{"id":2679,"date":"2026-05-11T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/news\/urban-brews-rmit\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:00:00","slug":"urban-brews-rmit","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/urban-brews-rmit\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Brews \u2014 an Instagram project in which 25 RMIT University students \"decode\" Ho Chi Minh City's caf\u00e9 culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Caf\u00e9s in Ho Chi Minh City are no longer just \"places to drink coffee.\" A \"caf\u00e9 aesthetic\" that spans spatial design, lighting, music, and even the choice of tableware has become a field of expression for Gen Z. In March 2026, 25 students in the Professional Communication major at RMIT University Vietnam launched an Instagram project called \"Urban Brews\" to \"decode\" this culture through digital storytelling. This account, made up of more than 50 short videos and around 200 photos (@urbanbrewshcmc<\/a>), is drawing attention as an attempt to capture caf\u00e9 culture from an academic perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Urban Brews \u2014 the full picture of the project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Urban Brews is an \"experiential practice lab\" designed by Dr. Adhvaidha Kalidasan of RMIT University Vietnam, using funding from a 2024 Teaching Award. Twenty-five second-year students in the Professional Communication major took part, producing short-form videos as they toured caf\u00e9s around Ho Chi Minh City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes it unique is that, rather than simply introducing caf\u00e9s, each team was given a \"theme prompt\" based on a historical figure or literary work. The students thought about how to visualize their assigned theme within a caf\u00e9 space, handling everything from filming and editing to posting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background of the project \u2014 why caf\u00e9 culture becomes a subject of study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vietnam's caf\u00e9 industry is inseparable from the country's economic growth. In Vietnam, the world's second-largest coffee producer, street-corner caf\u00e9s have functioned as hubs for socializing, business, and creative work. Ho Chi Minh City alone has thousands of caf\u00e9s, and unique menu items likethe egg coffee born at Hanoi's Cafe Giang<\/a>have become known worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Gen Z, caf\u00e9s are both \"photogenic places\" and a medium for expressing their own identity. Urban Brews takes on the challenge of reframing this phenomenon within an academic framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Item<\/th>Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Project name<\/td>Urban Brews<\/td><\/tr>
Operator<\/td>Professional Communication major, RMIT University Vietnam<\/td><\/tr>
Supervising instructor<\/td>Dr. Adhvaidha Kalidasan<\/td><\/tr>
Number of participating students<\/td>25 (second-year)<\/td><\/tr>
Content produced<\/td>More than 50 short videos, about 200 photos<\/td><\/tr>
Instagram account<\/td>@urbanbrewshcmc<\/td><\/tr>
Launch<\/td>February 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Funding source<\/td>2024 Teaching Award<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The caf\u00e9s the students visited and what they discovered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The caf\u00e9s Urban Brews featured span a diverse range of venues across Ho Chi Minh City. From \"A Little Studio Bookstore,\" themed on the world of Ghibli, to \"Dulce de Saigon Caf\u00e9\" with its Latin American atmosphere, to a historic caf\u00e9 opened by ethnic Chinese \u2014 the genres and vibes are all over the map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the process of making a video, student Yen Thi said \"the idea has to be real and authentic,\" stressing the importance of first observing with your own eyes and making discoveries before starting to film. Ngoc Tram said you \"should research the audience's preferences and tell a story that draws them in,\" conscious of differentiating from run-of-the-mill caf\u00e9 reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What strikes me is how this project sets itself apart from \"caf\u00e9 influencers.\" It is precisely because of the constraint of the theme prompt that a perspective emerges which digs into the meaning of a space, rather than staying at surface-level \"stylish introductions.\"Marou Bonbon Ph\u1edf<\/a>Just as with this, Vietnamese food culture has always embraced new interpretations, and caf\u00e9 spaces are likewise still evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactions from the education field and the caf\u00e9 industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kalidasan praised the results of the project, saying the students proved themselves to be \"remarkable storytellers.\" The strength of Urban Brews lies in its \"authenticity,\" and precisely because it grew naturally out of Gen Z caf\u00e9 culture, there is nothing contrived about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a response from caf\u00e9 owners as well. The students' videos convey each shop's appeal with an approach different from existing caf\u00e9 reviews, and are welcomed as \"a third-party perspective not aimed at promotion.\" The reaction on Instagram has been good too, with followers steadily growing, centered on Ho Chi Minh City's caf\u00e9-lover community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students themselves say they feel real, practical growth \u2014 sharper observation, skills in deliberate content creation, and confidence in leadership. It has also become a portfolio directly tied to their careers after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact on Japanese travelers and caf\u00e9 lovers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The account @urbanbrewshcmc has the potential to function as a \"new guidebook\" for caf\u00e9-hopping in Ho Chi Minh City. Unlike conventional travel blogs or Google Maps reviews, its strength is that you can experience the atmosphere and context of a space through short videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For caf\u00e9 lovers visiting Ho Chi Minh City from Japan, learning how local Gen Z choose and enjoy caf\u00e9s offers a gateway to local experiences that don't appear in guidebooks.Pier Dessert<\/a>andthe KKV flagship store<\/a>and other new culture spots in Ho Chi Minh City are worth checking out together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ripple effects on digital content education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Urban Brews is also a case study showing the intersection of university education and social media. There are examples in Japanese universities of running an Instagram account at the seminar level, but the design of using Teaching Award funding and incorporating literary theme prompts is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vietnam's digital content market is expanding rapidly, and TikTok penetration is among the highest even within ASEAN. The Urban Brews students will enter this market after graduation as content creators, digital marketers, and brand strategists. The \"observe \u2192 discover \u2192 turn into a story\" skills honed in the project can be applied to any field beyond caf\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Instagram account<\/td>@urbanbrewshcmc<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Content format<\/td>Reels (short videos) + feed posts (photos)<\/td><\/tr>
Language<\/td>English and Vietnamese<\/td><\/tr>
Coverage area<\/td>Caf\u00e9s across all of Ho Chi Minh City<\/td><\/tr>
Operating body<\/td>RMIT University Vietnam (702 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, HCMC)<\/td><\/tr>
Related hashtags<\/td>#urbanbrews #hcmccafe #vietnamcoffee<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Urban Brews is neither caf\u00e9 reviewing nor influencer marketing. It is a project in which 25 university students, working within an academic framework, \"decode\" Ho Chi Minh City's caf\u00e9 culture and share it as more than 50 videos. Scroll through the @urbanbrewshcmc feed and you'll get a sense of what Vietnam's Gen Z finds in caf\u00e9 spaces. For your next caf\u00e9 choices in Ho Chi Minh City, try adding a perspective different from the usual guidebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citations and references<\/h2>\n\n\n\n