If, like us, you are always on the lookout for a great cafe to work when you’re travelling, but you’re not willing to compromise on the standard of the coffee, then you will love Ho Chi Minh City. When it comes to places to work for Digital Nomads, it’s an absolute dream. On our recent trip, we travelled District One from top to bottom striving to find the ultimate Digital Nomad cafes in Ho Chi Minh city with the best coffee. Read out to find out more.
To note, we’ve heard that the Workshop is the best Digital Nomad place in HCMC. We didn’t make it there as it was too far from where we stayed. But if you’re looking for somewhere social to meet other Digital Nomads, then the Workshop is probably the one for you to try.
In Joy Cafe
In Joy is a little slice of kitsch heaven in District One. This quirky cafe is all clean white lines but the staff and the cakes add a much needed splash of fun.
Everything here is Gluten Free, so for coeliacs this is a dream. They are quite strict about it, with signs up everywhere reminding staff of the gluten free zone.
Internet is fast, there are ample plug points, and the staff don’t hassle you to buy more. It’s a small space, so you won’t always be guaranteed a seat. But you could probably squeeze onto one of the bigger tables if they aren’t full, or take a seat outside.
The only issue with this cafe is that they don’t accept card. So bring cash. Plus, it’s a popular one on the weekend especially for families making use of the kids zone upstairs.
The Simple Cafe
The Simple Cafe is a newcomer, having only been open for a couple of months (as of Jan 2023.) It’s spanking new inside. I love the space here, spread over 3 floors. Theres also a terrace if you want to sit outside, but it is noisy.
Inside is a delight. Every table has a plug socket. The internet is also quick. The cafe owners seem to be marketing this place specifically for remote workers. So there is no expectation that you’ll leave as soon as you’ve finished your coffee.
Only draw back is the slightly limited food menu. Plus, the coffee is like having a pudding! The salt coffee is absolutely delicious but I think about 1000 calories. Even a black iced coffee is like syrup. If you’re a Digital Nomad with a sweet tooth, this place is for you.
Being in three floors means there is a lot of space making it a great place for Digital Nomads in Ho Chi Minh. But it also means when you need another drink, you need to head downstairs which may mean packing up your table. Hoping they fix this and you can order from table at some point – expect they’d sell more!
Nomad cold brew coffee
We couldn’t resist including this one. Nomad Cold Brew Coffee is somewhat of a boutique hangout. It’s a small venue, found down an alleyway (as with a lot of HCMC’s best finds). They specialise in Cold Brew (clearly) but also make their own Kombucha. The cold brew is served in bottles or glasses, the bottles have Nomad own label, which is quite cool. Incidentally, they serve the latter in huge goblets, so I thought lots of people were drinking orange wine at 10:00 (I was clearly envious.)
Internet is fast (as with everywhere I went in HCMC to be honest), and there are plugs at each table. I felt very productive in this environment, perhaps spurred on the bitter goodness of cold brew but I didn’t feel I could stay too long as it’s quite small and it got a little busy. For any chess playing nomads (like J), there’s also a sneaky chessboard for your breaks. This is definitely the ultimate in Digital Nomad cafes in Ho Chi Minh City with the best coffee.
Melbourne Cafe
Melbourne Cafe is included on our list of recommended Digital Nomad cafes for two reasons. Firstly, the brunch is INCREDIBLE. If you’re tired, hungover, or it’s Tuesday, head here for the biggest brunch you can think of. They have an extensive menu of western and Vietnamese food and it’s good value too. The second reason it’s good for Digital Nomads in Ho Chi Minh, is that it’s a good place to meet people – especially if you’re looking for Australians. It must be the name, or the lure of good brunch, but every time we went it was full of Australians.
In terms of a work environment, it’s good for an hour or so, but it’s a busy café so you wouldn’t want to stay too long. If you’re hoping to work, don’t go on the weekends – it’s much too busy. The coffee is also great here, especially if you don’t like it sweet – just ask for no sugar.
Perce%t Coffee
Percen%t coffee from Monday to Friday seems to be less “cafe” and more co-working space. It’s completely set up for students and digital nomads alike. This place has the highest ceilings of all the coffee places we went to in HCMC (if you’re familiar with the Cathedral Effect, you’ll know that this can inspire the best creative work!) This makes it one of the best digital nomad cafes in Ho Chi Minh.
Coffee is great, the Lotus Tea is also a dream. As a Lotus Eater, I had to go for that. I thought it was the “healthy” option, but it turned out to be a little ice tea and a whole lot of cream. Regardless, this is a great spot for working. Plugs at every table, spaces reserved specifically for group work and fast internet (despite the hoards of people using it.) We also liked the anonymity of it, with so many people there, you can blend into the crowd and not feel judged if you’ve been there too long.
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