{"id":2433,"date":"2026-05-09T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?post_type=news&p=2433"},"modified":"2026-05-09T20:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T11:01:10","slug":"heritage-cafe-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/heritage-cafe-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"ArchDaily's 10 Vietnamese Caf\u00e9s That \"Brought Heritage Back to Life\"\u2014The Frontline of Architectural Revival in Hue, Saigon, and Quy Nhon"},"content":{"rendered":"

The scope of the ArchDaily feature themed on \"everyday heritage\"<\/h2>\n

The feature \"Everyday Heritage: 10 Vietnamese Coffee Shops Reviving Small-Scale Traditional Buildings,\" which the architecture-specialist media ArchDaily released in 2026, is drawing attention in Vietnam's caf\u00e9-architecture circles. The crux of the feature is that it gathered 10 caf\u00e9s reviving \"everyday small-scale buildings\" \u2014 not symbolic architecture of tourist spots \u2014 from 1950s modernist villas to prewar townhouses, French colonial-era villas, and Hue's traditional wooden houses.<\/p>\n

The 10 chosen by ArchDaily (by architecture firm and building type)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
#<\/th>\nShop name<\/th>\nLocation<\/th>\nDesign firm<\/th>\nOriginal building<\/th>\nHeritage period<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/td>\nThe Cocoa Project Caf\u00e9<\/td>\nNot yet announced<\/td>\nT3 Architects<\/td>\nModernist villa<\/td>\n1950s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nThe Running Bean Caf\u00e9<\/td>\nHanoi<\/td>\nRed5studio<\/td>\nHistorically preserved architecture<\/td>\nHistoric building<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nCoCo Cha Taiwan Tea & Coffee<\/td>\nNot yet announced<\/td>\nPT Arch Studio<\/td>\nClassical-style architecture<\/td>\nHistoric building<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nNamra Coffee<\/td>\nNot yet announced<\/td>\nD1 Architectural Studio<\/td>\nModernist residence (former wedding-dress showroom)<\/td>\n1970s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nOkkio Duy Tan Caffe<\/td>\nHo Chi Minh City<\/td>\nsgnhA<\/td>\nOne side of a French colonial villa<\/td>\nColonial period<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nDeHue Coffee<\/td>\nHue<\/td>\nson.studio<\/td>\nWooden traditional house<\/td>\nHue traditional architecture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nTan Coffee<\/td>\nNot yet announced<\/td>\nSon Studio<\/td>\nMultiple structures of an old factory<\/td>\nIndustrial architecture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nSipply Coffee<\/td>\nNot yet announced<\/td>\nsgnhA<\/td>\nModernist architecture<\/td>\nModernist period<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nAdiuvat Coffee Roaster Quinhon<\/td>\nQuy Nhon<\/td>\nA+H architect<\/td>\nPrewar townhouse<\/td>\nBefore 1975<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nB\u01a1 Bakery<\/td>\nHo Chi Minh City<\/td>\nNhabe Scholae<\/td>\nSaigon-style shophouse<\/td>\nIntegrated live-work urban architecture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Three design principles shared by heritage caf\u00e9s<\/h2>\n

First, \"subtraction over addition.\" Like Okkio Duy Tan Caffe, the core approach is to use only \"half\" of a French colonial villa, adding no new ornamentation and instead exposing the original columns, beams, tiles, and ceiling decoration. It is also structured to attract architectural photographers and spread across social media.<\/p>\n

Second, \"don't sever the urban context.\" As with Running Bean by Hanoi's Red5studio and B\u01a1 Bakery by Ho Chi Minh City's Nhabe Scholae, these caf\u00e9s open onto the street and keep their terraces and fa\u00e7ades as part of the streetscape. Unlike Saigon's \"caf\u00e9s turned into photo studios,\" the design restrains any outward pressure on the street.<\/p>\n

Third, \"a thorough commitment to materials.\" In Hue, DeHue Coffee (son.studio) exposes the structural timber of traditional wooden construction, while in Quy Nhon, Adiuvat (A+H architect) preserves the \"pebble wash-out\" fa\u00e7ade\u2014a surface finish embedded with small stones\u2014typical of pre-war townhouses. The common thread is letting the materials themselves read as the design.<\/p>\n

Industry response\u2014the \"third wave\" driven by small-scale architectural renovation<\/h2>\n

Vietnam's caf\u00e9 industry<\/strong>: Against the four major chains\u2014The Coffee House, Highlands Coffee, Phuc Long, and Trung Nguyen\u2014independent, architecture-focused caf\u00e9s are increasingly positioned a step above coffee's \"third wave.\" ArchDaily's selection this time is almost entirely independent, architect-collaboration caf\u00e9s\u2014a segment communicated on a different layer from the mass-market chains.<\/p>\n

The architects and studios<\/strong>: Mid-sized Vietnamese architecture firms such as sgnhA, Son Studio, T3 Architects, Red5studio, A+H architect, and Nhabe Scholae have begun presenting caf\u00e9 architecture as a distinct body of work within their portfolios. One reason is that caf\u00e9s can be photographed and published sooner than homes or offices, making them easier to expose to overseas media.<\/p>\n

Property owners<\/strong>: Rather than \"tearing down old buildings to rebuild,\" a model of bringing in caf\u00e9 operators\u2014architecture firm included\u2014as tenants to regenerate the space is spreading across Districts 1 and 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi's Old Quarter, and Hue and Quy Nhon. In reality, the three-part set of preserving the original form, reinforcing the structure, and using the space effectively is pushing rent levels upward.<\/p>\n

Points of interest from a Japanese reader's and editor's perspective<\/h2>\n

First, DeHue Coffee in Hue and Adiuvat in Quy Nhon lie off the main tourist routes of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, giving travelers a reason to tour caf\u00e9s in provincial cities. Hue offers Kyoto-like wooden heritage, and Quy Nhon offers the streetscape of pre-war townhouses\u2014themes that fit Japanese magazines and web media for Vietnam travel articles.<\/p>\n

Second, Okkio Duy Tan Caffe's revival of a French colonial villa is an entry-level \"architecture appreciation \u00d7 caf\u00e9\" spot within walking distance of central Saigon. With a location where you can drop in for 15\u201320 minutes on the way to a Vietnamese goods shop, it looks set to become a staple feature for Vietnam travel media.<\/p>\n

Third, features that compare these with Japan's renovation caf\u00e9s\u2014the machiya caf\u00e9s of Kanazawa, the alley caf\u00e9s of Kyoto, the hillside caf\u00e9s of Onomichi\u2014work both ways, for inbound visitors to Japan and for those visiting Vietnam. Naming the architecture firms in these introductions also lets you reach readers closer to specialist magazines.<\/p>\n

Industry ripple effects\u2014the triangle of architecture \u00d7 coffee \u00d7 heritage<\/h2>\n

If this trend expands, Vietnam's heritage caf\u00e9s will function as a three-layer medium that serves at once as an architecture firm's showcase, a coffee tasting room, and a photo spot for tour guides. It is a rare intersection where the specialty coffee industry (the shift from phin drip to the third wave), the reuse of provincial real estate, and architects' career-building all move at the same time. Similar movements are likely to emerge in second-tier cities such as Hoi An, Da Lat, and Hai Phong.<\/p>\n

Basic information table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Feature title<\/td>\nEveryday Heritage: 10 Vietnamese Coffee Shops Reviving Small-Scale Traditional Buildings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Publication<\/td>\nArchDaily (an international architecture media outlet)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number featured<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main cities<\/td>\nHo Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, Quy Nhon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main architecture firms<\/td>\nT3 Architects\u3001Red5studio\u3001PT Arch Studio\u3001D1 Architectural Studio\u3001sgnhA\u3001son.studio\u3001A+H architect\u3001Nhabe Scholae<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Building types<\/td>\nModernist villas, colonial villas, traditional timber structures, shophouses, pre-war townhouses, former factories, and more<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Related articles<\/h2>\n