Coffee in Saigon: Best cafes in Saigon for every traveler

What Is Saigon-Style Coffee?

Saigon-style coffee usually means cà phê sữa đá: dark robusta dripped through a phin, mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over a tall glass of ice. Two other southern styles are bạc xỉu, which is mostly milk with a little coffee, and cà phê vợt, brewed through a cloth filter.

Cà phê sữa đá is the drink most closely tied to the city. It is part of the cultural identity of Saigon and the south, a habit that grew when condensed milk replaced fresh milk, which was scarce. Bạc xỉu comes from the Chinese community of Saigon and Cho Lon: the name is a shortened form of "bạc tẩy xỉu phé", a glass of milk with just enough coffee for aroma. Cà phê vợt is older still. The coffee is strained through a cloth filter that looks like a sock, a method that was common at Chinese-run stalls before the French-style phin took over.

How to Order Coffee in Saigon

To order coffee in Saigon, ask for cà phê sữa đá (iced, with condensed milk), cà phê đen đá (iced, black) or bạc xỉu (mostly milk). Say nóng instead of đá if you want it hot, because many cafes assume you want ice. In Hanoi, milk coffee is often called nâu.

A few habits help. If you want your black coffee without sugar, say không đường. At local cafes a glass of weak iced tea often arrives with your coffee at no charge, and you usually pay when you leave. At chains you order and pay at the counter. Several writers who order hot coffee in Vietnam report being served iced coffee instead, so if hot matters to you, repeat nóng and point to it on the menu.

How Much Does Coffee Cost in Saigon?

A cup of coffee in Saigon costs about 15,000 to 25,000 VND (US$0.60 to US$1) at a street stall, 29,000 to 45,000 VND at a chain such as Highlands, and roughly 65,000 to 120,000 VND (US$2.50 to US$4.60) at a specialty cafe, based on prices published in 2026.

US dollar figures use about 26,000 VND to US$1, close to the Vietcombank rate on 20 October 2026. Prices change, so treat these as a guide. Our page on money in Vietnam explains cash, cards and ATMs.

Best Coffee in Ho Chi Minh City: Where to Go

The best coffee in Ho Chi Minh City depends on what you want. For old Saigon, try cloth-filter coffee at Cheo Leo. For specialty brews, go to The Workshop, XLIII or Bosgaurus. For atmosphere, climb the old apartment blocks at 42 Nguyen Hue and 14 Ton That Dam in the former District 1.

The table lists the 14 cafes in this guide in the order of the sections that follow. Saigon cafes open and close quickly, so check that a place is still open on the day you go. Since 1 July 2025 the city no longer uses districts, but many maps and travelers still say "District 1" and "District 3", so we show the former district beside each address.

Old-Saigon Coffee: Cloth Filters and Sidewalk Stools

Old-Saigon coffee means cà phê vợt, strained through a cloth filter at family-run cafes, and cups poured on plastic stools by the roadside. Two cloth-filter cafes below have served for decades, and a third sits in a house that once hid weapons. Come early, because mornings are the busiest.

1. Cheo Leo

• Address: 109/36 Nguyen Thien Thuat, at the end of an alley, former District 3
• Go for: Cloth-filter coffee, early in the morning
• Hours: about 5:15 am to 6:45 pm
• Price: black coffee from about 25,000 VND in recent listings; older listings show 13,000 VND

Cheo Leo has served cà phê vợt since 1938, which makes it one of the oldest cafes in the city. The coffee is brewed in clay pots and strained through cloth. The morning rush at most cloth-filter cafes runs from 6:30 am to 8 am.

2. Ca Phe Vot at 330/2 Phan Dinh Phung

• Address: 330/2 Phan Dinh Phung, former Phu Nhuan District
• Go for: A cup at any hour

This family-run cloth-filter cafe opened in 1954 according to its owner, and it now takes turns serving 24 hours a day.

3. Ca Phe Do Phu

• Address: 287/72 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, former District 3
• Go for: History with your coffee
• Hours: about 7 am to 10 pm

Ca Phe Do Phu adds history to the cup. Reports from 2019 say the house belonged to Tran Van Lai, who hid nearly two tons of weapons in a basement vault between 1966 and 1968, and that his Citroen helped carry weapons for the 1968 Tet Offensive attack on what is now Independence Palace. His son runs the cafe and opened the tunnel to visitors in 2018.

A vintage Citroen stands at the entrance, and a hidden trap door leads down to an underground bunker, where old weapons and uniforms are on display. Passageways and ladders in the house served as escape routes. The house has no air conditioning, so the balcony is the more comfortable place to sit, and the kitchen also serves cơm tấm sườn nướng, broken rice with grilled pork chop.

You do not need an address for sidewalk coffee. Look for a cart or a doorway with plastic stools set out facing the street, point at what your neighbor is drinking and expect to pay 15,000 to 25,000 VND. Mornings are busiest.

Specialty Coffee Roasters in Saigon

Specialty cafes in Saigon brew Vietnamese arabica and fine robusta by pour-over or espresso, and several roast on site. The six below are the easiest places to start, and prices run higher than at a street stall.

4. The Workshop

• Address: 27 Ngo Duc Ke (up a staircase), former District 1
• Go for: Pour-over and Vietnamese arabica
• Hours: about 8 am to 8:30 pm

The Workshop is the easiest introduction to specialty coffee in Saigon: a bright room with the brewing bar in the middle, Vietnamese arabica grown around Da Lat and roasted locally, and a menu that lists each bean with its expected tasting notes and explains how each brewing method changes the cup. Food leans toward Western breakfast and brunch, and juices, chocolate drinks and tea give non-coffee drinkers something to order. The entrance is up a staircase and easy to walk past.

5. XLIII Coffee

• Address: 178A Pasteur, former District 1
• Go for: Rare single origins
• Price: about 65,000 to 120,000 VND

If you only have time for one specialty cafe, my pick would be XLIII Coffee on Pasteur Street, where the baristas talk you through the beans before you choose. It is also where Saigon's price ceiling sits: A single cup of a rare Sudan Rume lot has been priced at 500,000 VND. The regular menu is far cheaper. The interior is all black and minimal, beans from several countries can be brewed as pour-over or espresso, and XLIII also has branches in Da Nang and Hoi An.

6. Bosgaurus Coffee, Opera House

• Address: 12 Nguyen Sieu, former District 1
• Go for: Arabica cà phê sữa đá in a polished room
• Price: many drinks at 75,000 to 95,000 VND

Bosgaurus Coffee's Opera House branch is the most polished room of the group, built around a central bar. Its cà phê sữa đá uses Vietnamese-grown arabica in a custom phin. As of 2024 the brand was described as having close relationships with local producers, which gives it access to rare lots.

7. Hummingbird

• Address: 103BIS Vo Thi Sau, former District 3
• Go for: Light, sweet filter coffee

Hummingbird opened in 2019 and is led by roaster and Q Grader Tran Hoa, who roasts the cafe's beans on a 15 kg Probat roaster beside the cafe. The coffee bar runs along almost half of the indoor seating, the beans on offer have consistently come from Vietnam, Ethiopia and Kenya, and the baked goods are made in house.

8. Grandmum Cafe

• Address: 82/86B1 Vo Thi Sau, Tan Dinh Ward
• Go for: A slow filter coffee, or a cupping

Grandmum Cafe feels like a family home with a garden. It has a pour-over counter alongside espresso on a La Marzocco machine, a coffee list that has included Panama Geisha, and a Vietnamese coffee omakase course. Owner Nhã Thi, a Cup of Excellence and AeroPress judge, arranges cuppings for serious coffee drinkers who message the cafe first.

9. Hoff Coffee Brewers

• Address: upstairs at 42 Ly Tu Trong (some listings write 42BIS), Sai Gon Ward, former District 1
• Go for: Bạc xỉu with brown sugar boba

Hoff Coffee Brewers sits upstairs in an old apartment building, and the bạc xỉu with brown sugar boba is the drink to try.

Hoff is the cafe arm of Beanhop Coffee Roastery. The menu has espresso and filter coffee and beans to take home, and the bạc xỉu is made with honey-processed Vietnamese robusta, condensed milk and a little fresh milk. Hoff also has a second, larger cafe on Vo Thi Sau Street.

With more time, I would also add Every Half, a Saigon roaster with several branches that is reliable for both pour-over and creative drinks. Quality at smaller bars can depend on who is behind the counter, so ask what they are brewing that day.

Apartment-Block Cafes in the Old District 1

Some of Saigon's most interesting cafes sit inside old apartment buildings, with a different shop on every floor. The best known is 42 Nguyen Hue, and a rougher, quieter version is 14 Ton That Dam. Many have only a small sign, so follow the map pin and look for a stairwell.

10. 42 Nguyen Hue (The Cafe Apartments)

• Address: Nguyen Hue walking street, former District 1
• Go for: Balcony views and many cafes in one place
• Price: drip coffee about 35,000 to 60,000 VND; some cafes add 10,000 to 30,000 VND for balcony seats

The best-known apartment building is often called The Cafe Apartments: nine floors of cafes and shops above a bookstore, in a 1960s block on the walking street. As of July 2026, you will find % Arabica on the fourth floor and Saigon Oi, with its balcony, on the fifth. Saigon Oi also has a low-seating room where you sit on the floor, and its menu includes durian coffee.

11. Mockingbird Coffee, 14 Ton That Dam

• Address: fourth floor, 14 Ton That Dam, former District 1
• Go for: A rougher, quieter old building
• Hours: about 8 am to 10 pm

The facade has no shop signs: you go through the driveway, find the stairwell on the right and follow the hand-painted signs upstairs. Mockingbird Coffee sits on the fourth floor with a small balcony. The room is compact and the stairs are worn. Two more cafes share the building: Whisfee Cafe, with dark wood and leather chairs (about 9 am to 11 pm), and Hoang Thi Cafe at 14g (about 7:30 am to midnight).

12. Bang Khuang Cafe

• Address: upstairs, 9 Thai Van Lung, former District 1
• Go for: Traditional Vietnamese coffee from a family farm

Bang Khuang Cafe serves traditional Vietnamese coffee from a family farm near Buon Ma Thuot. The room has tiled floors, vintage memorabilia and air conditioning, and its large tables suit a quiet hour of work. If you enjoy apartment cafes, our guide to things to do in Ho Chi Minh City covers the rest of Nguyen Hue.

Local Chains and Egg Coffee in Saigon

Chains give you air conditioning, consistent drinks and a branch almost everywhere, which helps in Saigon's heat. Egg coffee was born in Hanoi but is also served in Saigon. This section covers two chains worth knowing and the best-known places for egg coffee.

13. Cộng Cà Phê

• Address: many branches, including Ly Tu Trong
• Go for: Coconut coffee and retro, military-inspired decor
• Hours: Ly Tu Trong branch about 7 am to 10:30 pm

Cộng Cà Phê is worth a visit for its coconut coffee and its retro, military-inspired decor. It is a chain rather than a hidden address.

14. Highlands Coffee

• Address: branches across the city
• Go for: A reliable, air-conditioned stop between sights
• Price: phin sữa đá from 29,000 to 45,000 VND

Highlands Coffee has branches across the city. Katinat is another popular local chain. None of them replaces a sidewalk cup or a specialty bar.

Where to Try Egg Coffee in Saigon

Yes, you can find egg coffee in Saigon, even though the drink was created in Hanoi. Little Hanoi Egg Coffee on Yersin Street and 3T Egg Coffee in Tan Dinh are known for it, and several cafes in the apartment block at 42 Nguyen Hue list it at about 50,000 to 70,000 VND.

Little Hanoi, at 119/5 Yersin, is recommended for egg coffee and a decent breakfast, and 3T Egg Coffee, at 355 Hoang Sa, is listed at 45,000 to 65,000 VND. If you are heading north, the original is still served in Hanoi, which our Hanoi cafe guide covers.

Saigon vs Hanoi Coffee: What Changes

Saigon coffee is built around iced cà phê sữa đá, which has become part of the city's identity, while Hanoi is known for creations such as egg coffee and for older cafes around the Old Quarter. Both cities use dark-roasted robusta and the phin filter, so the bigger difference is in habits and setting.

If your trip covers both cities, try the classic in each: an iced sữa đá on a Saigon sidewalk and a hot egg coffee in Hanoi.

Buying Coffee to Take Home

To bring Vietnamese coffee home, buy it at a supermarket for the lowest prices, or at a local roaster if you want fresher specialty beans you can taste first. Read the label, because some blends have added flavors, and pick up a phin filter so you can brew it the Vietnamese way.

Travelers in online Ho Chi Minh City forums point to supermarkets such as Co.op Mart for well-known brands at good prices, and to independent roasters such as Hoff and Silvi when you want specialty beans and a cup before you buy. Taste before you spend much, because Vietnamese blends vary a lot, and use your phone's camera translation to read labels. If you are heading to the Central Highlands, where most of the coffee is grown, our Vietnamese coffee guide covers the region.

Practical Tips for Cafe Hopping in Saigon

Saigon is hot all year, so plan sidewalk coffee for the morning and save air-conditioned cafes for the afternoon. Traditional cafes open early, some before 6 am, while many specialty cafes open around 7 am or 8 am. Addresses are changing too. Since the reform of 1 July 2025, former District 1 has been split into Sai Gon, Ben Thanh, Tan Dinh and Cau Ong Lanh wards, so the same cafe may appear under an old or a new address. Many of the best cafes are upstairs or down an alley with only a small sign, so follow the map pin to the building and look for a stairwell. If you need a quiet, air-conditioned place to work, Barista Collective at 41 Ho Xuan Huong (about 7 am to 10 pm, former District 3) is popular with students and remote workers. Finally, check that a cafe is still open on the day, because Saigon cafes open and close quickly.