5 relaxing weekend spaces in Binh Thanh

Binh Thanh District (HCMC) owns many spaces such as coffee shops, beer gardens, restaurants to meet the working and entertainment needs of visitors.

Living in Binh Thanh district, I often go to restaurants in this area to work or meet friends on weekends. Nha Nam Cafe or Awake Coffee is the place where I give me the ideal space to read books, write articles… Meanwhile, Twilight Rooftop or Owl in the Tree is the ideal chill spot for me and my friends. In addition, Dookki is an indispensable dining address for Korean food lovers like me. Suggested dishes: Milk coffee, chrysanthemum tea, apricot juice, crocodile juice, avocado smoothie, guava juice, mint fresh milk… Located opposite the Foreign Trade University of Ho Chi Minh City, the coffee shop is the favorite address of students and young people. Coming to the shop, I was quite impressed by the quiet space, low noise, in contrast to the busy look of D5 street. The restaurant has 2 floors. The lower floor is a cool skylight area and the upper floor is a place for those who want to study, read or meet with friends. There are both open spaces and air-conditioned rooms. What impressed me the most was the design of a huge bookcase right on the stairs. Not a “nerd”, I usually choose a single desk to work when I come here. The restaurant has many types of seating, suitable for large groups or single guests. The place where the charger is less plugged in is quite inconvenient for guests coming here to work. In addition, the quiet space is not suitable for chatting with large groups. The restaurant does not allow bringing in food/drinks from outside. The menu has all kinds of coffee, tea, smoothies, yogurt, cakes. In the summer, I often choose easy-to-drink cooling dishes such as apricot or crocodile juice. The ice blended drinks I’ve tried are quite bland, not the shop’s strong point. Suggested dishes: Spicy beef jerky, sunny day deer, beef patties, fruit wine, upside down beer… Tucked away in an alley on Bach Dang Street, Twilight Rooftop is a place I often go to after work to watch Saigon transform at night. As the name implies, the shop is open to welcome guests at dusk, from 6pm to midnight. The parking space is about 10 meters from the shop, located at the end of the alley. You press the elevator on the 5th floor of the apartment building and then walk up to the 6th floor to get to the shop. The open space here is both a plus and a disadvantage when Saigon is “sunshine in the morning, rainy in the afternoon”. The last time I went to the shop was a rainy afternoon, at that time, it was cloudy so I couldn’t hunt for sunset as usual. In return, on beautiful days, you can enjoy the romantic sunset scene. Possessing a view of Landmark 81, this is one of the most beautiful viewing points of Saigon in Binh Thanh District. At night, the shop lights up to create a shimmering effect for visitors to live virtual. There’s acoustic music on Saturdays and free tarot readings every night. In addition to alcoholic beverages such as beer, cocktails, soda… the shop also has snacks for you to enjoy and “hard” to sip. Suggested dishes: Iced matcha with coconut cream, strawberry banana, carrot orange, childhood cake, dried chicken with lemon leaves, Da Lat shumai… The shop is a combination of coffee and homestay model, located at the end of Ung Van Khiem street. Every time I pass by here, the shop reminds me of a tropical garden rather than a coffee shop because of the green space of ornamental plants. Many people liken this place as “the second Da Lat”. Entering the shop, the simplicity and peace of the wooden house with many pets such as dogs, cats and birds immediately grabbed my feet. The shop has many different spaces for me to read, work or chat with friends. The outdoor space is quite hot if guests arrive at noon. The upstairs area with many insects is also a minus point here. The cool green canopy, bougainvillea, sunny patio or rustic wooden floor here give me a lot of nostalgia about the city of thousands of flowers. This is because most of the decorations are brought back from the mountain town by the owner. The menu here has quite funny names such as coffee owls, coffee owls, fragrant lips owls, sweet owls, owls, small owls… Suggested dishes: Milk coffee, tropical tea, matcha, crushed ice, juice… Awake Coffee is my usual shop when I need to study or work at night. The “wake coffee” shop is located in an alley but is quite easy to find. Parking here is quite limited. If the restaurant is crowded, you have to park your car 10 meters away. The 3-storey space at the restaurant is quite spacious, there are many types of tables to sit alone or team work. The restaurant has an elevator, making it easy for you to move. Trees arranged in many corners are also a plus. The restaurant is quite crowded day and night. Therefore, the space here is a bit noisy, not suitable for those who need a quiet place to work. Coffee is the standout drink here. Refreshing fruit teas are the ideal suggestion for a sweltering Saigon day. Suggested dishes: Fried chicken, fish cakes, rice balls, mixed noodles… Dookki is the first place that comes to mind when I crave Korean food, especially tokbokki hot pot. The restaurant space is luxurious, with many types of tables, suitable for single or group guests. The hot food line includes many of my favorite dishes such as fried chicken with spicy sauce, fish cakes, fried squid, mixed vermicelli… In addition, hot pot toppings are equally diverse such as vegetables, mushrooms, meat, seafood, and pellets. , eggs… Especially, here I can prepare hot pot sauce by myself. Out of 7 types, I like dookki sauce the most because of its harmonious taste. After the hot pot meal, if you want to eat full, you can make rice mixed with seaweed, kimchi… with the remaining sauce in the pot. Coming here, I usually order more cheese rings with tokbokki or fried food. In addition to food, the restaurant also serves free soft drinks for guests. For me, the dishes at Dookki are quite starchy, so it’s a bit boring. Another minus point is that the buffet time is limited to 90 minutes.