A "matcha exhibition" that appeared in the lanes of Thao Dien
14 Tran Ngoc Dien Street, Thao Dien district, District 2 (Thu Duc City), Ho Chi Minh City. In a corner of a residential area is a café whose white walls and matcha-green façade catch the eye. "By Lea Matcha & Bread"—here, matcha is a talking point for the concept of not just drinking it but "appreciating" it like an art exhibition.
Business hours are 8:00 to 20:00. In the morning, foreign residents gather in time for the house-made bread coming out of the oven; in the afternoon, young Vietnamese customers pour in for the matcha drinks.
Why an "exhibition"—the space tells matcha's story
Step inside and the air is closer to a gallery than a café. Matcha tea leaves, a chasen (whisk), and tea bowls are lined up in display cases, and the beauty of Japanese tea utensils itself becomes part of the space. On the walls hang panels visually explaining matcha's production process—from growing tencha to grinding it on a stone mill.
Owner Lea says, "Matcha is trendy in Vietnam, but many people only know the taste of powder. I wanted to create a place where you can experience the color, aroma, and froth of real matcha."
Menu structure—committed to the Japanese way of whisking
Matcha drinks fall into three broad categories.
| Category | Signature items | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Straight matcha | Usucha (thin tea), koicha (thick tea) | An authentic cup whisked with a chasen. The vessels are made in Japan too |
| Matcha drinks | Matcha latte, matcha tonic, matcha smoothie | Arrangements suited to Vietnam's climate |
| House-made bread | Matcha croissant, matcha an-pan, baguette | Baked fresh in-store every morning |
The notable one is the "straight matcha" category. While many of Ho Chi Minh City's matcha cafés center on lattes, a shop that serves usucha whisked with a chasen as is is rare. The tea bowls were ordered from Japan, and from the counter you can see each cup being carefully whisked.
A matcha and Japanese-tea map of Thao Dien
Tran Ngoc Dien Street and its surroundings are becoming a cluster for matcha and Japanese tea. Four doors down (No. 18) from By Lea Matcha & Bread is Kocha Matcha Stand, and a 10-minute walk down the street brings you to Japanese-tea specialty cafés such as Nagocha and Japanit.
The article on Thao Dien, a fierce café battleground for 2026The Thao Dien café culture introduced in has begun branching from a coffee focus toward "tea." As wellness coffee, featured across Vietnam inthe Wellness Coffee Trends 2026 article,rises, matcha is spreading its support with the positioning of "low-caffeine and healthy."
Local reactions—"This is a school of matcha"
- "You can drink a matcha latte anywhere, but the only café in Ho Chi Minh City that whisks usucha for you with a chasen is here. You can have a tea-ceremony experience without going to Japan." (Vietnamese university student)
- "The bread is delicious. The matcha croissant especially sells out unless you go at 8 a.m. The matcha tonic is perfect for summer too." (French resident of Thao Dien)
- "When you drink it after learning how matcha is made in the display area, the way you sense the taste changes. It's a place somewhere between a café and education." (Japanese tourist)
Points for Japanese travelers
The Thao Dien district is 20 minutes by car from central Ho Chi Minh City. By Grab, about 70,000–100,000 VND (about 410–590 yen) from District 1. By Lea Matcha & Bread is inside a residential area, so searching "Byleamatchaandbread" on Google Maps is the sure way.
For Japanese, the very experience of "drinking authentic matcha overseas" will likely be fresh. A cold matcha tonic drunk in Vietnam's heat has a flavor different from the matcha of a Japanese summer festival.
The background of Vietnam's matcha boom and its industry impact
Matcha popularity in Vietnam accelerated around 2023, with over 30 matcha specialty cafés opening in Ho Chi Minh City alone. Behind it are a rising health-consciousness and a sense of affinity for Japanese culture. For Vietnamese in their 20s and 30s, matcha is seen as "cool Japanese culture."
But while many shops use instant matcha powder, shops like By Lea Matcha & Bread that use real stone-milled matcha are very few. This difference in quality will likely determine the future maturity of Vietnam's matcha market.
Basic information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Shop name | By Lea Matcha & Bread |
| Address | 14 Tran Ngoc Dien, An Khanh Ward, Thu Duc City (former District 2 Thao Dien), HCMC |
| Hours | 8:00〜20:00 |
| Genre | Matcha specialty café + house-made bakery |
| Recommended | Usucha (straight matcha), matcha croissant, matcha tonic |
| Clientele | Foreign residents, Vietnamese in their 20s–30s |
| Language | English and Vietnamese supported |
Summary—from "drinking" matcha to "experiencing" it
By Lea Matcha & Bread is a place that pushes Vietnam's matcha boom one step forward. It shows matcha like an exhibition, whisks it like a tea ceremony, and stays close to daily life as a bakery.Top 10 heritage cafésIn contrast to the historic cafés introduced in, here is a crossroads of new culture. Between strolls around Thao Dien, do take time to pause with a cup of usucha.
