Huyen Thanh in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Cafe Yên, Where the Line Between Coffee Shop and Alley Blurs
Yên (adj): quiet, unmoved.
Phuong Pham in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Lily Coffee, a Hideaway for When Life Gets Overwhelming
Nestled in a nook so small that not many Hanoians even know of it, Lily Coffee is a true hideaway, with its entrance tucked on the side of an alley. The gate held ajar separates two worlds — one ...
Linh Pham in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Quán Nhạc Cầm Nurtures the Soul Like a Love Song
Albeit ostensibly a coffee shop, Cầm’s specialty is actually old Vietnamese music.
Francesco Montresor in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Hidden Gem, the Cafe that Recycled Knick-Knacks Built
It is difficult to describe Hidden Gem Café without paraphrasing its name, but I have not found a better way to characterize this wonderful establishment.
Phuong Pham in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Sonder, a Cafe Built on Passion for Coffee Beans
sonder (n): the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
Niobe Shaw in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: The 'Tiny' Cafe That Contains Multitudes
Hidden down a quiet alley opposite the B-52 Victory Museum on Doi Can in Ba Dinh District is the gateway to Tiny Cafe. Make sure you look carefully, as the sign is easily missed, and this isn’t somewh...
Elise Luong in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: A Stylish Urban Brew at the Effortlessly Hip Cà Thiều
Occupying a few meters of the sidewalk on Pho Nguyen Gia Thieu, a lovely leafy lane in the residential south of the French Quarter, Cà Thiều is nestled at the entrance of a dusty, unassuming apartment...
Louise Horobin in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Vegetarian Fusion Food, Artwork and Leafy Surrounds All Feature in This Urban Oasis
In cacophonous cities like Hanoi, spaces that combine greenery with tranquility are vital.
Niobe Shaw in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: In Phủ Cafe, Community Engagement Brings a Sense of Belonging
Three flights of stairs separate the street from Phủ Café’s timeworn interior. Their small sign won’t grab your attention if you’re passing by, but attracting new customers isn’t necessarily the aim.
Niobe Shaw in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Decadent Egg Coffee in a 1930s Architectural Gem
Travel back in time to a café within a charming 1930s building, only a few hundred meters away from St Joseph’s Cathedral.
Hoai Nguyen in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: In Xoan Cafe, a Sanctuary for Art, Tea and Cats
Curious cats, steaming tea and art-lined walls make Xoan Café feel like a home away from home.
Peter Cowan in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: A Gateway to the Past for the City's New Youth
Hanoi’s café scene is saturated with cafés selling a vision of the past.
Nick Cooke in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: A Secret Garden Leads to a Haven for Hanoi's Young Creatives
Immediately after strolling through the gates of Café Tu Luc, a leafy new reality helps one feel at ease.
Ashley Lampard in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Come for the Coffee, Stay for the Aesthetic
Apparently, the owners of Chon want people to find their café. However, you wouldn’t assume as much when attempting to navigate the narrow, snaking alleyways that lead to their joint. You’ll find a do...
Ashley Lampard in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Immerse Yourself in the Traditional Architecture of Cafe Nha San
Nestled deep in a dead-end street reached through a warren of alleyways from an almost impossible-to-see entrance is an ancient-looking building. This stunning traditional Vietnamese stilt-house is on...
Ashley Lampard in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Vintage Sound Systems and Birds of Prey Coexist in Café Nhac Xua
A quaint melody drifts out of Nhac Xua and over to one side of West Lake, where café owner Nguyen Duy Binh and I sit. The calming, classical, Vietnamese-style guitar-driven music, is soothing.
Murray Jones in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: De Tam Café Adds a Contemporary Touch to a Familiar Retro Aesthetic
As soon as you walk into De Tam’s leafy entrance courtyard, a familiar vintage theme becomes apparent. An entire wall is covered in shelves containing over 100 film cameras and lenses, while record pl...
Ashley Lampard in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Take a Ride on Ha Dong’s Hipster Bus Café
When you initially spot the café, it’s hard to tell exactly what it is — it isn’t hurtling towards you at 50 miles per hour and doesn’t have helmet shrapnel from its previous victims stuck to its...
Lam Le in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Cu Xa, the Cafe That Awakens Your Childhood Self
“Where is home?” is a question that at some point has probably nagged everyone who feels caught between worlds. To the owner of a retro cafe in Hanoi’s southern Dong Da District, it’s Cu Xa.
Ashley Lampard in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: At Tropical Forest, Coworkers and Plants Thrive in a Unique Ecosystem
Tropical Forest isn’t one of those adorable coffee shops you find hidden away in one of Hanoi’s many pokey alleyways. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – its large glass presence resembles a giant terr...
