5 Secret Cafes in Ho Chi Minh City’s Phu Nhuan District 

Vietnam is a coffee-crazy country, and Ho Chi Minh City is the epicenter of it all. But among the city’s 19 administrative districts, Phu Nhuan has developed an identity of its own that’s centered around its hip indie coffee shops. These small businesses have popped up along with the small private offices in the area, bringing in many workers who are looking for their daily fix of coffee. 

Also known as secret cafés, these establishments are different from your usual coffee shop chains. Living up to their moniker, these cafés are oftentimes tucked away where you’d least expect them to be, or simply hiding in plain sight. If you’re looking to experience this unique aspect of life in Ho Chi Minh City, then here are five secret cafés you should visit. 

Pound Café 

Pound Café is notable in that “hidden” may not be the best word to describe it. That’s because the café is easily accessible, but it just doesn’t look like one at first glance. That’s because the entire establishment is just a space with bare brick walls that’s open to Phan Xich Long Street. This should make it easier to accidentally discover it if you’d gotten a deal by booking a hotel along this busy street. Indeed, local tourists get good deals through online searches of “khách sạn Phan Xich Long.” But once you’re there, you can enjoy your coffee while sitting on the many stools, or lounge around the nearby small pond.

Am Phu Café

Moving to Phan Dinh Phung Street, you can find Am Phu Café. In spite of the inauspicious name, (which in Vietnamese translates roughly to “Hell Café”) this place is a good example of a “secret” café. That’s because Am Phu Café is merely the proprietor’s house, with a few plastic chairs for guests to sit on. The business originally started as a coffee-serving trolley that roamed around the neighborhood. But today, Am Phu has settled into a less nomadic business model and offers a more intimate and informal vibe for coffee lovers. 

The Fig Café

If you don’t know that you’re looking for it, you might never find the Fig Café by yourself. This well-hidden place can be found along Nguyen Thi Huynh Street, and its exterior has a low-key vibe with a Buddha statue amidst a relaxing garden area. This makes it easily mistakable as a public park. But out here, you can sit and have your coffee in peace and relax to their soft music. Inside, you’ll experience a mix of modern and traditional Vietnamese interior design, with tiled floors and hanging lanterns accompanied by newer-style furniture. While having coffee here, you can also have some desserts or even order some alcoholic drinks if you’re staying past sunset. 

Ghe Dau Café 

Ghe Dau Café along Hoa Mai Street is another popular secret café in the area. The name translates to “stool,” referring to the highly minimalist furniture that they exclusively offer for guests. This place also has a very informal vibe, with the shade provided by some Bodhi trees. The result is a fresh and breezy atmosphere that attracts many young people during the day. And if you’re up for something more refreshing to drink, they also serve some juices and fruit shakes. 

Tram Café 

In Phu Nhuan, you can’t find a more quintessential Vietnamese garden café (or “café sân vườn,” as the locals might say) than Tram Café. On your first time visiting the café, you might even have a hard time believing that such a peaceful café exists in the middle of a busy part of town. With the trees providing overhead shade in its outside seating area, you get just the right amount of sunlight even in the middle of the day. There are also walkways that connect wooden structures for an even more peaceful and intimate vibe. Overall, this makes having coffee at Tram Café a must for tourists. Just as a heads up, the coffee here can be more expensive than the other options on this list. But the unique atmosphere and relaxing vibe more than make up for it.

 

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a place to relax or to just hang out and have coffee. Phu Nhuan’s secret cafés allow for various possible coffee-consuming experiences while you’re in Ho Chi Minh City. Each of their highly unique environments allows for a different way to enjoy coffee and are great places for all types of tourists. And these are likely types of coffee shops that you’ll have a hard time finding back home.