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| A relaxing coffee in serenity |
My friends and I came here on a beautiful Sunday morning. The coffee shop in front of Vong Canh Hill was crowded with customers. We arranged our own seats after ordering drinks. The prices were moderate, with a salted coffee priced around 20,000 VND, and iced or milk coffee ranging from 10,000 to 18,000 VND. The freshly squeezed juices were also priced between 25,000 and 30,000 VND.
“In such an open and fresh space, with prices like these – it is so cheap!” exclaimed my friend as we saw the bill totaling less than 200,000 VND for 8 people. He then compared that the prices at the cafés with the view like that in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, where he lives and frequently goes to, would normally be five times higher. Even so, there’s nowhere else one could find such a peaceful and picturesque place as in Hue, my friend added. That’s why, every time he comes to Hue, he always arranges his schedule to visit Vong Canh Hill for a cup of coffee.
“We are all ‘Hue-ians’ ourselves, and we are still ‘addicted’ to Hue, and Vong Canh Hill as well,”laughed our whole group. It is because of our love and “addiction” that we come to this coffee shop whenever we have free time. We even prepare folding chairs and tables in the car trunk; in case the coffee shop runs out of seating. We also bring our own drinks, some snacks, fruits, and books to read and relax.
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| Not only adults, but children also like this place |
Our children at home aren’t exactly booklovers, yet they’d read so attentively in the ambiance of Vong Canh. When their eyes get tired, they run around the hill, doing exercises while admiring the flowers and trees. Occasionally, when it’s the ripened season of forest rose myrtle, they’d cheer with excitement as if they have found something precious.
Whenever we get bored with sitting, we’d take a stroll around the hill. From Vong Canh, we can cast our eyes far towards the upstream of the Perfume River, where the lush green of grass and water can be seen. Standing on this side of the river, we can also admire the rice fields, cornfields, and the peaceful daily life of the people in Huong Tho. That might be another alluring attraction that makes Vong Canh a destination where visitors come back to multiple times.
Our group’s main purpose for visiting Vong Canh is mostly to relax, enjoy coffee, have a chat, and read books. Many others come here to take check-in photos. It’s not difficult to see groups of ladies dressed in beautiful green, purple, or red Ao dai taking photos for their Facebook posts.
If you visit Vong Canh and find that the nearby coffee shop is too crowded and there are no available seats, and you don’t have portable chairs or tables with you, you can walk a little further down where you’ll find Cafe 81, which is also “chill” and picturesque. It seems that after the vintage-style coffeeshop was established and attracted a large number of customers, there are now quite a few coffee shops in Hue that are designed and decorated in a nostalgic and classical style like that.
Just take a stroll along Le Ngo Cat Street, the road that connects Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street to Vong Canh Hill, and you will easily find a spot to enjoy a cup of salted coffee in a romantic and serene atmosphere before exploring the beauty of Vong Canh. Along this route, there are also various popular check-in spots in Hue, such as Thuy Xuan incense Village or Tu Duc Tomb.
So, stop hesitating and visit Hue this summer, as it’s the season when Vong Canh is at its most poetic. And other destinations are also ideal for taking beautiful photos.
