In Ho Chi Minh City, many people feel uncomfortable when meeting friends at a coffee shop to chat and catch up, as they find it awkward to engage in conversation while others are working.

Meanwhile, those working at the coffee shop express their irritation at noisy patrons, leading to a public controversy over the function of coffee shops.

Co-working spaces, which are places that offer work spaces to people without an office, are rare and costly in Ho Chi Minh City, so many freelancers and students resort to studying and working in coffee shops.

In spite of no rules requiring patrons to keep silent in these coffee shops, those who enter the places and start chit-chat will receive a baleful stare from others who are working or studying.

“I still remember one day my friends and I visited a coffee shop in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City and were overcome with the feeling of indeliberately becoming ‘weird people’ as we talked with each other there,” a reader of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper recounted.

“Although the shop’s employee confirmed that there was no problem talking inside, we still got angry looks."

She added that her friends faced discrimination for not bringing laptops, books, or notebooks to coffee shops.

The reader wondered when and why coffee shops became libraries.

While coffee shops generally do not enforce strict rules against talking, breaking the silence is often perceived as impolite by other patrons.

On the other hand, some guests do make too much noise while visiting coffee shops, making calls or letting their children run around or scream.

Thu Phuong, a junior at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, expressed her dissatisfaction with noisy coffee shop environments.

She shared that she tended to regret her selection rather than expressed her anger at anyone.

Phuong elaborated that once working or studying outside, people should accept the noise and influence of public spaces.

“Nothing can affect me if I wear headphones and focus on my work,” Phuong shared her secret to working in a noisy environment.

Ha Thu, a sophomore at VOV College in Ho Chi Minh City, proposed that freelancers and students should carefully choose a coffee shop that aligns with their needs.

She noted that while coffee shops generally allow talking, guests should be mindful not to speak loudly and should consider their impact on others.

In such contentious situations, it is often the shop owners who find themselves in the most awkward position. Truong Thi To Uyen, the proprietor of a coffee shop on Hoang Dieu 2 Street in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, explained that her shop is situated in a bustling area at the heart of the city, making it challenging to divide the space into separate sections.

Incidents of conflict between guests visiting the shop for work and those there for casual conversation have occasionally arisen in her establishment, causing her embarrassment.

In particular, many students complained that some groups of guests made noise in her shop, preventing them from studying.

At that time, she did not know which side she could stand by, she lamented.

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