Sipping a cup of coffee every morning and observing the stream of people passing by has long been a pleasurable pastime for many Hanoians. As time goes by, the pastime becomes a lifestyle called the coffee culture. Many Hanoians start each new day with a cup of coffee in front of a small shop in downtown Hanoi . Let’s take a tour of a few cafes in Hanoi ’s ancient quarter with reporter To Tuan.

Coffee was brought to Vietnam by the French during the colonial period and gradually become a popular beverage here. Adopting a legacy imbued with considerable French cachet, the Vietnamese have embraced café culture – sipping and thinking in a big way. Every morning, be it a hot summer day or a cold winter day, you will see people with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Cafes can be a place for friends to meet and chat, for business people to discuss business affairs, or for a person to pause and reflect. Cafes are for gossiping with friends, passing the time, stealing a romantic moment

Hanoi’s cafes differ from cafes else where in Vietnam , as they are often located next to a lake. Many Hanoians prefer cafés which have been around for years on a busy downtown street or hidden in a quiet alley. There are many famous cafes in the capital city. Lam Café in Nguyen Huu Huan Street has served as a refuge for some of Vietnam ’s leading artists – like Bui Xuan Phai, To Ngoc Van, and Van Cao, whose paintings still hang here. Bich is the daughter of Lam Café’s owner: “We do out best to uphold the reputation of Lam Café which has been here for more than 60 years”.

Almost cafes in Hanoi , you will find two basic choices – black coffee or milk coffee – hot or with ice. But the coffee of Giang Café also in Nguyen Huu Huan Street , is something very Vietnamese - coffee with egg. Nguyen Tri Hoa is the youngest son of the owner of Giang Coffee: “Our famous egg coffee was created before I was born. I inherited the recipe. Egg coffee remains the specialty of Giang Café. In the past there was only hot egg coffee. Now I serve both hot and cold egg coffee. Even European tourists enjoy our specialty”.

In Vietnam ’s integration process, the new market economy is stirring things up in Hanoi . But despite competition from instant coffee and modern variations like Cappuccino, Hanoians still prefer the older, more romantic, traditional sidewalk cafes of the old Quarter.