Chapter 3: Historic Cafés

In a country where a good cup of coffee is rarely more than a few steps away, Việt Nam has made coffee drinking an experience brimming with culture, history, and heritage. Savoured, rather than rushed, coffee drinking creates an opportunity to pause, escape the heat, or shelter from the rain. Café culture has also become a staple around the country. Today, both Hồ Chí Minh City and Hà Nội are over­ flowing with modern cafés and hole­-in­-the­-wall shops, but there are a few remaining that date back to a time when Vietnam’s coffee origins.