Too busy in the morning to have a cup of coffee before going to work? That problem has been solved in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, where takeaway coffee shops are booming and selling the drink at a mere 19-57 U.S. cents a cup, to be prepared in just a few minutes. 

‘Takeaway coffee’ or ‘coffee to go,’ as the shop signs read, has recently helped ‘reshape’ the coffee-drinking habit of residents always in a hurry in the fast-moving metropolis, with most shops along the streets or in deep alleys offering the ‘takeaway’ service.

Some of them operate under locally famous franchised trademarks such as Effoc, Startup Coffee, and Passio. Others use their own names like ‘Morning Coffee,’ ‘Fast Coffee,’ and ‘Yes or No Coffee.’

Those who cannot have space to run a proper shop choose to build trolleys to push along the streets and into deep alleys to sell takeaway coffee.

The trolleys are well decorated with colorful wooden shelves that look clean and neat.

This form of improvisation is actually an ‘upgrade’ of the takeaway coffee prepared in old spongy boxes previously spotted at city street corners.

“The vehicles gladden my eyes so I tried buying coffee from them. The drink is OK and looks clean,” said Hung, a coffee drinker in District 2.

“I am addicted to takeaway coffee and already kicked the habit of sitting and chatting for hours by a coffee table on the street.”

A thriving business

What appeals most to coffee drinkers in the city is the drink sells for just half a dollar apiece, with black coffee priced at VND6,000-10,000 (19-48 U.S. cents) a cup and a glass of milk coffee costing merely VND12,000 (57 U.S. cents).

One absolute advantage of takeaway coffee is its cheap price, Huong, a ‘coffee addict,’ said.

“Air-conditioned coffee shops designed in garden styles are growing in numbers in this city but they are at least five times more expensive than takeaway coffee venues,” she said.

Quan, owner of Soc Bay (Flying Squirrel) coffee shop on Quang Trung Street in Go Vap District, said Saigonese now prefer franchised takeaway coffee trademarks because of their cheap price and good quality.

Clients usually pay attention to hygiene and the coffee varieties available in his shop such as Robusta and Moka, he added.

Quan said he sells on average 100 cups of coffee a day. On weekends, it could be 120-140 cups a day, the owner added.

“I have more clients in the morning and in the afternoon. Most of them opt for takeaway coffee. Those sitting here stay for 15-20 minutes, not dawdling away their time as before,” he said.

Hoang Thi Linh, owner of Noi Nho (Nostalgia) coffee shop, said she did not buy a franchise from a famous brand because that would cost her a fortune.

“I would have to pay around dozens of millions of dong [VND10 million equals $480] to acquire such a franchise,” Linh said. “So, I run my own shop with my own name.”

“I just spent a small amount of money decorating it, renewing tables and chairs, and preparing takeaway coffee,” the woman said, adding that more and more patrons have come to her place these days.

Space for ‘traditional clients’

In this time of industrialization, more people are caught in production lines and thus have less time for chatting or wandering, Linh explained.

However, she also saves space for ‘traditional clients,’ mostly the elderly, coming to sit for hours to chat about everything, from vegetable prices to international breaking news from Ukraine, North Korea, and so on. They sometimes just play chess for entertainment at the shop.

Not only do they think of ways to lure more drinkers, takeaway coffee shop owners also have to compete with one another when it comes to hygiene, coffee quality, and even the period of time needed for coffee preparation, which often takes from one to several minutes.

The owner of a coffee shop on Nguyen Van Luong Street in Go Vap District, Thong, said that “Drinking coffee in the morning is a traditional hobby of city dwellers. The busier they are, the more takeaway coffee they need.”

Some takeaway coffee shops also offer delivery services to clients and provide freebies for those who place big orders.

As a 'bonus,' takeaway coffee drinker does not have to refuse many times street vendors, lottery ticket sellers, peanut peddlers, and shoe polishers as they enjoy the drink in roadside coffee shops, Tran Nha Thuy, a coffee drinker, joked.

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