Sip a cup of coffee in the city

On a weekend morning, I took a run around the old Bien Hoa city. The weather was really pleasant, the sky was a deep blue, the golden sunlight danced over the green trees. The canopy of the Lagerstroemia tree had a few faded flowers that had not yet fallen from their branches because of nostalgia for the old season. The smell of roasted coffee with a hint of butter attracted me, making my steps hesitate.

Coffee shops are located close together on Vo Thi Sau Street (Tran Bien Ward), open 24/7, as if not wanting to miss a single moment of the city. Those shops are often the virtual check-in places of young people, the ideal workplaces of office workers. But there are also cozy, quiet, classic coffee shops, located next to modern shops that keep up with the times on Nguyen Van Tri Street. Those places are more poetic, for weekend dates, when people temporarily forget about the hustle and bustle of work and making a living to have a moment of peace and tranquility.

Sipping a sip of bitter coffee, I suddenly realized that Bien Hoa people are open-minded and sociable, so coffee shops are an indispensable space. Perhaps, coffee has been present in the heart of the city from the past to the present, long enough to blend into the cultural flow of this place. Illustration: Minh Thanh

Along the roads, shabby coffee shops appear on the sidewalks, where buses and coaches often stop for a while and then quickly leave. The shop owner has prepared coffee in a large pot, quickly pours it into a paper cup, adds a little sugar, a little milk and a lot of ice, and the coffee is taken to the busy people to make a living.

Coffee making styles are as diverse as the pace of life here. Highlands Coffee on Dong Khoi Street (Tam Hiep Ward), with the style of machine brewing, a cup of espresso is poured into a cup, bringing an irresistible rich flavor. Sitting here with colleagues, we discussed digital transformation. I joked: even coffee shops also promote digitalization in payment, then in a few years, we will probably be as proficient in technology as people are familiar with the taste of a cup of coffee in the morning. As soon as I finished speaking, in my hand was a black card ringing, my friend laughed and said: "It's your turn to serve yourself coffee". I'm not very familiar with it, but looking around, I see that young people quite like the style of cashless payment and self-service coffee shops like this.

I admit that I have not caught up with the modern pace of life, I still prefer traditional style coffee shops. A garden cafe that is spacious and airy enough, with enough space for chatting without encroaching on other people's private space is always my first choice.

Therefore, Thuy Tien cafe right next to the peaceful Dong Nai river (Tran Bien ward), under the shade of an ancient banyan tree reflecting on the red, alluvial water, watching the Ghenh bridge from afar made an impression on me from the first time I visited. A cup of filter coffee was brought out, each drop of coffee slowly dripping down the cup, suitable for those who like to live slowly. I like to sit and drink coffee with close friends. The instrumental music of Paul Mauriat resounded from the old radio, mixed with stories about old Dong Nai, making me love this land even more.

In my observation, the sidewalk cafes are usually more crowded and have a very distinctive mark of the street. A small corner on the street, a hidden cafe, the atmosphere is both hurried and leisurely. Those who want to be fast can be fast, this city still has many leisurely people.

Nguyen Tham

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202510/nham-nhi-ly-ca-phe-o-pho-thi-8b43f80/