Photo courtesy of Thinker & Dreamer Coffee.

Thinker & Dreamer

The minimalist style of this café, with black and white being the main colors, makes it a favorite for many. Despite its modest room, Thinker & Dreamer does not feel crammed. A seat on the balcony looking down on the walking street could be an enjoyable experience.

Photo courtesy of Thinker & Dreamer Coffee.

There is a wide range of items in the menu and an average price of VND50,000 ($2.2) per drink.

Photo courtesy of Boo Coffee.

Boo Coffee

Situated in the top floor of a renovated old apartment building at No. 42, the café offers a bird’s-eye view of downtown Saigon. The décor is spruce.

Photo by VnExpress/Di Vy.

Besides the regular drinks, Boo Coffee also serves a variety of milk teas. One of them, intriguingly named grilled milk tea, is highly recommended. It comprises of black sugar and marshmallow grilled directly with fire right before it is served, creating a novel flavor. This particular drink comes in two versions that cost VND49,000 ($2) and VND59,000 ($2.5).

Photo courtesy of Haan – Drink & Eatery.

Haan – Drink & Eatery

The café, which opened not long ago, is much larger than most coffee shops in the apartment building at No. 42. It is divided into two areas, an outdoors and an air-conditioned room.

Photo courtesy of Haan – Drink & Eatery.

It has various drinks and food. If you have a sweet tooth, give the soufflé with Italian ice cream a go.

Photo by VnExpress/Di Vy.

The Letter

The café replicates the coziness one would feel in the ancient town of Hoi An in central Vietnam with its yellow theme and traditional furniture and pictures on the wall depicting a time in the past. It has three separate spaces, each decorated with pottery, ornamental pots and fresh flowers.

Photo by VnExpress/Di Vy.

Drinks start at VND40,000 ($1.7).

Photo courtesy of L’amant Café.

L’amant Café

The café, situated near the intersection of Nguyen Hue and Ton Duc Thang streets, has a mix of modern architecture and old-fashioned floor patterns. It is usually crowded during weekends.

Photo courtesy of L’amant Café.

The highlight of L’amant Café is its coffee menu. Its coffee beans are said to come from the Central Highlands, Vietnam’s coffee hub, and contain no preservatives. With every sip, you feel a slightly bitter taste on the tip of your tongue followed by sweetness.

The café, open for a month now, provides the feel of an old Japanese town. The bar area features many lanterns and has drawings of Maneki Neko, a cat figurine believed to bring good luck in Japan.

The venue has a large terrace that is also decorated with different lanterns, including Koinobori or carp-shaped windsocks that are traditionally flown to celebrate Japan’s Children Day holiday in May.

The three-storied café with an area of more than 250 square meters is full of symbolic images of the land of the rising sun. Tran Tuan, the owner, said he had visited Japan many times and loved its culture, especially, the style of stores, bars and restaurants in its alleys.

It took him a month to finish decorating the place. “The most challenging part was to paint intricate designs on the walls and windows,” Tuan said.

To give its interiors a genuine Japanese vibe, Tuan used small tables and stools without a backrest. He also used a lot of red color in decorating the place. Red is a color that the Japanese associate with the sun, luck, passion and enthusiasm.

Customers can select the coffee beans (arabica, robusta or a mixture of both). The colors, flavors and properties of the beans are clearly mentioned in the menu. The customers are also given water, a syphon and basic instructions on how to brew their own coffee.

Tuan said the coffee was bought directly from farms in Da Lat and Dak Lak in the Central Highlands.

Coffee prices vary from VND30,000-40,000 ($1.3-1.7) per cup. Customers choosing to make their own coffee will pay an additional VND15,000 ($0.7) or so.