As I’ve already written about, cafe culture in Vietnam is huge – both of the no-frills, cheap and cheerful kind, and the more fancy, European-influenced variety. I love both; the former for a quick caffeine fix, and latter for when I want to lounge the afternoon away. I drank at innumerable cafes while I was in Vietnam (oh the hardships of the life of a food writer!), but these two were my favourites.

The runner-up, featured in the two photos above, is Le Fenetre Soleil in Saigon. Hidden away on the second floor of a perfectly ordinary corner building, and accessed by a disconcertingly dingy stairway, Le Fenetre Soleil was a breath of fresh air in hot, sweaty Saigon. With its plush, romantic decor, this cafe made me feel like I’d stepped back into a more sophisticated time – though that impression was somewhat spoiled by the rather exorbitant prices, meaning I had to make my delicious dragon fruit smoothie last.

Money was not an issue, however, at my most favourite classy cafe in Vietnam, Nola in Hanoi. Almost as cheap as the places out on the street, Nola, like Le Fenetre Soleil, is a bit difficult to find, down a narrow alley off May Ma in the Old Quarter, but it more than repays the effort.

Cooly Bohemian, Nola is the kind of cafe I’d like to open one day – full of gorgeous, retro knick-knacks and off-beat, quirky touches (like a canopy of umbrellas on the roof terrace, for example).

I came back to Nola so many times I think the staff must have thought I lived in Hanoi – which, with such delights as Nola to tempt me, I’m quite tempted to do one day.

Le Fenetre Soleil
2/F, 135 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, Saigon.

Nola
89 Ma May, Hanoi.