VietNamNet Bridge - In these unique cafes, you can walk on sand, listen to the sound of waves as if you were walking on the beach or be served by maids from manga stories.

"Beach" cafe

The 50m² Coffee House in Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 3, is designed like an artificial beach. Entering the coffee shop, you step on a 15cm thick layer of white sand, with oyster and snail shells brought from Nha Trang.

The shop also has a small lake, equipped with whirlpool makers. Instead of music, you will feel relaxed by the sound of sea waves.

To ensure that guests will have a comfortable space, the shop has only 12 seats. You must make reservations a few hours before coming.

Every day the shop welcomes hundreds of visitors, mostly young people. They come here to enjoy the coffee and the quiet, cool space to play with sand and water. The prices for drinks are very reasonable.

“Maid” Coffee

Located in an old apartment block on Ton That Dam Street, District 1, The Other Person is one of the first coffee shops in Saigon serving customers with maids dressed in a Japanese cosplay style.

At the door, you will be welcomed by a maid. At your table, you will be served by a maid of your own. The maid will not bring food and drinks to you but will talk with you for 10-15 minutes, if you want. They will even play cards with you. The maid will treat you as if you are her real boss.

The café also has a romantic setting, and TVs in the café always screen Japanese anime. The cafe also organizes periodical cosplay shows. There is a piano there for customers to play.

Toilet café

Toilet-themed cafés are popular in a number of Asian countries, but are new in Vietnam as a toilet café was inaugurated in HCM City last July – the Toilet Kingdom Coffee and Food in Binh Thanh District.

It is hard to imagine someone enjoying food or drinks in a toilet. Customers sit on chairs topped with cushions and have snacks on bathtubs and drink from toilet-shaped cups.

The gate, staircases and walls of the café are also decorated like those of toilets and there are many kinds of flowers.

“All things in the café remind people of a toilet but its decor and cozy ambience are not like the real atmosphere of a toilet but a unique café,” said a young customer.

Toilet Kingdom Coffee and Food is located at 29/2A Road 2D in HCM City’s Binh Thanh District. Drinks and snacks are priced from VND25,000 to VND65,000.

Kujuz cafe

Kujuz cafe is located on a quiet small street of Saigon. The shop has "walls" made up of countless old doors and windows, which are arranged randomly.

The shop space is separated from the outside by a closed gate.

The quiet and old space of this shop makes it the ideal place to relax, read a book or focus on work in busy Saigon.

The drinks here are VND50,000/glass. If you pay VND100,000 you can take as many drinks as you like and can leave and return to the shop during the day as if it is your own house.

You can serve yourself at the cafe. Under the guidance of the staff, you choose your favorite drink and mix it your own way.

Recycled coffee shop

Recycled construction is not new as makeshift offices or houses made from pre-used shipping containers can be seen at many construction sites around HCM City. But a café built with two containers supplemented with wooden and glass windows and doors might be a first in the city.

The recycled coffee shop is located in Trung Son residential area in Binh Chanh District. Its owner have even made tables and chairs from scrap metal such as motorcycle wheel rims, turning the café into an eccentric yet interesting place.

On the tables are ashtrays made from motorbike engine cylinders and vintage cameras.

Engineer Nguyen Truong Giang, the owner of the Container café, had an innovative idea to open a recycled coffee shop for three years before turning it into reality. It took him half a year to build the café using discarded materials.

According to Giang, the most difficult stage in the construction process is air conditioning. The containers with a low ceiling absorb more heat than other materials, so he conducted tests to discover the best insulation panels.

The interior of the café is now fully insulated and cooled by air-conditioners, creating a comfortable space for guests. The glass windows are also arranged in a way that provides natural light for the containers.

“Scrap materials will worsen pollution. Why don’t we use them to decorate a cozy and eco-friendly coffee shop?” said Giang.

With drinks priced between VND18,000 and VND55,000, the Container has become a popular place for young people, and photography and motorbike clubs.