There’s quite a climb up to Ho Chi Minh City’s The Workshop, but it is worth the effort. Perched on the third floor of a beautiful French Colonial building that’s just a stone’s throw from the city center, is an equally beautiful coffee shop. This cafe was filled with travellers when we visited them, which speaks volumes about how its reputation for quality has spread across the world.
Being passionate about coffee can come in different forms, a lot of people open coffee shops or become a barista. But there are also a handful of people that use their skills in craftsmanship to create equipment for coffee. We encountered this kettle in Vietnam crafted by ArtisanSmith, an aussie based company that produces hand made coffee equipment like kettles, brewers, and tampers. What caught our interest was their attention to detail, it’s very pleasing to the eyes and it has its own personality which complimented the vibe of the coffee shop. We believe that as a barista, being inspired by your gear will make for a great brewing experience.
Looking up The Workshop online, you’ll likely not realize that its on the third floor of a building in Ho Chi Minh. You’ll find that the entrance is basically the foyer to the staircase, almost entirely blocked by parked motor scooters which is the primary transportation in Vietnam.
When you climb up into the Workshop, one of the nice things about this cafe is that you feel the french colonial influence in their architecture. Most pictures taken of the Workshop are taken indoors but we wanted to give an idea of how pleasant the place is from the street level with their big and beautiful french windows. This is one of the very romantic parts of Ho Chi Minh’s District 1, and The Workshop fits right into that vibe without sacrificing quality one little bit.
