Old apartment cafe in Ho Chi Minh City

There is a type of chill coffee shop that city people or those who like to explore are fascinated by, which is coffee in old apartment buildings.

Sounds a bit strange! The cute feeling is right there!

These cafes are like a little secret for everyone. To get there, you have to park your car a few hundred meters away. And you have to walk up the old stairs to several floors. At first, it seems a bit difficult, but when you get there, it's "cool"...

Cà phê chung cư cũ ở TP HCM - Ảnh 1. — Illustration

Entering the shop, you feel like you are lost in another space. It is not noisy or bustling. Usually these shops also have their own style of decoration, which looks cute! The tables and chairs are sometimes old items that have been repaired, then add some vases, peacock fabric or a sewing machine rack, a black and white TV in the corner.

The fragrant smell of coffee, mixed with the old smell of the wall peeling off over time, gives you a strange feeling! Sitting in a coffee shop here, you don't need to be reserved at all. You can comfortably order a cup of coffee or any drink you like, then sip it while looking down at the old roofs and small alleys to clearly see the lives of the people in this city.

You can sit and read books, work or simply chat with friends without worrying about disturbing anyone. You can also take satisfying photos because there are green, virtual living corners.

Actually, going to drink coffee in an old apartment building is not just about drinking water but also about having an experience, like finding a bit of the past, the slowness in the middle of the city, which cannot be found everywhere.

If you have the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh City or simply want to change the atmosphere on the weekend, try finding coffee shops in old apartment buildings!

(Entry to the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea" under the program "Honoring Vietnamese coffee and tea" for the 3rd time, 2025 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).