The 10 recommended cafes in Can Tho

In Vietnam, cafes are everywhere. Rather than booms or trends, they are with people's daily lives. If you walk in the city, you will find chairs and small tables lying sideways towards the road side. Around 6 am, the cafes in many areas will open for people before going to work. Vietnamese love to talk over one cup of coffee and it looks like a huge part of how they enjoy lives.

Before I came to Can Tho, I stayed in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City around 1 month and I found my favorite cafes there. I thought I cannot find that many cafes in Can Tho but surprisingly enough Can Tho is such a Café City that I enjoy exploring everyday. Many drinks and sweets menu, stunning colonial design tiles, fascinating interior design, free lotus tea, and of course fast speed WiFi and sockets. Sometimes I feel like bringing some ideas and designs back to Japan to build my own café.

Today, I would like to introduce my 10 favorite cafes in Can Tho so far.

1. Sonder Tea and Coffee @ Mac Thien Tich

Close to Can Tho University, along with Mac Thien Tich street, there is this Sonder Tea and Coffee. Its large open window and a bright café interior welcome guests. Of course there is tapioca milk tea! Especially young people and students seem to love this café.

2. Song Tho Café @ Near phu Night market, along Hau River Recommended terrace

Song Tho Café is near Tran phu Night Market, and located along the Hau river. Local groups and cuples come here by motor-bikes and enjoy overlooking the Hau river. Terrace seems to be a popular spot so go up the stairs and find your favorite seats. What I like about café here is that we can buy food outside from food stalls and bring them into the café and eat with drinks you orderd at the café.

3. Tra Sua Kaori

When I was walking on Nguyen Viet Hong street, a fashion street, I found a big logo"kaori" in one café. I immidiately wanted to check it because Kaori means "scent" in Japanese and wonder why they named their café "kaori". When I asked a staff, he told me when the owner went to Japan, he was fascinated by the scent of many flowers especially sakura (cherry blossom) so that after he came back to Can Tho, he decided to name his café "kaori". Just like some of the cafes in Can Tho, the ground floor is for tables and 1st floor is for low tables and you will take off shoes to feel more relaxed, just like home.

4. Cafe Sua Bot

This café is the first café I went in Can Tho. It is right in front of Ninh Kieu Park and they are good at Tapioca Milk Tea. There are hammocks in the café and designs of the furniture inside the café are picturesque. They have lotus tea for self-service too.

5. Senior Coffee

Do you want to enjoy the atmosphere of café but also want to eat a proper vietnamese meal? If so, I would recommend here. The inside of the shop is a blowout and trees grow thick.

6. Ma Famille Cafeteria

There are many allyes near the Xang Thoi Lake, and this fashionable café appears on one of the allyes. If you come by bicycles or motor-bike, there are parking at the back of the café. The sophisticated selections of music, café design, various drinks menu, WiFi and sockets are everywhere!

7. Café 1985 Can Tho

The Xang Thoi Lake is definitely must-go for café lovers. Around this lake, many small cafes inside and out. Café 1985 Can Tho is popular café among locals. There is a live stage in front and furnitures in the café has different styles each other. Cơm gà here is really delicious.

8. Hands Café

Sometimes you feel like having fresh fruits produced by Can Tho with bingsu (Korean shaved ice) and here is Hands Café you should try. Bingsu fruites (melon, strawberry, mango, grape, peach etc), bingsu matcha, bingsu chocolate etc are all eye-catching and so delicious. The ground floor is table seats and 1st floor is with low table and you will take off shoes before going up the stairs.

9. Café Dong Hoa

This is a place to escape from the summer heat and feel relaxed. European and christmas style decorations on the ground floor with many kinds of cakes displayed. When you want to go upstairs, you take off your shoes and find the table you like. Rich in drinks and cakes menu so you feel like coming back many times to try all.

10. The Coffee House

This is one of the big coffee chain shops in Vietnam and one shop on the Hoa Binh street, the main street in Can Tho city is one of my favorites. Why? Because it is really spacious, great staff services, many drinks and sweets, and sockets are everywhere so many of them works on computer. As long as there are the Coffee House in Can Tho among with other famous Vietnamese brands, I think Starbuscks won't be able to survive here.

WiFi? Yes, of course all the places I introduced here have high speed/free WiFi service. In Vietnam, you would never need to worry about it. If you need to charge your mobile phones, yes many of them have sockets and staffs are so helpful to find the scokets close to you.

Mami Teraoka - Tourism Development Center