Thai Binh: Coffee shop in the middle of rice fields, owner even prepares mosquito repellent

(Dan Tri) - With just a cart and a few tables and chairs, the coffee shop located right next to the rice fields in Thai Binh offers customers the experience of freely breathing in the scent of rice in a peaceful setting at dusk.

For over a month now, around 4pm every day, Mr. NTT and his staff have been pushing the cart out to the rice fields not far from home. The wooden cart has a roof designed to remind us of the tiled roofs of traditional Northern houses of the past.

Although compact, the car is still fully equipped with mixing tools, beverage ingredients, cups, spoons, styrofoam boxes for ice...

The coffee shop consists of just a cart and a few simple tables and chairs, arranged in a row next to the field (Photo: Character provided).

While the staff quickly cleaned up and arranged a dozen or so tables and chairs neatly in a long row along the second lane of the field, Mr. T. made the final preparations to get ready for the new business day. But the difference is that the shop opens to welcome customers in the late afternoon, from 5pm to 10pm every day, depending on the weather conditions.

For locals in Dong Hung district ( Thai Binh province), the sight of a small coffee shop nestled in the middle of a vast rice field is gradually becoming familiar. For ease of remembering, they call it the rice field coffee shop.

Mr. T. had experience running 2 coffee shops for about 6 years.

"In the rice fields of Thai Binh, agriculture is still the foundation. My childhood was also closely linked to the fields and rice plants, while many young people today do not know much about this, or have never even had access to it.

For that reason, I want to create a new coffee shop for customers to experience the peaceful space of the countryside," Mr. T. confided.

Guests sit next to the blooming rice fields, inhaling the fragrance of the countryside (Photo: Character provided).

From the center of Dong Hung town, at the intersection near the district hospital, go straight for a few dozen meters to get there.

Unlike the usual coffee shop model, this small and simple coffee shop is only packed with a cart and a few dozen tables and chairs. About 70% of the customers coming to the shop are young people who love new things and want to experience something unique.

Ms. Thu Thuy (20 years old, Thai Binh) learned about the coffee shop through pictures on social networks. Out of curiosity, the customer and her friend took advantage of the weekend to experience it.

"Some people joke that sitting in a coffee shop in the middle of a field and drinking coffee is just a worry of being bitten by mosquitoes or insects. The shop is equipped with mosquito repellent and insect spray for customers, so I don't think this is a big problem.

Instead, experiencing the scent of new rice in the middle of a vast field is a very different feeling compared to drinking coffee within four walls and having to cool down with air conditioning," the guest commented.

At night, each table has an additional lamp (Photo: Character provided).

It is known that on pesticide spraying days, the restaurant is temporarily closed to ensure the health of customers. With the desire to bring a space to experience nature, Mr. T. admitted that this form of business can only be done seasonally, completely depending on weather factors.

"We also consider that it will be more difficult to do business on rainy, windy, and cold winter days. However, I still want to contribute to promoting the beautiful image of Thai Binh rice land," Mr. T. shared.

According to research, the shop serves traditional drinks such as coffee, tea, milk tea and some rice-related drinks such as roasted rice water, roasted rice Oolong tea with prices ranging from 20,000 VND to 25,000 VND.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/thai-binh-quan-ca-phe-giua-canh-dong-lua-chu-quan-chuan-bi-ca-thuoc-muoi-20250526155324383.htm