I managed to catch at least three hours of sleep last night despite waking up twice to check the time, I really dragged sleepless night because the time was so hard to pass.
By 8.10am, I was fully prepared to start the day, though the lingering traces of tiredness still visible on my face.
The reason for waking up early was to enjoy the breakfast set available from 7am to 9am at Café 30/4. We arrived at the cafe around 8.30am, it was just 5 minutes walk away from our serviced apartment, besides Independence Palace. While we had visited this spot five years ago when it was under Highlands Coffee, it had now been taken off by Café 30/4.
It was a two storey cafe and we had the whole of level 2 all to ourselves. Stepping into this cafe brought a wave of nostalgia, reminding us of past memories. The wooden charm of the new interior design gave a different style to the familiar cafe.
After gotten our food, we moved in to get a seat besides the floor-to-ceiling glass window with ample of sunlight filtering in. The tranquil and relaxing ambience, coupled with greenery surrounding, make having breakfast here enjoyable, and with privacy too as we were the only customers on level 2.
Both of us got the combo set which consist of Ice Coffee and Pork Banh Mi Que. we added milk to the coffee for an additional of 10,000VND per pax, making the set cost 65,000VND (or S$3.71) per pax. While it may not be considered very cheap, the price remained reasonable for a café. The coffee was not bitter with substantial ratio of sweetness in it.
We sat here for about 1 hour 15 minutes to immerse ourself in the pleasure of coffee, bread, scenery and conversation. I really enjoyed moments like these, where we simply live in the present.
I noticed a routine of the locals where they like to gather at the opposite park. Some sat along the pathway or on the grass, enjoying breakfast or engaging in conversations to kickstart their day.
Café 30/4
1 Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Operating hours: 6am to 9pm daily
We took a Grab ride back to our next hotel at The Hammock Hotel Fine Arts Museum, which cost 32,000VND (or S$1.83) for 10 minutes drive. We waited 13 minutes for the Grab car as it missed our location and had to go one big round. One thing about Grab in Vietnam is that the driver don't anyhow cancel rides. Despite going one big round, the driver messaged me and asked me to wait for him.
Upon receiving a message that the driver had arrived, we were surprised to find no sign of his car. It turned out he was at the furthest lane and he rolled down the window, waving to get our attention. We have to dash across the moving traffic of motorcycles and cars with our baggage to the car. It was really dangerous.
We reached The Hammock Hotel Fine Arts Museum (the slim black building) around 12.10pm. The 3-star hotel is situated in District 1 with walking distance to local attractions and sights, the 10 storey high hotel has 45 rooms.
The Hammock Hotel Fine Arts Museum
59-61 Đ. Nguyễn Thái Bình, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
The hotel may looked ordinary from the outside, but once we stepped in, the lobby revealed an artistic charm that captivated me instantly.
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