Ho Chi Minh Cafes: Discovering Local Saigon Gems
Ever wonder where locals grab their coffee in Ho Chi Minh City? Join us on a casual stroll through Saigon's vibrant streets as we uncover authentic, hidden gem cafes near Ben Thanh Market.
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Ever wonder where locals grab their coffee in Ho Chi Minh City? Join us on a casual stroll through Saigon's vibrant streets as we uncover authentic, hidden gem cafes near Ben Thanh Market.
Ho Chi Minh City Independent Travel: Local Cafes
Exactly as the title suggests, this is my independent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
If my previous 'Ho Chi Minh City Must-Visit Spots' and 'Hidden Gems' series
were a compilation of my recommended spots & popular hotspots,
this post is simply about the places I stumbled upon while just wandering around.
I put so much energy into those previous posts,
so this one feels like a little breather... lol
Local Saigon Cafe
Local Saigon Cafe
For my independent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
this was the first cafe I freely wandered into.
It's a cafe located near Ben Thanh Market.
I went in because it was just too hot! lolll
But as soon as I walked in,
there was no air conditioning.......
And I had gone in because of the heat....
I briefly considered going somewhere else..... but
then I'd have to step back out into the scorching sun
and walk to another place, so I just decided to sit down.
Actually, it was unexpectedly
atmospheric and had a great vibe, which definitely played a part... lol
First things first, time to order.
After deliberating among the options with a "thumbs-up" sign,
I ordered something that looked a bit special lolll
While waiting, I snapped a picture of the view outside.
The overall atmosphere and vibe were quite nice.
The taste wasn't anything particularly special,
but it was refreshing enough to drink.
However, because of the heat, I guzzled it down so fast
that the quantity wasn't as much as I expected.
📍 12 Thủ Khoa Huân, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
12 Thủ Khoa Huân, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Local Saigon Cafe
Operating Hours: 8:00 AM ~ 10:00 PM
Location: 12 Thủ Khoa Huân, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe
Trung Nguyên Legend Café
This is the second cafe on my independent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
It's the Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe.
This place is super famous, but I was the only one who didn't know it! lolll
It's operated by Trung Nguyên, the company behind G7 coffee.
When you go, you can also buy coffee beans,
and they even say you can brew and drink it yourself, so I decided to check it out.
There are several branches,
and the one I visited was the branch near Ben Thanh Market.
And get this, even before I knew about this place,
I had never even noticed a cafe like this.
Not even once while wandering around Ho Chi Minh City.
It really goes to show, you only see what you know...
As soon as you enter, you'll see coffee beans displayed like this on the right side.
You can even buy the coffee beans on the left side by weight.
(Those are for display; when you purchase, they'll get the beans from elsewhere)
First, let's order! lolll
Naturally, I ordered the signature drink again.
I ordered the Legend Coffee Special,
The price was.... 170,000 VND.... almost ~$6.
That's more expensive than most cafes in Korea! lolll
After snapping another picture of the side menu above,
it was time to start admiring the coffee.
After a quick look around, I headed upstairs,
I mean, if there are several floors,
it's only natural to check them all out, right?!
I went to the 2nd floor, and it was quite busy.
So, I made my way to the 3rd floor.
It was much quieter there.
Guess people couldn't be bothered to climb one more flight of stairs, haha!
Freedom to take all the photos I want! lolol
Just then, my coffee arrived.
They brought it right to where I was sitting.
There's a certain joy in waiting for each drop to fall.
But here's the thing...
It's seriously, incredibly strong! haha!
The coffee is so potent, haha! Almost like an espresso.
It's a bit better if you mix it with the condensed milk and ice they provide,
but plain... whoa.
And I usually love black coffee, too! lol
Even though it's a cafe, there are way more books than I expected,
plus these framed pictures, and some even stuck to the ceiling,
so I looked into it a bit...
Turns out, about four years ago, the CEO announced plans to transform Trung Nguyen Legend Cafe
into a book cafe concept,
and stock it with books! haha!
I'm not sure if they're still maintaining that concept to this day,
but all the books seemed to be the same ones! lolol
Anyway,
this is probably one of the cafes in Vietnam
that sells the most expensive coffee.
Might be worth a visit just for the experience?
Or if you need coffee beans as a souvenir or gift!
📍 219 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 760000 Vietnam
219 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 760000 Vietnam
Trung Nguyen Legend Cafe
Operating Hours: 6:30 AM ~ 9:00 PM
Phone: +84 28 3825 8847
Location: 219 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 760000
PhinDeli
PhinDeli Café
The final stop of my spontaneous Ho Chi Minh City trip.
To be honest, I should say upfront,
this place isn't exactly a recommendation, haha!
I generally love coffee,
and I also enjoy Vietnamese-style coffee.
Both sweet and unsweetened!
And so, as I was passing by...
I happened to see this...
Underneath PhinDeli, it said in small letters:
Modern Vietnam Coffee
I saw this.
Hmm?
I love Vietnamese coffee, but what makes 'modern' different?
Driven by that single curiosity, I went in, haha!
The prices were quite reasonable.
I wasn't really thinking about dinner,
but I ordered a Banh Mi to just settle for a meal here.
Since the trip was long,
eating delicious food was good, of course,
but the process of finding popular restaurants and getting there became too cumbersome,
so I'd often just grab something quick or skip meals altogether...
(Oh, of course, in the early stages of the trip, I did seek out and eat everything!)
The weather also seemed to play a role.
I had no appetite.
I thought I'd gain a ton of weight after Vietnam,
but it looks like I might actually have lost some.
There were several types of Banh Mi, so I asked for a recommendation,
and they recommended either the second or fourth one –
the more expensive one, of course! haha!
Both the coffee and Banh Mi were just okay.
The Banh Mi, in particular, had a very strong local flavor.
I included this place partly to round out my list,
and partly because this entire post is about freely wandering around
Ho Chi Minh City on a spontaneous trip,
so I decided to throw it in...
📍 10A Đ. Trần Hưng Đạo, P. Phú Thuận, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
10A Đ. Trần Hưng Đạo, P. Phú Thuận, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
PhinDeli Cafe
Operating Hours: 7:00 AM ~ 12:00 AM
Phone: +84 896 889 558
Location: 10A Đ. Trần Hưng Đạo, P. Phú Thuận, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000
According to the article, Local Saigon Cafe did not have air conditioning. The person visited to escape the heat but briefly considered going elsewhere because there was no AC.
The 'Legend Coffee Special' at Trung Nguyen Legend Café costs 170,000 VND. It is mentioned that this is quite expensive, more so than most cafes in Korea.
Yes, you can purchase coffee beans at Trung Nguyen Legend Café. Coffee is displayed on the right side of the store, and you can buy beans by weight on the left side.
PhinDeli Café's Banh Mi had a strong local flavor. The article mentioned that both the coffee and the Banh Mi were described as having an ordinary taste.
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