Da Kao shophouse
The letters OLLIN on old tiles
Nguyen Van Thu in Da Kao has always had old shophouses — but since 2019, one facade makes you look twice: giant serif OLLIN letters painted across a tiled-roof shophouse, a wide glass front glowing amber every evening.
Saigonese call it "always packed" — yet airy, beautiful, and perfumed with roasted coffee from the door. SAIGON written on the glass reads like the city's hello.
Inside, a Western specialty spirit: choose Cau Dat or Ethiopia beans, brew phin or pour-over — then linger under the warm lights of the old shophouse.
At this branch, afternoons run longer than planned: an open frontage on the sidewalk, wooden tables, amber light and unplanned encounters.
“Burn all your heart for what you believe in.”