Sidewalk coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City 'hot' after Canadian Prime Minister visited

Even international tourists are curious to taste the Vietnamese coffee that Mr. Justin Trudeau drank.

Located right at the corner of the central intersection of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, the "favorite" sidewalk cafe of Saigon coffee lovers has been bustling with customers in recent days after the visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

After meeting with students at Ton Duc Thang University on the afternoon of November 9, Mr. Justin Trudeau got in his car and went straight to a coffee shop on the corner of Le Thanh Ton Street to experience iced coffee and tea on the sidewalk in Saigon. The politician was met by Mr. Nguyen Cong Hiep, a veteran employee of the Canadian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. The two sat on folding chairs on the sidewalk like many other guests, drinking filter coffee, and the Canadian leader quite enjoyed the typical cup of Vietnamese coffee.

Photo: Facebook Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The owner shared that he was very happy to serve the Canadian Prime Minister even though he only sat at the shop for about 10 minutes and drank more iced tea than coffee. Since then, the number of customers at the shop has increased dramatically, making the staff feel like a top, especially in the morning, even the owner has to stand and help out.

In addition to Vietnamese tourists, it is not uncommon for foreign tourists to come here out of curiosity. Cyclo tours around the city also choose the shop as a stop for tourists to sit around for a few minutes, trying Vietnamese sidewalk coffee like the Prime Minister.

Talking to Ngoisao.net, Mr. Tuyen, a regular customer here, said that the restaurant already has a fixed number of regular customers every day because they like the cheerful, friendly atmosphere and convenient location of the restaurant. However, in recent days, the number of foreign customers has increased significantly, although most of them are take-away. He himself considers coming here every day to meet and interact with foreigners a pleasure.

Mr. Tuyen and his friend from Australia - Photo: Michael Rau

With the lowest price of 35,000 VND/cup, higher than the usual sidewalk coffee, many people are willing to become regular customers because the shop uses coffee beans roasted on the spot. Customers can sip while being seduced by the aroma of coffee from two grinders right at the bar. Every step is done openly, making customers feel secure.

However, not all foreigners like this coffee flavor because pure coffee brewed with a filter is stronger and more bitter than the type brewed with a machine. If you are not used to it, you can easily get drunk, have a headache, and even have a tired heart.

Coming to the shop these days, it is not strange that the most talked about story is the brief appearance of the handsome Prime Minister. Although notThere are nice tables and chairs, no air conditioning or music, just the sound of talking and laughing mixed with the sound of traffic on the street.The space is quite narrow, so when it's crowded, the shop has to put more chairs on the sidewalk for customers to sit temporarily, but it's these simple things that make many people excited because this is the Saigon style of drinking coffee.

Foreign guests use software on their phones to translate Vietnamese menus - Photo: Nguyen Thanh

According to Ngoisao.net