Exploring hidden corner: Three coffee shops that I have visited this August.

 

I have visited 3 coffee shops recently for work and study. Those are “Cô ba sài gòn”, “cham cham” and “Ido café study” coffee shops.

The “cô ba sài gòn” coffee shop is located in District 1 on Đồng Khởi street, exuding the old Sài Gòn style, including the paintings hung on the walls, the tables and the chairs. Besides beverages, the shop also offers a diverse range of Vietnamese dishes including snacks like fried fish balls.The prices here are relatively high, with drinks costing around 70,000 VND and the food is also in a similar range.

However, I find the food to be quite delicious and it suits my taste. I rarely come here to study or work; mostly, I come to chat with friends. Since they offer food, it's convenient to transition from work to conversation without having to move to another place to eat.The shop has an outdoor balcony which is suitable for two people. You can sit there, enjoy the street view, and have a heart-to-heart conversation.

Due to the shop's location at the intersection, it's quite pleasant to sit outside. When I arrived on Saturday morning around 10 AM, almost all the tables were taken, with many people having made reservations in advance. There were quite a few foreigners coming here as well. Besides the balcony area, many people also came here for breakfast in the morning.

"Cham Cham" is a small coffee shop located within an old apartment building on Nguyen Van Trang Street, District 1. Within this old apartment complex, there are a few other shops, and there's also a cafe on the rooftop. However, in my opinion, the view from the cafe isn't particularly beautiful, but on the rooftop, it's very open and cool with natural breezes. Speaking of Cham Cham, the shop serves beverages with familiar Thai flavors, such as Thai green tea and Thai red tea.

There are various other types of tea as well. The menu isn't overly diverse, with drink prices ranging from 45,000 to 55,000 VND. They also offer sweet pastries, but not a wide variety of options. The shop isn't particularly quiet for studying, as there are people who come to chat and engage in other activities such as discussions and crafting handmade items. The shop also doesn't provide the necessary concentration for studying. The interior of the shop is quite small, with predominant colors of orange, purple, and white. Not very impressive, and I don't have any intention of returning.

The final location is Ido Cafe Study, which is the most ideal place for studying and working. The cafe is designed to cater to the needs of individuals or groups of fewer than 10 people who come here to meet deadlines, study, or have group discussions. They offer various services for both individuals and groups, depending on their purposes. They provide private rooms for those who want to study in complete privacy, separated from everyone else. They also have meeting rooms available for groups that come here.

I came here and used the public room, where I would sit together with everyone. However, even in this shared space, it's enough for me to focus on my work. The tables are designed with cubicles, each of them equipped with an electrical outlet. The place I sit faces the wall, and there's a footrest and a desk lamp. The instrumental music is incredibly gentle, allowing everyone to concentrate on their work. People coming in and out are very considerate, emitting minimal noise. From the moment they enter the room, the only sound I hear is the typing of keyboards.

The service fee for sitting here is charged hourly. If I remember correctly, for one person, it's 60,000 VND for 2 hours, 140,000 VND for 6 hours, and 180,000 VND for the whole day. They also offer monthly packages, and from a quick look, it ranges from around 1.5 million to over 2 million VND. However, the cafe is quite far from where I live. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Vincom Thủ Đức on the 7th floor. Despite the pleasant environment, it might not be a place I'd visit regularly. Oh, by the way, there's a counter here where you can get complimentary snacks and office supplies. I chose the 6-hour package which includes a complimentary drink of my choice (beverage prices here are between 40,000 to 55,000 VND), and I also get to print 10 pages for free, with a charge of 2,000 VND for each additional 10 pages. I find this quite nice.

Except for Cham Cham, the other two places are on my list of coffee shops to visit, depending on my personal needs.

As I walked around “Ido study café”, I also discovered that in the stationery area, I can borrow laptop stands and even holders for laptops, iPads, or tablets. And I also discovered another fascinating place, which is a spot to watch the sunset in the evening like this, it's incredibly beautiful.

From Toir daily notes.