VND125,000, ~USD5.37 each) that are served in golden tea pots.
Address: Khanh Casa Vegetarian and Tea Garden, 77 Ham Nghi Street, District 1
Khanh Casa Tea House, 48-50 Dong Khoi Street; or 66 Le Loi, Saigon Centre, District 1
Opening hours: 8AM-10.30PM, Daily
Image credit: @doracho__
Maison Marou Saigon’s founders were two expats who chanced upon hectares of abandoned cocoa farms in different parts of Vietnam due to the abrupt departure of the French in 1954, leaving local farmers not knowing what to do with the cocoa beans they were commanded to grow.
Image credit: @by.pong
The founders are now using their award-winning, locally sourced cocoa to create all the delish choco-products right here in this café. Chocolate connoisseurs around the world sat up and took notice when Marou won the coveted Gold Medal at the International Chocolate Awards in 2014.
Image credit: Maison Marou Saigon
Though small, Maison Marou houses a chocolate boutique shop up front, café in the middle, and a real chocolate factory in the back. Sure, you can certainly order coffee here, but their signature Marou hot chocolate (VND90,000, ~USD3.86) and the brownies (VND60,000, ~USD2.58) are the reason why you’ll return.
Address: 167-169 Calmette Street, District 1
Opening hours: Mon – Thu 9AM-10PM, Fri – Sun 9AM-11PM
Telephone: 028 7300 5010
Website
Image credit: @ngadoan_98
Bring all your friends to Du Mien Garden Coffee, probably the only café in Ho Chi Minh City with a real treehouse that can sit up to 20 people at any one time. The treehouse overlooks a gigantic water fountain and pond in its front yard, so you can soak in tranquility while enjoying the food and view.
Image credit: DU MIÊN Garden Coffee
The grounds are expansive – covering around 1.5 hectares, the size of a football field or a small shopping mall. Just a 30-minute drive from the city center, this is an ideal place to escape from the city’s busy traffic and chill with your friends.
Image credit: @canaryhoangyen
Bánh mì and Bún Bò Huế are just two of the numerous local cuisines at the cafe, while vegetarians have plenty of dishes and salads to choose from. They even have unique beverages such as Matcha with Sticky Pineapple (VND59,000, ~USD2.55) and the decadent Du Mien Special Milk Tea aka “trà sữa DU MIÊN đặc biệt” (VND61,000, ~USD2.62) which contains cream, black and white pearls, cheese jelly, fruit pudding, and yoghurt glass jelly.
Address: 07 Phan Van Tri Street, Go Vap District
Opening hours: 7.00AM-11.00PM, Daily
Telephone: 028 3894 5555
Website
Image credit: @bebennbenn
One of Ho Chi Minh City’s first boutique-and-cafe hangouts, L’Usine is a local scenester’s favorite. Feel as if you’re in a high-end New York boutique at L’Usine’s Dong Khoi outlet, built in a warehouse-like building with floor-to-ceiling arched windows.
Image credit: @ritasuzy
Their Le Loi outlet has a large balcony facing one of the busiest streets in the city. Paired with the interior design that’s a mix between industrial chic and antique, it makes for the perfect backdrop for a retro photo op.
Tenderloin Beef Kimchi Fried Rice
Image credit: @lusinespace
Their fusion dishes such as the Tenderloin Beef Kimchi Fried Rice with Poached Egg (VND195,000, ~USD8.37) and all-day breakfast items such as Crab & Avocado Toast with Salmon Caviar (VND210,000, ~USD9.01) are worth trying.
Crab and avocado toast
Image credit: @lusinespace
Most of their dessert items are winners – such as their classic brownie (VND40,000, ~USD1.72) and their fried banana with coconut ice cream (VND85,000, ~USD3.65) will leave you wanting more.
Address: Various locations
Opening hours (Le Thanh Ton, Dong Khoi, Le Loi, Thao Dien, and Phu My Hung outlets): 7AM-10PM, Daily
Website
Image adapted from: Cafe EON
Café EON is on the 50th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower, the city’s second-tallest building, and boasts a full-glass 360-degree view of the city.
Image credit: Cafe EON
You can also take a photo with Bitexco Tower’s famed helipad from the cafe’s bar on the 52nd floor.
Hu tieu bo kho (beef stew with noodles)
Image credit: Cafe EON
For munchies, you can select from a wide variety of Vietnamese side dishes and mains, averaging VND125,000 (~USD5.37) each, while business lunches with salad and a drink are good value too at VND195,000 (~USD8.37) each. That’s also the reason why this café deserves a mention – it does not make its prices exorbitantly high despite its prime venue, and is suitable even for young children given its fully enclosed grounds.
Also check out this view from the 49th-floor observation pad while you’re at Bitexco:
Address: Level 50-52, Bitexco Financial Tower, 2 Hai Trieu, District 1
Opening hours: 8AM-11.30PM, Daily for Cafe EON on Level 50
Telephone: 028 6291 8750
Website
As more and more people are working from home and Vietnamese tourist destinations are restricting their opening hours, these Instagrammable cafés in Saigon are a good way to discover the city’s food and cafe culture if you happen to be in town. After all, local cafe owners need your support in this uneasy economic period.
If you’re still hungry in Saigon, also check out:
Cover image adapted from: Country Houses Cafe, Cong Caphe, Propaganda Saigon
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