Whether you are into Coffee, Tea, Cocktails or Beer the Saigon’s cafes are in abundance and offer a unique experience for any visitor to Vietnam

All cities have defining characteristics and for me Saigon’s has its motorbikes, great food and restaurants, and hundreds if not thousands of great Cafes. 

The number and variety of cafes in Saigon is staggering, from the side of road plastic chair and table café thru to high class cafes masterpieces of art designed to look like a Garden of Eden, complete with flowing waterfalls, fish ponds and trees.

Some of the most amazing cafes I have visited in Saigon have been tucked away in the back streets of Saigon’s many districts. But don’t let stop you, as they are well worth a visit.

Saigon Café Themes

On Entry to many of Saigon’s cafés you are normally greeted by with loud music, and walls filled with large LCD screens, featuring the latest Hollywood blockbusters and football matches from around Europe. However if you are after a quieter place to just talk, most offer an indoor or outdoor area where the music is at a reasonable level in which you can simply relax with your friends over a café sua da or Tra

Top drinks to try in a Saigon Café include:

Café Sua Da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with milk) Pronounced Café So da

Picture 1: The famous Cafe Sua Da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee)

Fresh Vietnamese Coffee filtered thru a stainless steel Vietnamese coffee filter, over condensed milk, once all the coffee has dripped onto the condensed milk, stir and then pour into the supplied glass of ice.

If the café you go to has an English menu beware ordering simply an iced coffee as you will most like be given a Café Da as above

Café Da (Black Vietnamese Iced coffee no milk)

Cafe Da is served in a similar way to Cafe Sua Da above with the exclusion of condensed milk, and the addition of sugar. Cafe Da is very strong, which I suspect is why it is usually served with a bowl of sugar, so that you can add sugar to taste.   

Tra (Green Tea) Pronounced Char

All Vietnamese cafes will serve complimentary hot or cold green tea, so this is normally a cheap option,

Sapodilla Drink (sa pô chê )

Soda water with fresh Lime and Ice & Sugar (Soda Canh)

Fresh Coconut milk either in coconut or glass (Nuoc Dua)

Sweet Salty plumb drink (Xi muoi) pronounced Se Mooe

Most cafes in Vietnam also serve a wide selection of Vietnamese & Western food, as well as alcoholic beverages.

Our Favourite cafés in Saigon Vietnam include:

Windows 4 Café

This is perhaps one of Saigon’s trendiest cafes, here the music plays hard and loud, with prices nearly as high, I paid 70,000 dong (about US $4.50) however it is a great experience.

Windows is located opposite the entry to reunification palace

 Windows Garden Café

Windows Garden Café is part of the same chain/franchise as Windows café above and is very similar, except it follows a garden theme, and prices here are a little cheaper, but still very expensive for Vietnam.

43 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Q.1 Saigon

Mien dong thao Café

Picture 2: My personal Favoriate "Mieng Dong Thao Cafe"

Mieng Dong thao Café is one of my personal favourites, the setting is absolutely stunning, designed around a garden & water theme. Mien dong thao café is located, in Phu Nhuan district, which is about 15 minutes from District 1. Very much worth a visit, however this is one of those cafes hidden way in several back streets.

221A Nguyễn Trọng Tuyển, Phường 8, Quận Phú Nhuận  Telephone: +84 8 38451357

Napoli café

Located in District 1 Napoli Café is a fairly central café and a popular one at that. Not a trendy or expensive as Windows 4 Café but never the less popular. Like so many cafe’s in Saigon  Napoli Cafe has free wifi Internet access available for its patrons.

7 Pham Ngoc Thach

Café Soi Da

Café Soi Da located in District 3 is not too far from District 1 in Saigon and is another. Prices here are much lower than cafes such Windows Cafe, and much more peaceful live traditional and western style music most nights.

6B Thoi Nhiem, P.7, District 3, Saigon

Coi Rieng

At Coi Rieng you won’t find blaring techno music as found it most other cafes, the entertainment here is normally live piano and violin music.

Located in Tan Binh district Coi Rieng is a little out of the way for the average tourist, but if you have the time and want a little relaxing morning over breakfast & coffee then Coi Rieng is worth the trip.

334A Nguyen Trong Tuyen, Ward 2, Tan Binh District, Saigon +84 8 8445992

La Fenetre Soliel

La Fenetre Soliel is a quaint French inspired cafe in the heart of Saigon’s business and tourist district. With high ceilings, comfy furniture and relaxing music, its easy to see why La Fenetre Soliel is a favourite with many visitors

135 Le Thanh Ton, District 1. Telephone: +84 8 822 5209

Café Song Me

Yet another one of Saigon’s water & garden themed cafes which are extremely popular, Cafe Song Me is also a little out of the way but if you have the time why not give them a try.

125/2 Hoa Hung, District 10. Telephone: +84 8 865 2075.

A word of warning don’t be fooled thinking a cafe experience in Vietnam won’t cost you much! Some of the high end cafés charge thru the roof. Rivalling what you might pay in a trendy western café back home. This however is not always the case.

Asia Travel Magazine loves comments! So why not tell us about your Saigon or Vietnam cafe experiences. Maybe you been to one of the cafes above and want to provide additional info or maybe I have left your personal fave off the list. Let us know!