Solo in Ho Chi Minh City: A Last-Minute Vietnamese Coffee Workshop

By my last morning in Ho Chi Minh City, I had a 10 PM flight to Hanoi and no real plans left.

My first two days had been pretty loose. I mostly walked around, stopped for coffee, took naps, people-watched, shopped, and even went back to Book Street twice because I wanted to see it during the day and at night. I was starting to feel like I had not really done enough, so I opened Klook and spontaneously booked a Vietnamese coffee-making workshop at The Provincial Table Cooking Class.

The class started at noon. I left my hotel around 11:48 AM and walked there.

There were roughly ten people in the workshop, and I was the only one who came alone. I thought that might feel awkward, but once the class started, it really did not. We already had something to do and something to talk about.

Over the next two hours, we learned about Vietnamese coffee culture and made four different drinks ourselves: egg coffee (cà phê trứng), coconut coffee (cà phê cốt dừa), salt coffee (cà phê muối), and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk (cà phê sữa).

I still remember the smell of the coffee and going through the brewing steps for each drink. By the third cup, I was already buzzing from all the caffeine. Egg coffee ended up being my favorite. I also started talking to two Singaporean girls in the class. We exchanged Instagram accounts afterward, and we are still mutuals.

Of course, I was also sending photos to people back home.

My mom replied, “Puro ka kape,” which basically means, “All you do is drink coffee.”

I also sent a photo to my boss and told her, “Pwede na ako, Ma’am, magbenta ng egg coffee diyan sa office canteen,” or, “I can start selling egg coffee at the office canteen now, Ma’am.” I have since resigned from that job, which makes that message even funnier to me now.

The workshop ended around 2 PM, so I still had plenty of time before my flight.

I left Ho Chi Minh City feeling fairly neutral about the city itself, but this workshop is still the first thing I remember from that trip.

It also made me realize something about the way I like to travel alone. I do not need every hour planned, but having one structured, interactive activity gives the day an anchor. A workshop, class, walking tour, or group activity gives me somewhere to be, something to participate in, and an easy way to meet people without forcing it.

The rest of the itinerary can still be completely unplanned. I just like having one thing I have to show up for.