Last year was the ‘Year of Friendship’ between Japan and Vietnam and it seems that there are some influences from Nippon, cropping up in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s greatest export is coffee, which it takes very seriously. There are plenty of cafes to sup your coffee at, but there have been some changes of late. One of these recent influences from Japan is the pet café. You have probably heard of the cat cafes / bird cafes / reptile cafes etc, where people who do not have the chance to own their own beast of choice, have the opportunity to pet one temporarily whilst sipping their green tea and chomping on cheese cake.
Not to be out done in Vietnam, there is a whole assortment of altertnative cafes opening up in Saigon these days. In fact, they are popping up all over the place.
You might like to try stroking cats with your coffee. The Ailucat café in Saigon has a around 20 feline friends to choose from as you sup your coffee.
You might want to enjoy a bit of cold blood with your hot coffee? In which case head to Café Babo in Saigon’s Phu Nhuan area to enjoy your coffee with various reptiles – snakes, Lizards the lot.
The Japan influence is even more obvious with the recent opening of an ‘anime cafe’ in District 1, Saigon.
So, if you thought Japan was the king of alternative cafes, then think again, because Saigon is embracing alternative cafe culture…..I think I’ll go around the corner for a quiet coffee…
