More and more people have become freelancers, which has created a demand for quiet and comfortable working places. As the most active city of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon, has opened many cafés aiming at student and freelancers. They not only offer good coffee but also good spaces and atmosphere to work and study. As a freelancer, I have visited many coffee shops to work and now I want to share with you some of the best working cafés in my experience.
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Geek Hub – Workspace and Cafeteria
This coffee shop is located in a small alley, so it’s very quiet and tranquil even though it’s in District 1, the most active district of Ho Chi Minh City. The Geek Hub design is minimal and is decorated with many cute small trees set in simple wood shelves. You can also make a reservation for a meeting room or room for groups of 12 to 15 people. The best part about this café is the chairs: conference chairs without wheels which makes you feel like a professional working in an office.
Address:
- 27B/9 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Da Kao ward, District 1, HCMC;
- 244/31 Huynh Van Banh, Ward no. 11, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC.
Wi-Fi speed: Strong
AC: Yes
Price: 40,000 – 65,000 Vietnamese Dong for a drink
Pro tip: You don’t have to pay for a drink if you don’t want to. If you don’t, you can pay 30,000 VND to use the space for four hours.
Sai Gon Oi Café
Oi is a friendly word to call a friend or a family member in Vietnamese, and Sai Gon Oi also wants to treat you as a friend. When you order, you will receive a small standing board with your name. The staff will call your name warmly to deliver the drink. Sai Gon Oi Café is not a silent workplace, but many people choose this space to work because many freelancers and hard-workers come here to complete projects. Looking at other people working may give you inspiration to work just as hard.
From Sai Gon Oi, you can look out to Nguyen Hue walking street. When you are tired of focusing on your computer screen, stand up and watch people interacting on the street. Wood chairs with bamboo-woven padding and a straight back will give you great support so you can work for hours.
Address: Fifth floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Good
AC: Yes
Food: Sai Gon Oi café offers both snacks and dishes for any meal of the day such as sticky rice and noodles.
Price: 50,000 – 100,000 VND
The Workshop Café
The Workshop Café offers many long and large tables to work and discuss with your friends and colleagues. You can also find a single small table to work in your own space. These single tables are near windows, which inspires creativity and energy.
The Workshop Café has a large space, so you can sit and focus without being annoyed by anyone though this place is often populated and busy. The only negative is that most of the chairs here don’t have a back.
Address: Second floor, 27 Ngo Duc Ke street, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Good
AC: Yes
Food: The Workshop Café serves many kinds of dishes like sandwiches, burgers, and spaghetti.
Price: 80,000 – 200,000 VND
Think in a Box Café
Think in a Box has several types of work rooms for you to choose from, depending on whether you are doing personal or group work. The name Think in a Box seems contradictory to the saying “think out of the box”, but as a working space, this café really offers you a “box” to work in.
Everyone respects the rule of silence in this café. The theme color is white to also inspire clarity. Stay on the first floor if you are working by yourself. You will also have a white board at each seat and it’s free to use. Does it sound great?
Address: 116 Nguyen Van Thu street, Da Kao ward, District 1; 27 Nguyen Khac Nhu street, Co Giang ward, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Strong
AC: Yes
Food: Think in a Box offers different foods for all meals of the day
Price: 50,000 – 200,000 VND
Nest by AIA
Nest by AIA is located on the second floor of Bitexco tower, the second highest building in Ho Chi Minh City. Many office workers in this building come and work here or take a break and enjoy some good coffee. This coffee shop is suitable for those people who want to work alone because of its silent atmosphere. The colors are also very subtle, causing no distractions.
The cool thing is, there are many types of chairs for you to choose from in case you have a particular taste. From Nest by AIA, you can look down on Saigon street, sip your drink and relax after hours of working. Or you can sneak in some Instagram-perfect shots without disturbing other workaholics. I recommend trying their various types of coffee.
Address: Second floor, Bitexco tower, 2 Hai Trieu street, Ben Nghe ward, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Good
AC: Yes
Food: Nest by AIA serves a few small dishes of bread. You can find food on the fourth floor of this building, where the food court is located with many stalls.
Price: 40,000 – 100,000 VND
FYI Book Café
The most special thing about FYI Book Café is that it is equipped with many iPads and you can use them for free. The name FYI stands for For Your Inspiration as the owner wants to inspire her customers with the space and books.
This café usually plays classical music to help you concentrate on your work. I think the wing chairs will provide you the most comfortable seat if you plan on being there for a long time. There are also many English businesses and marketing books for you to reference and English fiction to entertain.
Address: 205/2-3 Nguyen Trai street, Nguyen Cu Trinh ward, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Strong
AC: Yes
Food: FYI offers a diverse menu for lunch with many Vietnamese dishes like com tam (broken rice with grilled pork), hu tieu (Phnom Penh rice noodle soup), and bun bo Hue (Hue’s beef noodle soup).
Price: 30,000 – 80,000 VND
The Coffee House
In recent years, The Coffee House has become a phenomenon in the coffee industry. There are more than 100 shops all over Vietnam, with multiple locations in just one city. The Coffee House brings you a professional working space with suitable tables and chairs. Nguyen Hai Ninh, the founder of The Coffee House, invested in hiring good designers to create chairs that are extremely comfortable for customers.
The Coffee House offers many types of good drinks. I recommend trying the series of Macchiato teas, which is this café’s signature drink. Many young Vietnamese come and work at The Coffee House, so this is not a place for people who love silence. But if you enjoy the noise of a coffee shop, you should give The Coffee House a chance.
Address: You can visit their website to choose the closest The Coffee House branch (about 50 branches in HCMC)
Wi-Fi: Good
AC: Yes
Food: The Coffee House has a few kinds of bread and tiramisu suitable for a brunch and afternoon tea time.
Price: 30,000 – 60,000 VND
Loft Café
Loft Café was designed based on classical Western architecture. This café is different from The Coffee House because it is for people who want to work in a quiet atmosphere. Not only does the decoration make for a peaceful space, but the slow and soft music also provides the feeling of efficiency.
Loft Café offers seats situated in quiet corners and windows for personal work. It also has large table for a group discussion. Food is available at Loft Café only during lunch. Dishes are served with a reasonable cost and good-looking arrangement.
Address: First floor, Apartment 26 Ly Tu Trong street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1; 95 Pasteur street, Ben Nghe ward, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Strong
AC: Yes
Food: many Western and Eastern dishes are offered.
Price: 40,000 – 200,000 VND
Shin Coffee
Shin Coffee is another coffee shop near Nguyen Hue walking street. This coffee shop offers you many kinds of tables in which to sit and work: single tables, large tables, and thin and long tables. The wing chairs are comfortable even after having spent several hour here.
The coffee is legendary. The founder of Shin Coffee is the first Vietnamese to receive Q Crader, which is the coffee quality management certificate from the United States. Order a cup of coffee and focus on your work. I recommend trying ca phe trung (egg coffee), a Vietnamese kind of coffee for a perfect day working like a local.
Address: 13 Nguyen Thiep street, Ben Nghe ward, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Great
AC: Yes
Food: They offer bread.
Price: 100,000 – 200,000 VND
M2C Cafe
M2C stands for Modern meets Culture. This coffee shop provides you a modern and warm space to work. The grey theme color gives customers the feeling of flowing, productive time and trust me, you won’t be distracted.
You can sit for a long time working in the wood armchairs with soft pillows. There are also sofas and dining chairs for you to choose from. Although M2C is located on a busy street, everything is very silent and peaceful inside. The menu consists of many cool drinks and food. Vietnamese dishes are M2C’s strength, so I recommend having a tasty Vietnamese lunch.
Address: 44B Ly Tu Trong street, Ben Nghe ward, District 1, HCMC
Wi-Fi: Good
AC: Yes
Food: Once again, you should try the Vietnamese food.
Price: 60,000 – 120,000 VND
My Life Coffee
My Life Coffee has a total of six stores in HCMC, centralized in District 1 and 3. What makes My Life Coffee special is that each store is designed based on a different concept. But each coffee shop has a large space and seats suitable for working.
You shouldn’t come to My Life Coffee at lunch time unless you want to stay there working for a full day. A lot of office workers will go to this coffee shop and have their lunch. Food is a big plus point of My Life Coffee because of its good taste and reasonable price. The drink menu is very diverse, which includes coffee, tea, macchiato, juice, ice blended drinks, smoothies, and milk.
Address:
· Bach Dang Ship Station, District 1
· Le Lai Park, Le Lai street, District 1
· 28 Le Duan street, District 1
· 257 Tran Hung Dao Street, District 1
· 22A Truong Dinh, District 3
· 160 Nguyen Cu Trinh, District 1
Wi-Fi: Great
AC: Yes
Food: Besides main dishes, My Life Coffee also offers breads and tiramisu.
Price: 50,000 – 100,000 VND
L’Usine Le Thanh Ton
Located on the busy street of Le Thanh Ton, L’Usine is an isolated space with a very silent atmosphere inside. The coffee shop is designed based on the French architecture of Saigon when the French ruled Vietnam. In the same building, you can also go shopping because L’Usine also has clothes and food stores.
This place is perfect for working and thinking because the seats are far from one another, which can give you private space. There are also many kinds of chairs to choose from hard dining chairs to soft armchairs. It is said that the designing style of L’Usine releases a strong energy and stimulates creativity, which attracts those people knowing about art.
Wi-Fi speed: Strong
AC: Yes
Food: They serve food as a western restaurant, from salads to main dishes.
Price: 50,000 – 1,000,000 VND
Address: 19 Le Thanh Ton street, Ben Nghe ward, District 1
La Viet Café
Come to La Viet café, besides the wonderful space for working, you can also enjoy the great coffee under the sunlight of Saigon. La Viet doesn’t have a too large space, but I love the long tables in this coffee shop. Everyone sits at these long tables and work and nobody distracts others.
The coffee shop is illuminated by the yellow lights, bring the feeling of an old Saigon. This café grinds and makes coffee onsite, so when working you can hear the soft sound of grinders as well as the awesome smell of coffee. La Viet will give you lots of optimistic energy and a fantastic start for a new productive day.
Wi-Fi speed: Great
AC: Yes
Food: Many kinds of cakes and sandwich are waiting for you to enjoy.
Price: 30,000 – 60,000 VND
Address: 191 Hai Ba Trung street, Ward 6, District 3
I can confidently recommend these coffee shops to you because I work in them myself! I hope you can experience them all and decide which you love the best.
Follow our 4U Trip to get more information about traveling as well as living long-term in Vietnam. Here are some recommended articles for you:
The Complete Guide to Settling Down with a Mid-Range Budget in Ho Chi Minh City
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Our Favorite Restaurants in Saigon for Authentic Vietnamese Food
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