Answering the demand of travelers who find ordinary cafés unsatisfying,Ho Chi Minh Cityone after another, distinctive "concept cafés"—with themes like animals, anime, and reading—are appearing. Vietnam's café culture is now evolving to a new stage.
News overview
In Vietnam, a coffee superpower, Ho Chi Minh City is at the forefront of café culture. In recent years, concept cafés that sell not just "the taste of coffee" but "the experience of visiting" have won passionate support from young people and tourists.
The anime café "The Other Person," where staff in French-maid and rabbit-ear costumes serve customers in a Japanese style, has become a hot topic. The founder says, "I want to treat customers with a special experience," and the wave of anime culture spreading across all of Asia has arrived in Vietnam too.
ドッグカフェ「ドギコーヒー」（3区）では30匹以上の犬（複数の犬種）が常駐し、ワンドリンク付きの入場料は約400〜420円相当と手頃。ネコカフェ「アイルキャットカフェ」（フーニャン区）もネコ約20匹に加えハムスターや犬も揃え、ペット愛好家に大人気です。さらに「バボカフェ」ではトカゲ・オウム・ハリネズミ・カエルまで揃う珍しい動物カフェとして注目されています。
"Chieu" is a library café boasting a collection of over 1,000 books. Regulars who visit say, "You can cut yourself off from the busy everyday and face books at your leisure," and it also earns support from the growing number of urbannomadworkers.
Vietnamese readers' reactions
Here we introduce Vietnamese reactions to Ho Chi Minh City's concept cafés.
"Ho Chi Minh City's cafés keep evolving. Animal cafés are great for families with kids too!" (Ho Chi Minh City resident, woman in her 20s)
"So Vietnam finally got a maid café (laughs). I absolutely want to go with friends." (Hanoi resident, man in his 20s)
"The library café is quiet and work goes well. The coffee quality was authentic too." (freelancer, 30s)
"Some people worry about hygiene at pet cafés, but the impression is that they're properly managed. The kids were overjoyed." (Ho Chi Minh City resident, mother in her 30s)
"Thanks to concept cafés, Vietnam's café culture has become richer. I hear they're popular with foreign tourists too." (travel blogger)
Impact and key points for Japanese tourists
For travelers familiar with Japan's café culture too, Ho Chi Minh City's concept cafés will be a fresh experience. In particular, anime cafés and animal cafés arrange trends that originated in Japan in a Vietnamese way, so you can enjoy them with a "reimport" feeling.
the classicCộng Cà PhêandHighlands Coffee, why not build these unique cafés into your itinerary as well?Types of Vietnamese coffee, and then head to a concept café—you'll enjoy the differences in taste even more.
Reference:Novelty cafés lure coffee lovers in Ho Chi Minh City（Tuổi Trẻ）
