7 retro Saigon cafés that offer a ride back in time
Classic designs and quiet atmospheres make these shops a popular choice for the nostalgic.
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| Café 81 on Nguyen Van Nguyen Street in District 1 carries the look of a Vietnamese middle house in the 1980s, making it an outcast in the hustling urban downtown. |
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| Ut Lanh: In an alley off Pham Ngu Lao Street in the city’s backpacker area, a vintage shop has adopted a quaint southern countryside name: Ut Lanh. This cafe is popular among foreigners, and continues to amaze its Vietnamese patrons with childhood snacks from the eighties. |
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| Den Da (Iced Black Coffee) has opened several shops in Saigon to serve an increasing number of young customers. Its shops on Ham Nghi, Pasteur and Phan Xich Long Streets are open 24 hours a day. The designs hark back to Saigon in the 1960s. |
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| Cu (Old) Café is another quiet and cosy escape on an alley off Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Tan Binh District. The name tells you everything, although the drinks are served fresh every day. |
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| The Saigon Retro Café on Tran Quoc Toan Street also tries to revive some of sixties’ Saigon, and it works for many people thanks to the soft music coming from an old machine. |
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| Nho (Small) Café down an alley off Le Van Sy Street describes itself as “The space of time”. It’s definitely a quiet space with old, simple tables and chairs, and the sound of “choo choo” trains running on the nearby north-south railway. |
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| Things Café sits in an apartment building built during French colonial times on Ton That Dam Street in District 1. It is the perfect place to revisit the old days, although the small space without air-conditioning can be too hot for summer. Customers have to leave their motorbikes at a nearby parking lot for VND10,000 (US$0.44) each. |
