Cafeography
Ho Chi Minh City · District 3

Cafés in District 3

Villa streets, Turtle Lake and the alleys off Lê Văn Sỹ, where the specialty cafés cluster.

Photo: Markus Winkler, Pexels License

District 3 was one of Saigon's first districts, set up in December 1920, and its French-era villas once housed officials and wealthy families.3 Time Out put it among the world's 50 coolest neighborhoods in 2019, pointing to its colonial churches and villas, Buddhist pagodas and street food.5 Since July 2025 the district has been three wards: Bàn Cờ, Xuân Hòa and Nhiêu Lộc.1

For coffee, District 3 has more specialty cafés than any other district, spread between the villa streets around Turtle Lake and the long alleys off Lê Văn Sỹ. Several Every Half Coffee Roasters branches, The Yellow Chair and Y coffee roastery are all here.7

Local tip: Turtle Lake has been a pedestrian area since 2023, so it makes an easy meeting point: start at Gió Bấc or Papa on the roundabout and walk the villa streets from there.4

At a glance

310Cafés listed
10With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Cà Phê Okinawa, from 06:00 (Mon–Sat 06:00–10:00).
  • Closes latest: Cafe Ngoc Suong Ben Thuyen, until 23:00 (Daily 10:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Phạm Ngọc Thạch (10), Nguyễn Đình Chiểu (9), Hoàng Sa (8).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (5%), specialty (4%), open late (3%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Ho Chi Minh City.

Coffee chains in District 3

Chain

Trung Nguyên Coffee

Show 15 locations
Website Facebook
Chain

Highlands Coffee

Show 14 locations
Website Facebook

Turtle Lake and the villa streets

Turtle Lake, officially Công trường Quốc tế (International Square), is a roundabout where Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Trần Cao Vân and Võ Văn Tần meet, in Xuân Hòa ward.4 An 1878 French water tower once stood on the site; the modernist monument by the architect Nguyễn Kỳ was unveiled in 1969, and in 2023 the area became a pedestrian zone.4 The roundabout also draws street-food vendors.4 Two cafés take it as their address: Cà Phê Gió Bấc at number 10 and Quán Cà Phê Papa at 6B.

Xuân Hòa is an old name revived: in 1880 the village of Tân Định was renamed Xuân Hòa.2 Xá Lợi Pagoda, described as the largest in the city, and Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda are both in the old district.3 Time Out's 2019 pick also sent readers to Nguyễn Thượng Hiền, nicknamed "snail street" for its snail and shellfish dishes.5

Specialty coffee in District 3

Every Half Coffee Roasters has several branches here, including one in an alley at 232/23 Võ Thị Sáu and one at 146 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, both open 07:00–21:30. In October 2026 Znews put an Every Half Americano at up to 95,000₫ and a matcha latte at 80,000₫.6

The Yellow Chair is in an alley off Võ Văn Tần (48C Hẻm 46, 08:00–22:00), and Y coffee roastery is further down the same street at number 428.

Lê Văn Sỹ and its alleys

Lê Văn Sỹ carries on into Phú Nhuận, and several of District 3's cafés sit in its numbered hẻm (alleys). Barista Collective is in Hẻm 264 (07:30–22:00), Missing Garden at 221/9 (08:00–22:00), and Cafe Broken Rice deeper in Hẻm 386, open 08:15–22:30.

Closer to the center, Oromia Coffee & Lounge at 193 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa opens 10:00–22:00, and Namoo Cafe at 103 Cao Thắng 07:30–22:30. Cà Phê Oto is at 148EF Lý Chính Thắng and Là Việt Coffee at 57A Tú Xương.

When District 3's cafés open

This is a late district rather than an early one. Apart from Cà Phê Okinawa on Hoàng Sa, open 06:00–10:00 Monday to Saturday, no District 3 café with posted hours opens before 07:00, when Every Half and Gòn Cà phê on Hai Bà Trưng start, and most close at 22:00 or later. Namoo Cafe and Cafe Broken Rice stay open to 22:30.

Sources

  1. A Post-Merger Guide To Ho Chi Minh City: Understanding The City, Vietcetera (July 27, 2025), accessed October 2026
  2. Xuân Hòa, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Wikipedia (Vietnamese), accessed October 2026
  3. District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Turtle Lake (Ho Chi Minh City), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. HCMC's District 3 among world's coolest neighbourhoods, SGGP English Edition (October 7, 2019), accessed October 2026
  6. Ly cà phê giá 100.000 đồng trở nên bình thường từ khi nào?, Znews (October 2026), accessed October 2026
  7. Every Half: Vietnam Specialty Coffee Roasters Exemplifies Vietnam's Evolving Coffee Industry, Saigoneer (June 2, 2023), accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Ho Chi Minh City

District 1

443 cafés

Đa Kao & Tân Định

130 cafés

Phú Nhuận

249 cafés

Bình Thạnh

420 cafés

Thảo Điền & District 2

313 cafés

District 5 & Chợ Lớn

373 cafés

District 7

328 cafés

In District 3, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Open by 6am Open late Outdoor seating

FAQ

District 3 cafés: questions

What is Turtle Lake in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City?

Turtle Lake, officially Công trường Quốc tế (International Square), is a lake and monument inside the roundabout where Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Trần Cao Vân and Võ Văn Tần meet. Nguyễn Kỳ's modernist monument was unveiled in 1969, and the area became a pedestrian zone in 2023. Cà Phê Gió Bấc and Quán Cà Phê Papa have addresses on the roundabout.

Where is specialty coffee in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City?

Every Half Coffee Roasters has several District 3 branches, including 232/23 Võ Thị Sáu and 146 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, both open 07:00–21:30; in October 2026 an Americano there cost up to 95,000₫. The Yellow Chair is in an alley off Võ Văn Tần, open 08:00–22:00, and Y coffee roastery is at 428 Võ Văn Tần.

Which wards replaced District 3 in Ho Chi Minh City in 2025?

Since July 2025 old District 3 has been divided into three wards: Bàn Cờ, Xuân Hòa and Nhiêu Lộc. Turtle Lake is in Xuân Hòa, a name revived from 1880, when the village of Tân Định was renamed. Locals and guides still say District 3, so expect both forms on addresses.

For café owners

Own a café in District 3?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design