A list of seven, even for a city with at least a few thousand cafes, is a somewhat large list by specialty coffee standards in Saigon. But indeed, I have witnessed the specialty coffee scene here massively in recent years.
But when it comes to specialty coffee in Ho Chi Minh City, definitions become vague, so here are my personal house rules because this isn’t your typical “hidden cafes in Saigon” or “best specialty cafes in Ho Chi Minh City” listicle that someone made with an afternoon of search engine research.
Micro. Meaning small, independent, and physically tiny. And of course, there’s the word specialty.
In the sense that every Saigon cafe in this article offers a choice of local and/or foreign single-origin coffee beans, whether or not they follow Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) standards or simply focus on a novelty selection of unique coffees from Vietnam and beyond is a moot point. It would be nice if the “micro-specialty” café in question is an independent roastery, but that’s not compulsory because many barista-owners prefer to focus on brewing and delegate roasting to trusted business partners.
As for other non-quantifiable standards? I like my Saigon specialty coffee joint cozy and preferably memorable. Something that lights up a neuron in my head.
I think we can all mutually agree that good caffeine doesn’t stop at fancy coffee origins, cupping scores, and barista equipment.
Ten.coffee is a Japanese-owned cafe with quality sunlight and adorable al fresco seating
Existing since late last year, Ten.coffee (214/19/56 Nguyễn Văn Nguyễn, Phường Tân Định) has become a hit with local hipsters in the know.
Located in a cozy, hidden neighborhood near Ho Chi Minh City’s blazing pink Tân Đinh church, you’ll find espresso drinks made with an exceptional medium-roasted natural Ethiopian Guji Shakiso as well as ceremonial grade matcha and rotational beans for pourover.
For VND140,000 try the proprietor’s favorite bean from Colombia, a natural processed red bourbon by Finca Anaya with jammy, rose tea-like notes and a cherry-ish aftertaste.
Ten.coffee’s choice of drip brewer? The Origami Drip didn’t come as a surprise!
Ten.coffee may be tiny, with most of its seating al fresco, but the pine-toned furniture and lush urban greenery has turned it into both a highly instagrammable spot especially in the morning before Saigon’s heat catches up.
Come here to start your cafe-hopping day.
Small Espresso Bar by Tractor Coffee is a veteran bạc xỉu expert
Tractor Coffee may sound familiar because they’ve been mentioned as a place to experience Fine Robusta by The Atlantic in 2020.
Today, Bằng Dương’s (Tractor’s roaster–owner)’s new venue hidden in an alley off Nguyễn Thái Bình street takes on a new name; Small Espresso Bar (27/10 Nguyễn Thái Bình, Phường Bến Thành).
Choose from several local specialty beans such as a Red Bourbon (highly sought after Typica coffee varietal mutation) from Đà Lạt City, as well as more exotic ones like local Caffea Liberica from Lâm Hà & Arabica from Sơn La Province. If you still insist on South American specialty coffee, Bằng is quite a fan too and he often stocks Panamas on hand for just a small extra.
Just like the name suggests, Small Espresso Bar focuses on espresso-based drinks.
That means everything from your daily double shot, to a Chợ Lớn-inspired bạc xỉu coffee named rather aptly as… bạc xỉu Chợ Lớn. Unlike cà phê sữa đá that’s sweetened with only condensed milk, bạc xỉu is a cousin with added fresh milk for a lighter, milkier body. Expect Small Espresso Bar’s to be rather distinct — made with a unique blend based on Vietnam’s rarer Liberica coffee that’s now growing in popularity.
(You’ll also find Liberica at cafes such as Every Half, as featured on Saucefish’s story about their new flagship cafe-roastery in Thảo Điền.)
GRANDMUM Cafe isn’t just your typical geeky COE haunt
Lê Nhã Thi isn’t your average Ho Chi Minh city specialty cafe owner. She’s a Cup of Excellence (COE) judge, Aeropress judge, wine enthusiast, and food critic. She even did a stint running curated specialty cafe tours on Airbnb until that became passé.
In a nutshell, Nhã Thi’s life is about everything sensory and everything tasty.
Today, her brainchild GRANDMUM Cafe (82/86B1 Võ Thị Sáu, Phường Tân Định) has become popular with meditative casual specialty lovers who like the venue’s calm “maternal home-like” vibes. The music ranges from classical to lounge, and on special occasions, her vinyl collection magically materializes.
In terms of coffee selection, you’ll find Panama Geishas alongside a chance to experience a full Vietnamese Coffee Omakase course that’s just only one of the many coffee-related activities she organizes on a regular basis. To Nhã Thi, every customer deserves a bespoke experience, even if it’s just a simple, comforting cup of phin-brewed Vietnamese Robusta.
If you’re a serious coffee-focused visitor, drop her a DM through GRANDMUM’s social media handles and she’ll set up a cupping session of local specialty coffee for you.
Trap’s hidden apartment cafe vibes hides more than just a global selection of specialty beans
This place has stereotypical “hidden cafe in Saigon” vibes, but be ready to drop a jaw or two along with the word stereotype thanks to Trapart’s, or known simply as Trap (70 Hàm Nghi, Phường Sài Gòn) wild collection of roasted coffee from over the world. Owner Ming says barista friends from beyond Vietnam (more than) occasionally drop by with goodies, practically ensuring that her stash is never exhausted.
We sampled a Kenya Karindundu sporting apricot and date-like notes from Axil Coffee Roasters in Melbourne (VND90,000 in August 2025) when we dropped by on a peaceful Wednesday afternoon and sat in the 30m² apartment cafe’s “attic”. There were also several beans from Japanese roasteries on offer. If you prefer espresso-based, Trap opts for a respectable Sidamo.
For non coffee drinkers, ceremonial-grade matcha tasting sets, match lattes et cetera are available too.
Also, this just might be an amazing place to meet some of the most creative youth in the city. This style just oozes with the right atmosphere to attract that clientele.
Do however note that unlike most cafes on this list, Trap is closed on Tuesdays.
Hoff Coffee Brewers Lý Tự Trọng is another cosy hidden Apartment cafe
Hoff Coffee Brewers (42 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Sài Gòn) is another well-hidden “apartment” cafe that’s neighbour to MANKI, yet another great specialty cafe in the city that serves up mainly beans from Aussie Roasters. Consider this a trip to kill two caffeine cravings with the effort of visiting just one coffee destination.
Hoff has another larger specialty cafe at Võ Thị Sáu street, but we picked this location for this story since it fits the bill of micro. We previously featured Hoff and its founder, Nguyễn Mạnh Khiêm on our 2024 Ho Chi Minh City “Zillenial” Coffee Story so check that out if you’re into geeky technical details.
Hoff and its coffee people are big on water quality and have even co-founded a brand of water mineral additives for coffee brewing.
Beyond specialty Vietnamese Robusta and Đà Lạt Arabica blends for espresso-based drinks, Hoff sure knows how to purvey coffee to casual drinkers. Try their creative drinks such as bạc xỉu trân châu (boba milk coffee) and Hoff Béo, a rich milk coffee made with a blend of several types dairy products for the perfect milky consistency.
Evidently, specialty coffee doesn’t always have to be black or neo-traditional lattes.
Rollin’ Bean is adorable, and cute doesn’t mean they can’t brew an awesome cup of Vietnamese specialty coffee
This might lowkey be one of my personal favorites in Ho Chi Minh City’s specialty coffee world.
(Read more in last year’s specialty coffee feature!)
Rollin’ Bean (71 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường Bến Thành) has got at least one feline resident non-serving “baristas” on duty, and the Gen Z living room vibes of Rollin’ Bean’s back alley “attic” cafe is unforgivingly photogenic as well.
The coffee greens that founder Nguyễn Hoàng Long selects to be destined for your post-millennial coffee therapy are rather diverse — we sampled a Natural-processed Colombia Ombligon from coffee finca Las Acacias with winey notes evoking prefrontal imagery of red plum and orange peel, as well as a Java from Đạ Nghị (a little-known rural commune in Lâm Đồng province).
Truth be told, I did not know that Java was a varietal that could be cultivated beyond the shores of Indonesia.
Besides Long’s love for exotic imported beans, Long’s dedication to working with farmers from Lâm Đồng Province ensures that hard to reach beans such as another 1500 metre above sea level Catimor from rural K’long K’lanh commune, almost 50-kilometres away from Đà Lạt’s city centre, is conveniently available for specialty lovers in the big city.
Tasting notes? Brown sugar and a touch of ginger jam that’s excellent in milk or without dairy.
Mew In Saigon might be bedroom-sized yet full-fledged in every well-caffeinated right
Last doesn’t mean least. And being the smallest specialty cafe in Ho Chi Minh City on the list doesn’t mean a lack of technical ability or flavor.
Mew in Saigon (47/25 Trần Quốc Toản, Phường Xuân Hòa) is Đà Lạt’s popular Mew Roastery’s first location in Saigon.
A praiseworthy first location to say the least.
At an estimated 20m², this may very well be the smallest specialty cafe in Vietnam that’s not a sidewalk-centric establishment or just someone’s informal semi-public barista collection.
My wide-angle lens made it look slightly bigger in picture, though it’s by no means uncomfortable. I reckon it could seat ten or even twelve eager coffee snobs.
Ignoring the tasteful combination of white walls, warm lighting, dark-brown upholstery, a Lelit Bianca, Mazzer’s state-of-the-art ZM grind size preset-able grinder, a “kitchen island” for cupping needs, along with adequately minimalist coffee dripper decor, I did not expect my shot of fully washed Kenya Sangalai AB to come with a chunk of field ration.
Now, now, now. That’s an impressive strategy to get me in for specialty coffee in Saigon even before breakfast.
