Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta, tends to be seen as a place tied to images of floating markets and river cruises, far removed from the polished café scenes of Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. But over the past few years, a new generation of cafés has been appearing one after another in Can Tho too. Drawing particular attention among them is Yakishime, a Japanese-style matcha café themed on Japanese wabi-sabi.
| Genre | Matcha |
|---|---|
| Origin | Can Tho, Vietnam (Mekong Delta) |
| Coverage area | Can Tho |
| Number of locations | 1 location (Can Tho) |
| Signature menu | Japanese-flavored drinks and sweets starring matcha |
| Official site | https://www.instagram.com/yakishime_ct/ |
What is Yakishime | Can Tho's wabi-sabi Japanese-style matcha café
The founding story
Yakishime is a Japanese-style matcha café embodying Japan's wabi-sabi. An unadorned aesthetic akin to the pottery term "yakishime" (unglazed high-fired stoneware) runs through both the space and each cup of tea. The shop name spells the Japanese word directly in the alphabet, suggesting a respect for Japanese culture.
It's rapidly gaining popularity as a new café experience aimed at Can Tho's younger and social-media generation. For tourists too, it's a spot to spend an unusual stretch of time within Mekong Delta sightseeing.
Japan's stillness, tasted in the Mekong Delta
Can Tho sightseeing tends to center on lively activities like the early-morning Cai Rang Floating Market and strolls through orchards along the canals. Yakishime offers the very opposite — a time of stillness — functioning as a hideaway for when you want to catch your breath in a Zen-like atmosphere between sightseeing.
A café specializing in the theme of "Japanese wabi-sabi" in a provincial city of southern Vietnam is extremely rare. Can Tho long lagged as a provincial city in the development of café culture, but entering the 2020s, national chains like Cong Ca Phe and Highlands Coffee moved in. With independent specialty cafés like Yakishime added on top, a new-generation café scene is emerging.
Yakishime's signature menu and flavors
The signature is a lineup of matcha and green tea. From a freshly whisked serving to matcha lattes and matcha sweets, it's positioned as a specialty café that goes all-in on "tea." Coffee is served too, but the star is squarely the tea.
Matcha Latte
Yakishime's star is matcha. The matcha served is expressed on the menu as "Matcha space," arranged so you can enjoy it in several ways, from a freshly whisked serving to a matcha latte. A cup savored in a quiet, black-based space is less about the drink itself than an experience of savoring "time."
Matcha sweets inspired by wagashi
There's also a solid lineup of matcha sweets based on wagashi. The combinations are mindful of pairing with matcha, just right to enjoy alongside green tea or matcha drinks. You can taste the calm pairings only a specialty shop that goes all-in on tea can offer.
Other popular drinks
| Drink | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Matcha (freshly whisked) | Offered as "Matcha space" with several ways to enjoy it. The star of the specialty shop |
| Matcha Latte | The approachable classic of matcha combined with milk |
| Green tea | A signature alongside matcha. A lineup that goes all-in on tea |
Food and sweets
A lineup of matcha sweets inspired by wagashi. The makeup is mindful of pairing with matcha and green tea, well suited to savoring slowly in a quiet space.
Cups that win over reviewers
We have rounded up the well-reviewed items that come up again and again in travel and food-site reviews (focusing on dishes praised across multiple reviews).
| Menu | Why reviewers rate it |
|---|---|
| Matcha Latte | The signature cup for matcha lovers, with local reviews rating it as richly fragrant, mellow, and not too astringent, as a Japanese-style café in Can Tho |
Yakishime's locations and recommended way to drop in
Scale and coverage area
There is one location, in Can Tho. The address is 57 Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Can Tho (Ninh Kieu district). It's a city-center location easy to work into the flow of Mekong Delta sightseeing.
Main cities where you can enjoy this store:Can Tho. You can check each city's tourist information from its city page.
The atmosphere inside Yakishime and how to spend time there
Features of the interior and design
Inside, deep tones based on black and warm indirect lighting take center stage. A minimal space stripped of decoration wraps visitors in stillness. Its interior changes expression by time of day — photogenic light streams in during the day, while at night warm candle-like colors emerge.
The texture of ceramics, solid natural wood, the soft light through washi paper, lacquer accents. With material choices mindful of wabi-sabi element by element, a rare space is born where you can experience Japan's Zen culture while in Vietnam.
Wi-Fi, power outlets, and how easy it is to linger
Since the shop's greatest appeal is stillness, it suits times when you want to rest your head between lively sightseeing, or to spend time slowly taking photos. You can enjoy different expressions by time of day — natural light during the day, warm-toned lighting at night.
Yakishime's price guide and payment
As an independent café in a provincial Mekong Delta city, it has an easygoing, drop-in feel. You can enjoy a cup only a specialty shop centered on matcha and green tea can offer, as a break during sightseeing.
Prices can change by store and season. Check the latest at the counter or on the official menu.
Yakishime's map, access, and ordering tips
It's on Nguyen Cu Trinh Street in the Ninh Kieu district of Can Tho, the central city of the Mekong Delta, introduced as a small shop put together in a Japanese setting.
Vietnamese phrases for ordering
Here are the basic phrases that come in handy locally. Pointing works, but adding a word makes ordering smoother.
| Vietnamese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cho tôi một … | One [drink], please |
| nóng / đá | Hot / iced |
| ít đường | Less sweet |
| không đường | No sugar |
| ít đá | Less ice |
| mang đi | Takeout |
| ở đây | For here |
| tính tiền | The check, please |
| nóng / đá | You can choose hot or iced |
You can check the latest menu, prices, hours, and store listOfficial sitehere.
Things to know before visiting Yakishime
How to enjoy it smartly
Choose the time of day to match your goal — daytime, when natural light streams in, if you want to take photos; nighttime, when warm candle-like colors are lit, if you want to soak in a quiet mood.
Can Tho sightseeing centers on lively activities like floating markets and river cruises. Combining Yakishime's stillness makes for a well-paced itinerary.
Points to note
Hours are 8:00–22:00 (daily). As it's an independent café in a provincial city, it's safest to check the latest hours and menu on the official Instagram (@yakishime_ct).
It's a specialty shop starring matcha and green tea, but coffee is served too. It's easy to drop into even if you have a companion who dislikes tea.
🗺️ If you also want to compare it with other cafés,Vietnam's 30 Popular Cafés: A Thorough Comparison Guidelets you browse from a single list.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of café is Yakishime?
-
A Japanese-style matcha café in Can Tho themed on Japanese wabi-sabi. An unadorned aesthetic akin to the pottery term 'yakishime' runs through both the space and each cup of tea.
- What is the signature menu item?
-
Matcha and green tea. From a freshly whisked serving to matcha lattes and matcha sweets inspired by wagashi, it's a specialty café that goes all-in on tea.
- Where is it?
-
At 57 Nguyễn Cư Trinh in Can Tho's Ninh Kieu district. It's a city-center location easy to work into the flow of Mekong Delta sightseeing.
- What's the atmosphere inside?
-
Deep black tones and warm indirect lighting take center stage. Natural light by day, candle-like warm hues at night — a minimalist space whose character shifts with the hour.
- Is it easy to pair with sightseeing?
-
It makes an ideal hideaway for a moment of quiet between the lively attractions of Can Tho — floating markets, river cruises and the like. You can build an itinerary with a good rhythm of activity and calm.
