Even though some of the Vietnamese don’t mind the occasional dog on their plate, it turns out there are surprisingly a few pleasant dog and cat cafes in Saigon.
How many dog and cat cafes are there in Saigon?
There are eight cafes across Saigon that opens their door to furry critters. Two even have reptiles, amphibians and rabbits! During my stay in Saigon, I visited a few of them. Take a look!
Where did the idea come from?
Vietnam has majorly opened up its door, and ideas from all over the world have come flooding in. Namely dog and cat cafes! The first cat cafe in the world that every opened was in 1998 in Taipei, Taiwan. Originally it was just an idea for young city folk, to get some fluffy love, soon turned into one of the cities’ major tourist destinations. Cat cafes really took off when they ventured across the water into Japan in 2005. In most of the dwellings in Tokyo, it is prohibited to own pets. With people yearning for some feline companionship, more and more cafes opened across the city.
Health benefits of spending time with dogs and cats
- Pets, such as dogs and cats provide a calming effect in people’s lives. They are effective at reducing stress, anxiety and depression. This is due to pets elevating the levels of serotonin and dopamine.
- Especially in your old age, pets are a loyal companion easing any pain from loneliness.
- They don’t let you get to serious – Bringing out the inner kid of you with a life of playfulness.
A review of three dog and cat cafes in Saigon we visited
Dog and cat cafes in Vietnam are on the up. Now Saigon has five of them and that figure is increasing year on year. My favourite one in the Yuna Alaskan Coffee, and chill out in a very relaxed environment. Come and enjoy the company of fluffy felines and cuddly canines of all shapes and sizes, all whilst sipping on a latte. Just make sure you aren’t allergic and have to leave early!
The dogs are very friendly, and within a seconds I had a giant husky intruding very impolitely into my personal space! On the second floor where you ordered drinks, there were the cats. These were mainly long haired while cats.
Address: 58 đường D2, Phường 25, Q. Bình Thạnh, Phường 25, TP. Hồ Chí Minh (Address is a bit odd on google maps. Search for Yuna Alaska Coffee)
Hours: 8:00 AM — 10:00 PM
Phone: 090 863 62 89
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YunaAlaskaCoffee/
Feeding time at Alaska coffee
Dogs of all shapes and sizes.
The next day we headed over to PNE Pets Shop (PNE Coffee) on 106A Nơ Trang Long. This however turned out not to be a coffee shop , but a chihuahua kennel!
Another Option Is The Little Angels Coffee: (Dog Cafe)
Address: 159 Chu Văn An, phường 26, Bình Thạnh, Ho Chi Minh City
Hours: 6:30 AM — 10:00 PM
Phone: 094 442 04 04
Facebook: facebook.com/Little-Angels-Coffee-279194415937850/
The two other cafes which have a wider variety of animals
Pet Me cafe has everything from rabbits to snakes. To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of all the cages. The owl and hedgehog looked particularly sad! On top of that, compared with the other establishments the drinks were on the pricey, though that’s Thảo Điền for you!
Pet Me: Address:198 Nguyễn Văn Hưởng, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Hồ Chí Minh
Colourful budges parade around
Coffee shop/petting zoo with animals such as rabbits to caress
If You Are Into The Reptile Variety Check Out The Ba Bo Coffee: (Reptiles and Amphibians)
Address: 93/18 Phạm Văn Hai, Phường 3, Tân Bình, Hồ Chí Minh
Hours: 9:00 AM — 10:00 PM
Phone: 093 306 93 99
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReptileCoffee/
