Over the last month, Tien Thanh, 38, a Ho Chi Minh City resident, has neglected his familiar sidewalk café to frequent the Milano café in Phu Nhuan District, which he says allows customers to sip a cup of coffee that is made from real beans.

The business won his favor thanks to its neat and clean space, while a cup of iced coffee costs only VND10,000, and milk coffee, VND12,000, he says.

“I tried the first cup out of curiosity, and was stunned to learn that the drink is made from coffee beans that are roasted and grinded right at the café,” he says.

Thanh used to drink coffee at sidewalk cafés, even though he knows that the ingredients are sometimes mixed with corn and soya beans.

“I cannot afford the VND50,000 per cup coffee at the modern, luxury facilities,” he admits.

Now that there is a new model of cafés that are well furnished while serving real coffee at sidewalk prices, Thanh says he finds it hard to switch back to the old choice.

Cheap and clean

Coffee shops following this new style, whose owners introduce themselves as ‘clean coffee’, ‘takeaway coffee’, or ‘roasted and grinded on the spot coffee’, have recently mushroomed in the city, and from initial sales the investors of these facilities can say they have succeeded.

Besides Milano, there are also a number of chains such as Nau Den, Vesly, and other smaller brands. Cafés under these chains are mostly located in Tan Binh, Binh Tan, and Tan Phu districts.

The specific feature of these cafés is that they span a very small area of below 40 square meters, which is only enough to serve up to 30 customers.

The furniture is mostly made from plywood, with chairs and desks that are only large enough for two to three glasses of coffee and cups of iced tea to sit on.

Each café also put out large containers of all types of coffee beans to prove their coffee origin.

Nguyen Van Ha, owner of the Vesly café in Binh Thanh District, said he has managed to open five shops in the district within only two months.

“Shops that serve clean and cheap coffee have outplayed the sidewalk cafés, which also offer cheap prices but the coffee is mixed with corn powder,” Ha said.

The model is widespread as it requires low investment, he added.

Friendly café, real coffee

Ha said one only needs VND70 - 100 million to open a clean coffee shop.

“They will break even with some 80 glasses sold on a daily basis, and sales from that point on are all profits,” he said.

The most well-known name out of the current clean café chains is Milano, with some 100 stores across the city.

“The cafés are intended to maintain the tradition of sipping coffee at the sidewalk stores of the Vietnamese people,” said Le Minh Cuong, director of Le Phan Co, owner of the chain.

“But the difference is that we offer a modern, friendly space while serving real coffee,” he added.

The real coffee is what really makes customers return once they have tried their first sip at the facilities.

“For years we have been unable to eat or taste any food or drink that are made from original ingredients,” said Phuong Anh, a customer.

“Even my simple wish to drink coffee that is made from real coffee beans is hard to realize,” she wrote to Tuoi Tre.