I am taking a long vacation to rest and have time to visit my family in the North where I was born. But I did not fly directly back right away, but stopped by Da Nang city one day. That's where I worked for eight years before moving to Da Lat, where I have many friends and close relationships. Today I have an appointment with a sister who is the leader of the city MTB cycling team. She met me at a coffee shop near her house and according to her words, the salted coffee there was delicious and the shop also had an interesting interior space.
It's called "HOAI NIEM " referring to the feeling of remembering the past. It turned out that the owner collected old items from the subsidy period. The subsidy period refers to the period after the country ended the war with France and the South Vietnamese government along with its US ally in the period from 1976 to 1986. After the reunification of the country, Vietnam was subject to an economic embargo. , the economy transitioned from a market economy to a planned economy of the old Soviet style. The state exclusively distributes goods and abolishes bourgeoisie. Therefore, most goods are imported from the Soviet Union and China. This was a very difficult, poor period for the people of the country before it failed and was renewed. Therefore, the phrase subsidy period haunted the entire population of that period. And this cafe wants to recall the images of the subsidy period for those who have experienced it, and the younger generation has only heard word of mouth from their predecessors. So it was named Hoai Niem.
Here, in addition to the usual coffee, I also want to try the salted coffee here according to my sister's recommendation. I also used to drink salted coffee in many places, and want to know where to make it better. It's pretty simple, just extra creativity for flavor. They will use pure roasted coffee with a little salt. Depending on the place, raw or refined sea salt will be used. It is then filtered through filters and then a little cream is added to it. Salt with a salty taste will limit the bitterness and mild sourness of coffee, the sodium in salt will harmonize and evoke the taste of coffee more than regular sugar. Adding a little bit of cream will make the cup of coffee fatter and more delicious. Personally, I find it not too different from a cappuccino (it uses less cream). Delicate taste you have to sip very little to appreciate clearly. They put it in a little glass bottle like this before pouring it into a glass and stirring it up. My favorite taste is strong and strong coffee so I think it is suitable for women and people who like light taste.
Its price is about 1.5 USD and the address is located at 21 Tran Quoc Toan, Da Nang city, located right on the main street in the city center. Outside, there are only a few low coffee tables and chairs on the sidewalk for those who like to watch the street and the flow of people. Inside are decorated with tools, household items, black and white photos of that subsidy period. Collecting these items must have taken a lot of money and effort.
Some pictures I took quickly and not many because it has an upstairs floor, and I also wanted to focus on meeting my sister, who used to live during that subsidy period. You can quickly see items such as old CD players, radios, large format televisions, sewing machines, old clothes, and other household items. It almost feels more for those who have experienced it because according to her: mostly Soviet and Chinese aid supplies, it is often weak and has many minor mistakes. For example, when the TV is sometimes affected by interference and can't catch the channel, they will hit the TV with their hands for a while. Younger people like me, if they just look at those items without hearing the stories or background, they will only see them as fancy antiques from the last decade.
If you have the opportunity to travel in Da Nang city, you can add it to the list to try the drink experience and understand more about the subsidy period in Vietnam in the period of 1976-1986. It's also an interesting miniature museum. Thanks for watching.