Two streets, two different coffee styles

Visitors to Saigon will probably get the impression that they are in a modern city with a fast pace of life, a dynamic economy and plenty of coffee shops.

There are indeed many coffee shops, from simple and trendy to luxurious, located in every corner of the city streets.

Dong Khoi Street in District 1 is easily identified as a good place for coffee lovers who either want a quick cup of real dark hot coffee, or long chat with friends over a sweet creamy cup in a modern. Western styled venue.

One example is in a small space at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel; Mojo at 88 Dong Khoi Street is the perfect place for busy business people, tired shoppers and anyone who is looking for somewhere to sit and observe the pace of life in this dynamic city.

The calm atmosphere inside Mojo in the morning and afternoon, in contrast to the noisy commotion outside, makes ideal for working, surfing the net and getting updated with international news from the mounted TVs. At night time the doors are opened and Mojo becomes a part of busy Saigon. Mojo is open from 7a.m.to 11p.m. on weekdays and to 12p.m. on Saturday. A variety of Western-styled drinks and food are available, including Mango Delight, Green Tea Frappe, Vanni Macadamia cream and typical fast foods. Mojo is also a gathering place for celebrities, so if you are lucky enough, you might leave with a keep-sake signature.

Another option for specialized coffee is Gloria Jean's Coffee Shop at 131 Dong Khoi Street. Though it is simply organized, the coffee-based color of all furniture in harmony with light-yellow lamps gives it a modem and elegant look, and the location at the corner of Dong Khoi and Nguyen Thiep Street offers insiders a wider view of the hustle and bustle going on outside. There are two floors, the lower one is for general purposes and the second is for those seeking some privacy.

Gloria Jean's Coffee opens from 7a.m. to 11p.m. on weekdays and to 12p.m. on weekends. Specializing in Gloria Jean's own brand of coffee, the shop also offers a wide range of drinks in harmony with many kinds of cakes, pies and salad for your own taste.

Unlike the western-styled coffee shops which are luxuriously-decorated but narrow in space, traditional Vietnamese shops are comfortable, cozy and peaceful and a copious number of them can be found on a quiet alley of Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street in District 3.

Soi Da Coffee (6B Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street) is an ideal place for anyone who prefers a peaceful life and Vietnamese scenery. Soi Da or Gravel and Stone was so named by the owner to imply that life is a combination of gravel and stone, inside stone including gravel and vice versa; or like Yin and Yang, two complementary principles of Chinese philosophy. Yin is negative, dark and feminine, while Yang is positive, bright and masculine.

Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything in it. Therefore, Soi Da Coffee is considered as the mingling of two extremes, two sides of life.

Customers can come here to enjoy special kind of Soi Da coffee as well as soft drinks and fruit juice between 6:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. every week customers can enjoy live music composed by late musician Trinh Cong Son, Vu Thanh An and performed by bandsmen and famous Vietnamese singers.

Next door to Soi Da is Serenata, which is also a popular place for enjoying music and having a drink. Serenata is a French-styled building, famous for classical melodies by Schubert and other foreign musicians on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 8:30 p.m. It is the romantic melodies that make customers feel like they are escaping from the hustle and bustle of life.

Tam Giao, which is also located at 36 Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street, is a garden coffee shop with a wide, airy space, mainly used by businessmen who come here to have breakfast due to the shop's reasonable prices ranging from VND19,000 to VND37,000 or soft drinks from VND18,000 to VND40,000.

Furthermore when customers order soft drinks and other kinds of dishes they will be offered free wifi, fax, telephone, and photocopy services along with cable TV. Best of all, 10% discount will be given to the shop's regular customers.