Highlands Coffee is a cafe in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Highlands is Vietnam's biggest home-grown coffee chain, and its Ham Nghi branch is a dependable downtown stop for phin-brewed sua da and freeze drinks.
Editorially verified July 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: A phin sua da and a Vietnamese-style banh mi.
Tip: It is a nationwide chain rather than a specialty spot, but handy and air-conditioned in the centre.
Address: 119 Ham Nghi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
The Workshop was among the first cafes to take specialty coffee seriously in Saigon, a light-filled heritage loft up a staircase off Dong Khoi.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: A single-origin pour-over from the brew bar.
Tip: It is up a rickety staircase off Dong Khoi; the big windows make it a fine spot to work.
Okkio is a design-led Saigon coffee brand whose Dong Khoi flagship, up an alley and a flight of stairs, is a local favourite for coconut coffee.
Signature drink: Coconut coffee
Order: The coconut coffee, blended thick over ice.
Tip: The entrance is up an alley off Dong Khoi; look for the small sign and climb the stairs.
L'Usine is a cafe, all-day kitchen and concept store rolled into one, its Le Thanh Ton branch a bright colonial-loft spot for Western brunch.
Signature drink: Flat white
Order: A flat white with the eggs benedict from the all-day menu.
Tip: The cafe hides behind the boutique; walk through the shop to reach the tables.
Runam is a lavish multi-storey cafe in a French-style mansion facing the cathedral, pouring Vietnamese egg coffee and hot drip alongside a full breakfast.
Signature drink: Egg coffee
Order: Egg coffee, Saigon style, with a banh mi to follow.
Tip: It faces Notre Dame Cathedral; the upstairs rooms are quieter for a slow breakfast.
Cong Caphe is Vietnam's most recognisable cafe brand, styling its rooms in nostalgic wartime bao cap decor, famous here for its coconut coffee.
Signature drink: Coconut coffee
Order: The coconut coffee smoothie, thick and cold.
Tip: It is inside the Cafe Apartment on Nguyen Hue; take the lift or the stairs to find it.
The Workshop was among the first cafes to take specialty coffee seriously in Saigon, a light-filled heritage loft up a staircase off Dong Khoi.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: A single-origin pour-over from the brew bar.
Tip: It is up a rickety staircase off Dong Khoi; the big windows make it a fine spot to work.
Okkio is a design-led Saigon coffee brand whose Dong Khoi flagship, up an alley and a flight of stairs, is a local favourite for coconut coffee.
Signature drink: Coconut coffee
Order: The coconut coffee, blended thick over ice.
Tip: The entrance is up an alley off Dong Khoi; look for the small sign and climb the stairs.
L'Usine is a cafe, all-day kitchen and concept store rolled into one, its Le Thanh Ton branch a bright colonial-loft spot for Western brunch.
Signature drink: Flat white
Order: A flat white with the eggs benedict from the all-day menu.
Tip: The cafe hides behind the boutique; walk through the shop to reach the tables.
Cheo Leo is one of Saigon's oldest cafes, open since the late 1930s, still brewing robusta over a charcoal fire and keeping it warm the old way.
Signature drink: Charcoal-brewed ca phe
Order: The old-style ca phe sua da, brewed over charcoal.
Tip: It hides down an alley off Nguyen Thien Thuat; this is a coffee ritual, not a laptop cafe.
Runam is a lavish multi-storey cafe in a French-style mansion facing the cathedral, pouring Vietnamese egg coffee and hot drip alongside a full breakfast.
Signature drink: Egg coffee
Order: Egg coffee, Saigon style, with a banh mi to follow.
Tip: It faces Notre Dame Cathedral; the upstairs rooms are quieter for a slow breakfast.
Cong Caphe is Vietnam's most recognisable cafe brand, styling its rooms in nostalgic wartime bao cap decor, famous here for its coconut coffee.
Signature drink: Coconut coffee
Order: The coconut coffee smoothie, thick and cold.
Tip: It is inside the Cafe Apartment on Nguyen Hue; take the lift or the stairs to find it.