When book lovers open a café, we are blessed with book cafes; when animal lovers open a café, we are given a myriad of animal cafes; what happens when florists open a café? This is the case of Mơ Đi Hội, the physical manifestation of passions for plants and beverages.
Having seen a couple of videos online about the café nestled deep in an old apartment on Nguyễn Trãi Street, I was determined to visit. It seemed like something straight out of Japanese band Lamp’s Soyokaze Apartment Room 201 album. The videos depicted a small and cozy café, with an eclectic collection of plants and creatively decorated drinks. When I arrived at the address, the entrance was rather nondescript: a small door frame that led to a slightly bigger flight of stairs behind a couple of old ladies selling bánh mì. The colorful signs plastered on old, decrepit walls directed me to the small space up on the fourth floor of the building. Upon stepping inside, I was welcomed by the smell of fresh plants and flowers.
Stepping through the door, visitors are greeted with a smorgasbord of plants.
As florists, the founders of Mơ Đi Hội were deeply inspired by their love of nature when they opened the café. Each corner of the place is draped in plants, offering a completely different environment from the labyrinthine apartment complex and the chaos of Vietnamese roads outside. The cafe offers various seating options, from sofas by the windows, and seats at the dining table to floor seats on the loft accessible by a ladder. I recommend the floor seats in the room on the right of the entrance, where you’ll find a gorgeous view of the Huyện Sỹ Church. Surrounded by carefully curated plants, I looked through the window that showcased a juxtaposition of the urban chaos and the calm atmosphere of the cafe.
Inspired by Nguyễn Huệ apartments, the founders of Mơ Đi Hội were on the lookout for a lively location for their cafe. From the walls tinted with marks of time to the multiple lived-in apartment units and the plethora of other cafes and stores, Mơ Đi Hội’s home location indeed showcases Saigon's liveliness. The founders also intended the location to provide guests with the everyday life of Saigoneers. “It was in these old apartment buildings that Mơ was able to explore authentic qualities in Saigonese people,” says the café through their website.
When florists dream of opening a cafe.
It was through the florists’ dreams to open a flower shop that started their vision to open a café. Mơ Đi Hội not only serves as a quaint escape from the fast-paced city but also as a place for the founders to water and grow their artistic expressions. Sơn Trần, one of the founders, writes on their website: “I always wish to have a private space, where I can immerse myself in nature, enjoy the harmony with trees, flowers and leaves, and from there, recreate my spirit and convey beauty to everyone in everyday life.” Mơ đi Hội acts not only as a manifestation of the founders’ artistic spirit but also as a vessel to connect people with nature. This artistic spirit is not only found in the decorations of the cafe, but also in the way the drinks are brewed and decorated. Even the takeaway cups were nicely adorned with a tiny bouquet of flowers.
For Mơ, the café acts as a vessel to “build a spirit of bringing nature into the city, using anywhere that still has the life of nature attached to daily life.” At the same time, Mơ wants to “revive forgotten spaces such as old apartments, garden houses or unfinished construction projects to allow the life of flowers, leaves, grass and trees and limit the construction and demolition of works over time,” an employee shares with me in Vietnamese via Zoom.
Mơ Đi Hội's seating arrangements are all unique, thanks to a spontaneous sense of interior design.
As for the food and beverages, Mơ Đi Hội prides itself on its locally sourced ingredients and emphasis on Vietnamese flavors. The menu highlights Vietnamese dishes, from the classic bánh mì ốp la to the more underrated options like cơm nhà, chicken feet and various proteins marinated with mắm. This dedication towards highlighting Vietnam also shows in their drinks as classic Vietnamese ingredients and flavors are used with anything from red hibiscus, ginger or xí muội. The names of these concoctions all take inspiration from Vietnam and its historical figures: from Công trường Lam Sơn to Alexandre Yersin and Alexandre De Rhodes.
Sipping a drink with the view of the Huyện Sĩ Church in the close distance.
I ordered their best-selling drink, trà hoa nở (blooming tea). At first, it seemed like a classic milk tea served in many other cafes and street stalls around Saigon, but nicely adorned with a flower and its petals. However, upon tasting it, their aromatic oolong tea blend shone in the drink, whereas the teas in casual milk tea are usually almost undetectable due to the use of milk powder, sugar syrup and other ingredients. Instead of using milk powder and classic tapioca balls in the drink, Mơ Đi Hội substitutes it with soy milk and homemade grass jelly, which subdue an otherwise very sweet drink. The drink is then topped off with an airy salt foam, usually found in salt coffee, which brings out the sweetness and creaminess of the drink.
If you are ever in the area, take some time to explore this old apartment building. Remember to stop by Mơ Đi Hội to find out how a few florists transform their passions for nature into intricately made drinks and dishes.
Mơ Đi Hội is open from 8am to 10pm every day.
To sum up:
Taste: 5/5
Price: 3/5 — prices on the more expensive side, especially for signature drinks and mocktails. VND55,000–60,000 for a classic cà phê đen or cà phê sữa; VND75,000–85,000 for signature drinks.
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Friendliness: 4/5
Location: 3.5/5
Mơ Đi Hội
4th Floor, 145 Nguyễn Trãi, Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward, D1, HCMC
