The first time I landed in Ho Chi Minh City, a taxi driver asked me one question before he asked where my hotel was: "You like coffee?" It was seven in the morning, the air was already warm and wet, and a thousand motorbikes were doing what looks like a very fast, very polite dance outside the airport. I said yes. Twenty minutes later I was sitting on a plastic stool on a pavement in District 3, holding a small glass of something dark and sweet with a metal filter dripping on top, and I understood that I had arrived in a city that takes this drink seriously.
The older version of this page was a plain list of fifteen cafés with a few bullet points each. It was tidy, but it did not tell you how to actually spend a few days drinking coffee in Saigon, which is what most people want to know. So I have rewritten it the way I would explain it to a friend from Singapore who has a long weekend and a free schedule. There are fewer shop-by-shop claims and more of the practical stuff: what the drinks are, how the neighbourhoods differ, how much it costs, what to order when you do not read Vietnamese, and how to wrap a coffee trail around the other things worth doing in the city.
A quick honesty note. Cafés in Saigon open, move and close faster than almost anywhere I know. A place that was the talk of the town last year may have a new name or a new address this year. I will describe the kinds of places and the better-known names, and I will tell you what each one is known for, but I will not pretend to give you an up-to-the-minute directory. Always check a café's current opening hours and address on the day you go.
The short version: which kind of café for which kind of morning
Before the long version, here is a cheat sheet. Saigon cafés fall into a handful of types, and once you can tell them apart you will never wander into the wrong one on a deadline or a hangover. The "typical" prices are rough ranges in Vietnamese dong that I have seen over several visits. Prices drift upward every year, so treat them as a ballpark.
| Type of café | What it feels like | Order this | Typical price per drink | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavement stall on plastic stools | Noisy, fast, friendly, no menu to speak of | Ca phe sua da or ca phe den da | About 15,000 to 30,000 VND | People watching, a first taste, saving money |
| Old-school Vietnamese cafe | Wooden chairs, ceiling fans, an owner who has been there for decades | Phin-filter coffee, ca phe trung (egg coffee) | About 25,000 to 50,000 VND | Slow mornings, conversation, atmosphere |
| Local chain | Air-conditioned, reliable wifi, clean toilets | Coconut coffee, milk tea, iced coffee | About 35,000 to 60,000 VND | Rest stops, meeting people, working for an hour or two |
| Specialty coffee roaster | Minimal fit-out, serious baristas, single-origin menus | Pour-over, flat white, espresso, cold brew | About 55,000 to 100,000 VND | Coffee nerds, quiet laptop sessions |
| Apartment-block and rooftop cafés | Hidden up a staircase, tiled floors, a view of the street | Salted coffee, signature specials | About 45,000 to 90,000 VND | Photos, a long chat, a lazy afternoon |
If you only remember one thing from this table, remember that the cheapest cup is often the most memorable. I have had unforgettable coffees on pavements for the price of a bottle of water, and forgettable ones in glossy rooms for ten times as much. The glossy rooms have their place, but do not skip the stools.
Why Saigon is such a coffee city
Vietnam is among the biggest coffee producers in the world, and most of what it grows is robusta, grown in the Central Highlands around Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot, a long bus ride north-east of Saigon. Robusta has a reputation outside Vietnam for being the harsh, cheap cousin of arabica. Here it is the point. It is stronger, more bitter, higher in caffeine and heavier in body, and when you brew it slowly through a small metal filter and cut it with sweetened condensed milk, it becomes something different: chocolatey, nutty, almost like liquid caramel with a kick.
The habit goes back to the French colonial period, when coffee plantations were set up in the highlands and the café became part of city life. Fresh milk was hard to come by in a tropical country, so condensed milk took its place, and that is how the sweet, thick base of so many Vietnamese coffee drinks came to be. Today the café is closer to a living room than a shop. People sit for hours. Students do homework, uncles read the paper, couples argue quietly over a game of cards, and nobody hurries you out as long as there is a glass on the table.
The more recent chapter is the specialty scene. In the last decade or so a wave of young roasters and baristas has started working with Vietnamese arabica and washed or honey-processed robusta, and Saigon has become one of the better cities in Southeast Asia to try those beans. You can have a milk-heavy traditional drink at breakfast and a clean, fruity pour-over from the same country at lunch, and see how different the same plant can taste. That contrast is the real appeal of coffee travel here.
If you are coming from Singapore, think of it as the opposite of kopi tiam culture and yet strangely related to it. Both cities have a coffee tradition built on dark roast, sugar and condensed milk, and both have a modern third-wave scene growing next to it. The difference is that in Saigon the traditional style is not a nostalgia act. It is still what most people drink every day.
The drinks you should know before you order
Menus in the touristy parts of town are in English, but the best places have short menus in Vietnamese with a couple of English words scribbled underneath. Learn six drink names and you can order anywhere. Here is my working glossary, with the way I would describe each to someone who has never had it.
| Drink | What is in it | How it tastes | My advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ca phe sua da | Strong filter coffee over condensed milk and ice | Sweet, bold, a little bitter at the finish | The one to start with. Stir it well before the first sip. |
| Ca phe den da | Black filter coffee over ice, usually with some sugar | Sharp and strong | Ask for "khong duong" if you want no sugar at all. |
| Bac xiu | Mostly milk, less coffee, plenty of condensed milk | Soft, creamy, dessert-like | Perfect for anyone who finds the full-strength version too much. |
| Ca phe trung (egg coffee) | Egg yolk whipped with sugar and condensed milk, over hot coffee | Like tiramisu cream on a strong coffee | Eat it with a spoon. It is a dessert, not a flat white. |
| Ca phe cot dua (coconut coffee) | Coffee blended with coconut milk or coconut ice | Creamy, a touch nutty, great in the heat | Best in the afternoon when it is properly hot outside. |
| Ca phe muoi (salted coffee) | Coffee topped with a lightly salted cream foam | Sweet and salty, like salted caramel | Sounds odd, tastes lovely. Try it before you judge it. |
| Cold brew and pour-over | Single-origin beans, specialty methods | Clean, fruity, light | Go to a roaster for these, not a street stall. |
A few small mechanics are worth knowing. A phin is the little metal filter that sits on top of your glass. If your coffee arrives still dripping, do not stir the filter or lift it early. Let it finish, and the drip will slow to a stop on its own, which is your sign it is done. If you want hot coffee, say "nong" and if you want it cold, say "da". And if the drink is too sweet, ask for "it ngot", which means less sweet. Most places are happy to do it.
One more thing about sweetness. A first-time visitor often finds Vietnamese iced coffee sweeter than expected. That is not a mistake, and it is not the café trying to hide bad beans. It is simply how the drink is built. If you prefer a drier cup, order black, or head to a specialty roaster where the menu treats the beans more gently.
Egg coffee, and why it has a Hanoi accent
Egg coffee was invented in Hanoi, not Saigon, and the best-known versions still come from the north. But you can find it in Saigon too, and good ones are made at a handful of cafés run by people who learned it up there. I mention this because many first-time visitors assume that every famous Vietnamese drink was born in the city they are standing in. It was not, and locals will happily tell you so.
If you are heading north later in your trip and want to learn how it is made, there are hands-on options. The egg coffee class with a street food walking tour in Hanoi starts from S$34.96, and there is also a simpler egg coffee class. I would do one of those after you have tasted a few versions in the south, so you know what you are aiming for in your own kitchen.
District by district: where to drink in Saigon
Saigon is big, hot and spread out, and a coffee crawl across the whole city will leave you tired and over-caffeinated. The sensible way is to pick a district and stay in it for a morning. Here is how I think about the main areas.
District 1: the busy centre
District 1 is where most visitors stay, and it has the widest choice. You will find international-standard specialty roasters, big local chains, and a number of old apartment buildings that have been converted into stacked cafés. The most famous of these is the building at 42 Nguyen Hue, a former apartment block whose narrow staircases lead to floor after floor of small shops and cafés, each with its own style and a view over the walking street below. It is crowded at weekends and a good place for photographs, but go early on a weekday if you want a seat and a quiet look at the architecture.
Around the Opera House and Dong Khoi, you will find some of the more polished cafés. Near the Ben Thanh Market you will find the opposite: busy, noisy and affordable. I would do one of each in a day, to see the contrast. Expect the specialty places to be air-conditioned, relatively quiet and a bit more expensive. Expect the market-side stalls to be loud, sweaty and a bargain.
If you only want to do one thing in District 1 and have no idea where to start, a guided walk can take the guesswork out. The half-day Instagram cafe tour is a relaxed way to see a few spots with someone who knows which ones are open and which ones have a view, and the Saigon Instagram half-day tour covers landmarks along the way.
District 3: the quieter, shadier side
Cross the canal from the centre and District 3 feels like a different city. The streets are lined with big old trees, the buildings are lower, and the cafés tend to be local hangouts rather than tourist stops. This is where I go when I want to read, write or simply not be spoken to in English for an hour. Many of the old-school cafés are in this area, with wooden furniture, a slightly faded look and customers who have been coming for years.
District 3 is also a good place to find a quiet lunch to follow your coffee. Many streets here have small family restaurants serving broken rice, noodle soups and the sort of home cooking you will not find on an English-language menu. A walk of twenty minutes in any direction will usually turn up something worth a stop.
Binh Thanh and Thao Dien: the modern, expat-friendly side
Over the river in Thao Dien (in Thu Duc city, the area many people still call District 2), the cafés are newer, the streets are wider, and the crowd is a mix of expats, remote workers and well-off locals. You will find big airy rooms, gardens, brunch menus and more flat whites per square metre than anywhere else in the city. If you are the sort of traveller who needs a good laptop table and strong wifi, this is your corner. It is a bit of a taxi ride from the centre, so make it a half-day rather than a quick stop.
Binh Thanh, the district between the centre and Thao Dien, sits somewhere in the middle. It has newer cafés, a few that double as small galleries, and plenty of local energy. If you are curious about the city's growing skyline, the Landmark 81 skyview is nearby and makes an easy add-on to a coffee afternoon.
Cholon and District 5: the old Chinese quarter
Cholon is Saigon's historic Chinatown, and its coffee culture is different from the rest of the city. The cafes here are older, smaller and often shared with a Chinese tea tradition, and you may find coffee served in a different style, with different snacks to go with it. It is not the place for a laptop session, but it is one of the best places to understand how the city's communities mixed. A guided Saigon and Cholon exploration by buggy is a fun way to see it without walking in the heat.
Names worth knowing (and what each is known for)
Here are the café names that come up again and again when I ask locals and long-term residents where to go. I will be careful to say what each one is known for rather than make strong claims, because venues change and my experience is only mine. Treat this as a starting list, not a ranking.
| Name | Known for | Area | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Workshop Coffee | One of the early specialty roasters, set in a restored colonial-era building, with several brewing methods on the menu | District 1 | Pour-overs, a serious cup, a good table |
| Cong Ca Phe | Retro military-themed cafés, with coconut coffee as the signature drink | Several branches | Atmosphere, coconut coffee, a nostalgic feel |
| Little Hanoi Egg Coffee | A well-known spot for egg coffee in the south | District 1 | Trying egg coffee without leaving Saigon |
| Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters | Roasting with beans from the Central Highlands, with a modern style | Central districts | Espresso drinkers and bean buyers |
| La Viet Coffee | A local brand focusing on Vietnamese beans and farmer relationships | Several branches | A thoughtful, locally rooted cup |
| Phuc Long and The Coffee House | Big Vietnamese chains, known for tea and iced coffee | Everywhere | Reliable stops and quick breaks |
I would add one caveat. This list is deliberately short. The older page had fifteen entries, and a few of them I could not confirm still operate as described. I would rather give you six that I am confident about and a method for finding more than pad out a list with places that might be gone by the time you land. The best way to find new cafés is the old-fashioned way: look for a place with locals inside, a menu you cannot fully read, and a street with a few motorbikes parked outside.
Working from a café in Saigon
Saigon is a very good city for working remotely. Wifi is common, power sockets are easier to find than you would think, and nobody minds a laptop as long as you keep buying drinks. A few practical notes from my own working mornings.
First, pick your hours. Morning is the sweet spot, between about eight and eleven, when the heat is bearable and the lunch crowd has not arrived. Lunchtime and the early evening, when students and office workers pour in, are noisier. Second, order something every hour or so. Most cafés do not have a time limit, but a coffee costs so little that it is polite to keep the glass full. Third, bring headphones. Saigon is a loud city, and even the quiet cafés have a soundtrack of street noise.
Fourth, and I cannot stress this enough, have a backup connection. Café wifi is usually fine but occasionally drops, and when you are on a call it will always choose the worst moment. A local data plan solves it. There are many eSIM options, and a plan like the Vietnam eSIM with a QR code sent by email from S$8.44 is simple to set up before you fly. If you prefer a physical card, there is a 5G SIM to pick up at Tan Son Nhat airport.
A coffee-crawl plan you can copy
Here are three simple ways to spend a day, depending on your energy. None of them need a reservation, and all of them can be adapted. Distances in Saigon look short on a map and feel long in traffic, so I have grouped stops by area to keep the taxi rides short.
| Plan | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow traditionalist | Pavement ca phe sua da in District 3, then an old-school cafe with a phin | Egg coffee and a stroll along tree-lined streets | Dinner nearby, then a bac xiu on the way home |
| Specialty explorer | A pour-over at a roaster in District 1 | Cold brew and a second roaster, then a bag of beans to take home | One last espresso, then an early night |
| Photo and views day | An apartment-block cafe at 42 Nguyen Hue | A coconut coffee, then a rooftop or river view | A sunset skyline walk, then a salted coffee |
A tip on pacing. Vietnamese coffee is strong, and a few glasses in a morning can leave your hands shaking. Between cafés, drink water, eat something, and consider switching to a lighter drink like bac xiu or a coconut coffee. I once did five strong cups before noon on my first visit and spent the afternoon staring at a wall. Do as I say, not as I did.
What it will cost you
Coffee in Saigon is cheap by Singapore standards, and even the fancy places usually undercut a similar cup at home. The table below gives rough ranges for a day of café-hopping. Prices go up every year, and drinks in tourist-heavy streets cost more than the same drink two blocks away, so use these as guides only.
| Item | Typical range (VND) | Rough idea in Singapore dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Pavement iced coffee | 15,000 to 30,000 | Under a dollar |
| Local chain drink | 35,000 to 60,000 | About 2 dollars |
| Egg coffee | 45,000 to 80,000 | About 2 to 4 dollars |
| Specialty pour-over | 70,000 to 120,000 | About 4 to 6 dollars |
| Bag of beans to take home (250g) | 150,000 to 350,000 | About 8 to 20 dollars |
| A full day of five or six drinks and a snack | 250,000 to 500,000 | About 14 to 28 dollars |
Cash is still king at street stalls, and most small cafes take it happily. Larger places usually accept cards or local QR payments. Tipping is not expected, though rounding up is always appreciated. If you need a note of a size the seller cannot change, a smaller denomination helps, so keep a few small notes in your pocket.
Coffee is only half the day: what else to do in Saigon
Even die-hard coffee lovers will want to see the city around the cafés. Here is how I would weave in the non-coffee parts, keeping the cafe stops as breathers between sights.
For history, start with the War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace walking tour. It is heavy, thoughtful and well worth doing, and a cold coffee afterwards is a very good idea. For views, the Landmark 81 skyview gives you the modern skyline. For an evening, a walk through Saigon by night shows you the city when the heat has gone and the street food is at its liveliest, and a dinner cruise on the Saigon River is a calmer option.
If you have a spare day, leave the city. The Cu Chi Tunnels day tour is the classic, and many travellers combine it with the Mekong. The Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta full-day tour does both in one long day, and a Mekong Delta day tour alone is more relaxed. In the delta you will often be served a local coffee, sometimes with honey or ginger, and it is a nice way to see another side of the drink.
For an evening show, the Golden Water Puppet Show is short, visual and easy to enjoy even without Vietnamese. And if you would like a food-focused day with a local, a cyclo ride, market visit and cooking class ties together everything you will have been tasting at the cafes.
One note on how we book things. The tickets and tours listed here can be booked online with HolidaySG, and e-tickets are emailed after our team confirms your booking. Plan a little extra time around your travel dates so that a confirmation does not catch you by surprise.
Getting there, visas and flights
Saigon is one of the easiest trips from Singapore. It is roughly a two-hour flight, and there are frequent direct services. For many passports, the entry rules are simple, but they change, so check before you book. As a guide from our own records, Singapore passport holders can currently enter without a visa for up to 30 days, as long as the passport has at least six months of validity and two blank pages. Travellers from other countries can usually apply for an eVisa valid for up to 90 days, with a government fee of around US$25 and a processing time of about three working days, so apply a week before travel to be safe. Our visa requirements guide has the latest by passport and destination.
Some visa applications ask for proof of onward travel or flight plans before you have bought a ticket. If that applies to you, the flight reservation service can provide a reservation for visa purposes. It is not an issued ticket, so do not treat it as a confirmed flight, and make sure you check what your own embassy or immigration authority requires.
At the airport, a few things make life easier. Download a ride app before you land, because taxi queues can be long. If you prefer to be met, a private airport transfer is simple. If you are in a hurry, the fast track service at Tan Son Nhat helps with the queues. The best coffee of the trip may well be the first one you find near your hotel, so keep an eye out as you drive in.
Small mistakes that spoil a good coffee trip
After a few visits I have a short list of things I wish someone had told me earlier. None are serious, all are avoidable.
Do not go for the strongest thing on the menu at every stop. A single strong ca phe den da can keep you awake until midnight. Mix it up with milk-heavy drinks and water. Do not judge a cafe by its sign. Many of the best places have no English at all, and the busiest ones have no sign. Do not rush the filter. The slow drip is part of the pleasure, and pushing it only makes a bitter cup.
Do not leave your phone on the table in a crowded spot. Phone snatching from motorbikes does happen in busy tourist areas, so keep it in your pocket or bag when you are by the road. Do not assume every place is open early. Many cafes open at seven or eight, but some of the more fashionable ones do not open until later. And do not forget to try the plain, cheap stuff. The most photogenic cafe is rarely the best one.
Finally, bring something home. Roasted beans and phin filters make good gifts and last well. A small metal phin is cheap, light and lets you recreate the morning at home, as long as you also pack a tin of condensed milk and some patience.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best coffee shop in Saigon?
There is no single answer, because "best" depends on what you want. For a serious cup and a good table, specialty roasters in District 1 are reliable. For atmosphere and tradition, an old-school cafe in District 3 wins. For coconut coffee, the retro chain cafes are popular. I would try one of each style and pick your own favourite.
What coffee should I try first in Vietnam?
Start with ca phe sua da, which is strong filter coffee with condensed milk over ice. If that is too strong or too sweet, try bac xiu, which has more milk. Then move on to egg coffee, coconut coffee and salted coffee for the other classics.
Is coffee expensive in Saigon?
Not by Singapore standards. A street coffee can cost less than a dollar, a chain drink around two dollars, and a specialty pour-over four to six dollars. Prices rise a little every year and are higher in tourist-heavy streets.
Which district is best for cafes?
District 1 has the biggest choice and is the easiest for visitors. District 3 is calmer and more local. Thao Dien suits remote workers and brunch lovers. Cholon is for history and a different style of cafe culture.
Can I work from cafes in Saigon?
Yes. Wifi and power sockets are common, and laptops are normal. Go in the morning, keep ordering drinks, bring headphones, and carry a backup data connection such as an eSIM in case the wifi drops.
Do I need a visa to visit Ho Chi Minh City?
It depends on your passport. Singapore passport holders can currently enter without a visa for up to 30 days, while many other nationalities apply for an eVisa. Rules change, so check our visa requirements page and the official government site before you travel.
When is the best time to visit Saigon for coffee?
The city is warm all year, but the drier months from about December to April are the most comfortable for walking between cafes. In the rainy season, afternoon showers are usually short, and a cafe is the perfect place to wait one out.
Is it safe to drink the ice in coffee?
In most established cafes, ice is made from filtered water and is fine. If your stomach is sensitive, stick to busy places with a high turnover, and ask for your drink hot if you are unsure.
Featured experiences in this guide
Plan your Saigon trip with HolidaySG
Pair your coffee mornings with tours, tickets, a local eSIM and visa help. Browse Vietnam activities and book online with HolidaySG. E-tickets are emailed after our team confirms your booking.