Gióng Cafe — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

We came across this place accidentally while looking for a last shop to try before coming to the airport to go back to our country. The facade of the building gave off a vibe that this establishment has been a local institution for many years, and it felt like even after trying out different cafes in Ho Chi Minh City for the last 5 days, it is a place we should visit before coming home.

Our intuition did not disappoint us. While the building seemed old on the exterior, the vibe inside felt very much alive without being overstimulating. Upon entering, we felt like royalties who were about to taste the best coffee of our lives along with the best possible treatment/service.

What I ordered first was a Ca Phe Sua, to have a baseline of their coffee quality and to compare it with the other ones we've tried previously. Ca Phe Sua is known to have a smoky/roasty flavor which balances nicely with the sweetness of the condensed milk. You get the same experience here...but it's just the beginning. As you're about to take another sip, you suddenly taste a fruity flavor which doesn't seem out of place at all, but rather just a part of their coffee's personality. The mixture only contained condensed milk, coffee, and ice, but the combination had a lot of personality, and there wasn't a boring sip from start to finish as the flavor seemingly evolves the more you drink it. As your eyes scan the place while analyzing what you're experiencing, you see a documentation on the wall of their "Farm to Cup" concept.

If there's one concept that would encompass my entire experience, it would be the "Law of Conservation of Energy." Energy may not be created nor be destroyed, but you will be able to taste in the coffee that there's no energy lost. In fact, you can taste that the overall flavor profile was formed from the energy transfer from the passionate farmers who love what they do and are treated as partners, as well as the energy transfer from the baristas who are always excited to make coffee and even gets more joyful while explaining more about the coffee they're making.

As you scan the place even more, you'll find that the way they present their different kinds of coffee beans isn't pretentious at all, and it's just how they express their artistry in describing the flavor profiles based on their experiences during crafting while also showing the utmost respect for the product and the people behind the process.

I understand that everyone's experiences are valid, even the negative reviews in the past. However, in our recent visit (October 7, 2025), not only did we taste the best coffee we've had in HCMC after 5 days of exploring, but we've also had our best cafe experience ever. When you visit the place, always look for Lucy, as her positive energy is really contagious, and if she prepares your coffee, you're bound to have a great experience no matter what you order.

If there's only one disappointing thing with our experience, it would be that it's a shame we only found out about the cafe when we're about to go to the airport, and that we weren't able to experience more of their coffee through multiple visits and take home their carefully crafted coffee bean mixes due to limited baggage space. Thank you very much Giong Cafe for the memorable experience :)) As long as you never lose your passion in serving the best coffee, I will never lose my passion in telling others the story about our great...

I recently visited the cozy Giong Cafe and was incredibly pleased with my experience. From the moment I stepped foot in the place, I felt a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I was greeted with a smile and politely escorted to my table, offering a choice of seats, which was very nice.

I would like to separately mention the excellent service. The staff here certainly knows how to make a visit to a visitor unforgettable. The waiters were incredibly attentive to detail, but at the same time unobtrusive, which created the perfect conditions for a relaxed and enjoyable time. I immediately felt at home here, and this speaks volumes about the high level of service.

As for the coffee, this is, without a doubt, one of the best drinks I have tried in recent times. The menu offers many different types of coffee, but I chose the classic coffee with milk. The drink was prepared perfectly - aromatic, rich, with a slight bitterness and a rich taste. Every sip brought real pleasure. This is exactly the case when coffee is not just a drink, but a real work of art. All the staff I interacted with were extremely friendly and professional, they made my visit truly special.

In conclusion, I want to say that "Giong cafe" was a discovery for me. This is a place where you want to come back again and again, be it for a morning cup of coffee, a business meeting or just a pleasant evening with friends. If you are looking for a cafe with excellent coffee, unrivaled service and a pleasant atmosphere, then this is exactly what you need. I definitely recommend this place to all lovers of good coffee and...

Great location. Cold brew comes in full highball glass vs just rocks glass as in most places. However the services is really bad. We ordered salt egg croissant and was given one knife only. When I asked for the knife the staff started to lecture me about using the croissant without any silverware. I did live in Paris for several years and understand that you can have croissant without any silverware but a well trained hospitality / F&B staff would understand that either it’s served with napkin (not the case here) or with fork and knife to avoid the mess. Given that it’s a salted egg (aka with filling not simply a plain one) and served with a fork and that not everyone want to use their hand to eat post pandemic for hygienic reasons, when customer asked for a knife, either the estate provides one or apologizes for ill equipped facilities. Don’t use the poor excuse to put the blame on customer. I’ve been to Bakes, Sugar, Buttery, the Pastry Boutique (Hyatt), etc. and was all served croissant and cakes with fork and knife. Except for Pastry Boutique, the rest are with the same price range for patisserie and prime location so customer shall expect the same standard, services and knowledge of staff.

The staff in charge should be replaced and the rest should be retrained.

Please do not waste your time and energy, let alone money here. We customer should raise the bar for F&B...