Regardless of the quality of drinks, these cafes are now check-in locations for young people. They bring photographic equipment, even suitcases of clothes, to change.
“If you want a beautiful picture, you don’t have to wait long before the ‘virtual life’ corners, you have to go early. The shops have a unique context, many reviewers on social networks are often crowded ”, Phuong Linh (22 years old), a customer at the coffee shop on Tu Xuong Street (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), shared with Zing.
She said she came here from 8:30 am with a friend to take check-in photos. Both must take advantage of soft light, passersby with the desire to have a satisfactory photo. Phuong Linh is not the only one who has the habit of going for coffee “virtual living”. Early in the morning, many young people were present at famous shops with impressive designs in districts 1, 2, and 3 to prepare for taking pictures. 
The cafes with beautiful views have become the favorite shooting places for young people. These guests usually come in groups of 2-8, carrying a variety of equipment such as phones, cameras or tripod. They spend 2-3 hours at the coffee shop, posing for pictures at the most beautiful and eye-catching corners. Some people even bring bags, suitcases for costumes and shoes to change the look for each different concept. Rainy team, bring suitcase of clothes At a coffee shop on Tran Ngoc Dien Street (District 2, Ho Chi Minh City), many young people came here early in the morning to take pictures. Many people have invested in professional equipment and teams to have satisfactory pictures. Ngoc Thuy (born in 1996), a freelance model, quickly picked up eye-catching angles to start posing. Behind Thuy, many groups of friends also eagerly awaited their turn to take pictures. According to the young model, the criteria for a satisfactory photo are beautiful background, good lighting and charisma. Today, she brought 7 dresses to shoot with different backgrounds. 
Ngoc Thuy prepared many costumes and accessories for the photo shoot. “I see that people review a lot, so I decided to choose this shop. Normally, I usually shoot at the filming location, outdoor environment, recently I often go to a cafe with a beautiful view to create new things, ”Thuy said. However, she usually has to pay fees to take pictures in these cafes. The most expensive photography surcharge that Thuy has ever paid is 400,000-500,000 VND / session. The female model commented that this price is quite “acrid” compared to shooting on a set, which only collects 100,000-200,000 VND per person. Ngoc Son (born in 1992), a manager at a coffee shop in District 2, said where he works, if the customer changes from 2 or more outfits, the in-house charges 300,000 VND. If shooting with a professional camera, the shop will charge 400,000 VND. The rest of the activities for family photography, check-in are normally free of charge. Ngoc Son added that visitors to his shop started to take pictures quite early, the most crowded at 7:30 to 9am and from 16am onwards. Most people come here for the purpose of taking photos, the shop also wants to target that customer. “It is quite common for customers to bring suitcases to photo shops. Because the purpose of the restaurant is to create space for you to take pictures, with fees for commercial shoots, I feel comfortable, no problem, ”Son told Zing. 
Many young people bring professional equipment to get the best photos. Like Ngoc Thuy, Pham Duc Anh (born 1997), owner of an eyewear brand, is also interested in the scene when choosing a cafe to take pictures. He often focuses on the layout rather than the quality of the drink. “I go to the cafe to take pictures about 4 times / month because making the scene at home or the studio is a bit boring. However, I am also most afraid of going to a restaurant that is too crowded, can not choose the right corner or has a corner but it is out of sunshine. Waiting for a long time until noon, the picture is bright, burned, not beautiful “, Duc Anh said. Attention when “virtual life” However, not all cafes are suitable and allow customers to take too many photos or serve commercial purposes. Dang, an employee of a coffee shop on Tu Xuong Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), said that in the last 5 months, the shop had to put up a warning sign to remind customers not to take photos of the lookbook, to change clothes many times. “Before that, there were many friends who kept going to the toilet to change clothes, more or less affecting the business and experience of other guests”, the male staff shared. 
The crews tried to limit the photo taking time to avoid disturbing customers in the restaurant. Because they often go in groups and need time to align and adjust for each shot, customers who are passionate about “virtual life” often linger for a long time. At famous destinations, many people also have to queue in front of the shooting corners, waiting for their turn. “The two days I came, both fell on the weekends, so it was very crowded. Sometimes I wait forever without a table because people are engrossed in taking pictures, ”complained a guest named Thanh Truc. According to Duc Anh’s observation, more and more cafes were opened to serve virtual devotees. The above-modeled shops offer more options for those who love photography. However, he thinks that if you pay too much attention to the commercial aspect, the original purpose will be counterproductive, making the cafe a place for people to go just to check-in. On the other hand, there are also a few cases of unconsciousness when taking pictures, intentionally moving artifacts, destroying plants in the shop to get beautiful pictures. When going to take pictures at the cafes, Duc Anh often discussed in advance with staff and limited the “working time”. “I only stayed for 1-2 hours to give seats to other customers. I also often text the staff in advance and are willing to pay an extra fee to be photographed. For you models or influencers, it is normal to add extra jobs to both work and avoid troubles, ”he said. 
Many cafes hang notices banning customers from changing and taking commercial photos. Xuan Phuong (25 years old) told Zing about the experience to a quite famous cafe on social networks. Her friend said that even from 8:00, the shop had more than 20 customers taking pictures. “I know because the restaurant has a unique design and has been reviewed a lot, so it will be crowded, but I don’t think it will be that much. If you want to take pictures, you have to line up next to the place you like and wait for your turn, ”she said. Xuan Phuong revealed that she often goes to the cafe to take pictures to both capture eye-catching scenes and enjoy drinks. However, she stressed that customers need to keep in mind when “living virtual” in these locations. “I understand that taking photos often takes time, easily influences the restaurant and other customers. Therefore, I always try to press the phone as quickly as possible and turn off the phone ring to avoid noise, ”she shared.
You must log in to post a comment.