When the coffee shop becomes a second classroom
Bui Trang (20 years old, student at the Diplomatic Academy) has a habit of going to coffee shops to study or do group assignments. Each time she sits at a coffee shop, she spends about 50,000-60,000 VND. Sometimes female students spend more money because the shop is more "fancy".
Trang admits that studying at a coffee shop is expensive, but it is a more suitable choice than the library.
“If you study in the school library, everyone has to keep quiet. Therefore, it is quite inconvenient to discuss and do group assignments. Currently in Hanoi, there are many cafes for students to come to study. The cafes are also quite spacious, airy and have air conditioning. In some places, you only need to spend 30,000-50,000 VND to sit all day,” Trang shared.
More and more students choose coffee shops as a place to study and do group assignments (Photo: Le Quynh Chi).
Tran My Duc (20 years old, student at Hoa Binh University) is among the students who regularly pay fees to coffee shops. Usually, the male student not only orders drinks but also orders food because he sits for a long time. On average, Duc spends about 150,000-200,000 VND for each study session at the shop. In a month, the amount of money spent on coffee can be up to a million VND.
According to Duc, Hanoi has many coffee shops that open in the "workspace" model, which is very suitable for studying for many hours.
“There is food, drinks, internet, air conditioning, a place to charge my phone, and friends, so it's less boring than studying at home,” Duc said.
Regarding group assignments, Duc affirmed that “going to a coffee shop is more effective”. The male student said that if only discussing online, the effectiveness of group assignments is very low. There are members who do not say anything in the group, do not even read the messages, or do whatever they are told, and do not participate in the discussion.
Meanwhile, if you meet at a coffee shop, everyone has to have an opinion.
“Our group always requires all members to meet for coffee at least once at the beginning to thoroughly discuss the tasks that need to be done,” Duc shared.
However, both Trang and Duc admit that studying at a coffee shop is not always convenient. At times when the shop is too crowded, the cramped, noisy space can cause distraction. Sometimes, instead of focusing on studying, students spend time chatting and filming TikTok.
Comparing 3 group study spaces including library, coffee shop and chat group, Bui Trang gave the highest score to online form and the lowest score to library.
According to her, libraries are not a place for discussion and have limited opening hours. Coffee shops are convenient in terms of space and time but are expensive. Online meetings ensure all criteria including: private space, flexible time, no cost, no need to travel.
However, each person's ability to work in a group is different, the online format makes some uncooperative members do nothing and the work falls on the active members.
The online format is ineffective for group work, which is one of the reasons students choose coffee shops (Photo: Le Quynh Chi).
“That is the reason why studying in groups at coffee shops is still more popular,” Trang analyzed.
From another perspective, Tran Manh (19 years old, student at the University of Science and Technology) affirmed that the trend of studying at coffee shops is only concentrated among students with good conditions or families in Hanoi.
Not advocating going to coffee shops to study or study in groups, Tran Manh frankly pointed out 3 disadvantages: it costs money, it's difficult to choose a suitable schedule for the whole group, and it's time-consuming.
"The name is to go to a coffee shop to do group work, but there is little discussion, and a lot of gossip. If you meet a familiar group, you will completely forget the lesson," Manh commented. The male student believes that online group work is still the most suitable form for students, "most convenient, fastest, and you can do it after dividing the work."
The Real Reason Behind the Student Coffee Shop Trend
Dr. Pham Ngoc Phuong Thuy, lecturer of Cultural Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, believes that students choosing coffee shops as study spaces is not simply a fad or trend. More deeply, it is the need to access a suitable study space.
According to Dr. Phuong Thuy, students not only need a place to study but also an environment that is comfortable, flexible and convenient for group discussion and interaction.
Dr. Pham Ngoc Phuong Thuy, lecturer of Cultural Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Photo: NVCC).
In fact, the facilities at many universities today are limited and cannot meet this need. Self-study rooms are few in number, libraries are often overloaded, and group study spaces are not optimally designed for discussion or small group work.
Meanwhile, coffee shops meet more practical criteria. Not only selling drinks, coffee shops today also focus heavily on service factors, especially space. From design, lighting, table and chair structure to wifi, power outlets, etc., all are aimed at serving the needs of customers to sit for a long time and work, of which students are an important group.
"Therefore, it can be said that students choosing coffee shops to study and work in groups is a result of the lack of suitable study spaces in schools rather than a temporary trend or simply a personal preference," said Dr. Phuong Thuy.
Dr. Phuong Thuy further analyzed that, compared to the library - a place that requires quietness and high discipline, coffee shops allow students to communicate naturally, proactively present ideas and discuss without having to be under pressure to keep quiet or worry about affecting those around them.
This physical and psychological comfort helps to enhance team spirit, stimulate creativity and promote interaction among members.
Sharing the same view, MSc. Truong Thi Nhu Hang - Lecturer at Duy Tan University - said that the working and studying space at a coffee shop is suitable for the modern lifestyle, and at the same time suitable for the characteristics of some professions that students are trained in, typically communication. Open space helps young people to be more creative, to communicate more naturally, to have a positive working spirit and to be less stressed compared to a pedagogical media space.
However, besides certain benefits, university lecturers also pointed out limitations such as the service environment has many interfering factors, easily causing distraction, loss of concentration, imbalance of time between studying and chatting, entertainment, and low teamwork performance if there is no clear plan.
Cost is also a matter of concern as most students do not earn money and depend on their parents' financial resources, leading to financial pressure when having to keep up with their friends.
On the other hand, according to Dr. Pham Ngoc Phuong Thuy, the coffee shop space - although comfortable and open - is not always suitable for work that requires high concentration, deep thinking or serious, long-term research.
From the above reality, Dr. Phuong Thuy believes that students of universities with good facilities (full libraries, self-study rooms, LAB rooms) should take advantage of academic spaces to study, thereby forming serious and professional study habits.
In the case of choosing a coffee shop, the lecturers emphasize the need to have a clear plan and objectives for each group study session such as what issues will be discussed, what content will be solved and what the desired results will be after the session. Having a clear plan will help avoid the situation where the study session turns into a conversation, gossip without direction and wastes time.
Dr. Phuong Thuy also expressed her hope that universities will pay more attention to developing learning spaces, and have more preferential policies, support and appropriate orientation for this field.
“Investing in the learning environment not only helps students access professional and modern learning spaces but also contributes to improving the quality of training, creating motivation and inspiration in the process of acquiring knowledge,” Dr. Phuong Thuy emphasized.
Le Quynh Chi
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/sinh-vien-dot-bac-trieu-o-quan-ca-phe-hoc-that-hay-ap-luc-hinh-thuc-20251127122400532.htm
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