Unique coffee shop that 'pays' customers for reading books in Ho Chi Minh City

A quiet space amidst the digital life

Sam At Book and Coffee on Nguyen Thai Binh Street (Bay Hien Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) has initiated a unique challenge: Read 100 hours of books to receive a reward of 500,000 VND. Beyond its material value, this initiative creates a quiet space, encouraging many people, especially young people, to leave their phones and return to the world of books.

In an age where almost everyone is glued to their smartphone screens, finding a quiet space dedicated to books and concentration is becoming more and more valuable. Ms. Nguyen Hoang Bao Ngoc (residing in Tan Son Nhat ward), a participant in the challenge, commented: “In this age of technological development, the image of people sitting and reading books is becoming increasingly rare, and even rarer in Vietnam.”

Realizing that situation and hoping that “people will pay more attention to books”, Mr. Le Ba Tan, owner of Sam At Book and Coffee, launched this special program. According to him, this is not only an event, but also an invitation to perseverance: “A challenge that, as a book lover, I understand will be very difficult to carry out”.

Mr. Tan shared that although he knew about the difficulties, he did not expect that the program would receive such a great response. The program is designed simply: “Everyone just needs to come to the shop, bring their favorite book or choose a book available at the shop, read and accumulate hours. When 100 hours are reached, you will receive a cash reward of 500,000 VND”.

Tan’s goal is not to use money to attract, but to create initial motivation. He wants young people to challenge themselves: “Take this challenge to see if you have enough perseverance and patience to put your phone down for a few hours a day.” He also mentioned the book Good and Evil Smartphone by author Dang Hoang Giang and admitted that “technology has many good points but also very bad points.”

This passion comes from his personal experience. Mr. Tan confided: “During my studies, I realized that books changed my life in a positive way. Through the challenge, I hope young people will pay more attention to books, read more and realize that books have a great impact on each person and society.”

To ensure fairness and accuracy, the program operates on a self-disciplined basis. Participants only need to check in and out with the staff to record their entry and exit times, and then the total reading time will be added up. An important rule is not to use phones or electronic devices during the reading process. Mr. Tan explained: “The shop has cameras installed, but not to strictly control or monitor; mainly to record and encourage your self-disciplined spirit.”

The program started on October 1 and quickly attracted the attention of many book lovers. According to Mr. Tan, so far, nearly 10 people have reached the 100-hour reading milestone, the total number of check-ins is nearly 300 and the shop is preparing small, cute confirmation cards to send as encouragement.

100 Hours of Reading: Challenge Yourself and Develop Emotional Intelligence

Huynh Phuc Sang, a student at the University of Industry and Commerce, came to the challenge because of his passion for books. After researching book cafes online, Sang accidentally learned about the Sam At Book and Coffee program. “Here, I not only read my favorite psychology books but also learn about specialized books such as affiliate marketing or marketing to improve my knowledge. This challenge is very interesting, attractive and attracts many young people,” Sang shared.

Also coming to the program because of her love for books, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Bao Ngoc (living in Tan Son Nhat ward) said that the coffee shop model combined with reading books is an interesting idea, both encouraging reading culture and suitable for personal interests. “When I read a little, it takes about 30 minutes, and when I have free time, it can take from one and a half to two hours. If this model develops strongly, it will encourage many young people, creating a suitable space to maintain and spread the habit of reading books,” Ms. Bao Ngoc said.

Hao, who currently lives in Ho Chi Minh City, has a realistic view on the impact of rewards. Hao commented: “This challenge is quite good. If reading is not encouraged or rewarded, the habit of reading will be difficult to spread. Although many people like to read, that number is not the majority.”

Mr. Hao added: “I hope that through the challenge, many young people will have more motivation to read books. Although the reward is okay at first, the important thing is that in the long run, the habit will form and help you truly love reading, this is valuable.”

Not only looking at the challenge from an encouraging perspective, Mr. Hao emphasized the importance of returning to core values such as handwriting or reading, things that technology cannot replace. “Those are activities that cultivate human character, or in other words, intelligence and emotion, which are two important factors that technology cannot do,” he explained.

According to Mr. Hao, modern people need to balance between following technological trends and retaining the emotions that only humans have. For him, reading is also an effective way to practice concentration: “Although there are many ways to reduce stress, reading books in particular helps me practice high concentration. When I return to work, my mind feels cleaner and clearer.”

It can be seen that, whether it comes from a reward or personal passion, the 100-hour reading challenge has succeeded in creating a “quiet space” for people to “immerse themselves in books”. Beyond the value of 500,000 VND, what the participants and founders aim for is to build a lasting habit, spread the reading culture and practice high concentration and emotional intelligence, values that the technological world cannot yet bring.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/doc-dao-quan-ca-phe-tra-cong-cho-khach-doc-sach-o-tp-ho-chi-minh-20251110111458463.htm