Recommended places to visit in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: Pink Cathedral, Tan Dinh Cathedral, View Restaurant, Cong Cafe

Vietnam was under French colonial rule for a long time, so there are two famous cathedrals in the city. One is the Notre Dame Cathedral and the other is the Tan Dinh Cathedral, also known as the Pink Cathedral. There is a pink cathedral in Da Nang, and there is also a Tan Dinh Cathedral with a pink exterior. I visited both the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Tan Dinh Cathedral during my trip to Ho Chi Minh City, but the Notre Dame Cathedral is currently undergoing major renovations, so I could not see the inside, and the inside of the Tan Dinh Cathedral, the pink cathedral, does not seem to be open to the public except during mass times. In the end, I only saw the exterior of both places.

Ho Chi Minh Tan Dinh Cathedral is located slightly north of District 1. If you grab a Grab, you can get there quickly. The exterior of the cathedral is definitely pink, and it looks pretty against the blue sky. Maybe that’s why many people come to see this pink cathedral, even though you can’t go inside. However, unlike other European cathedrals, there’s no square in front of the cathedral, and the road is right in front, so it’s a bit tricky to take pictures.

So the place I went to was Cong Cafe, located across the street from the Pink Cathedral. They say that the best place to see Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Dinh Cathedral is this Cong Cafe. Vietnam’s Cong Cafe is a pretty famous cafe to Koreans, so it’s known as one of the must-visit places when traveling to Vietnam. There are several Cong Cafes in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, but the one across from Tan Dinh Cathedral seems to be the most famous.

The Cong Cafe across from Tan Dinh Cathedral is a three-story building, and you can order on the first floor. There is a menu outside the cafe entrance, and you can also choose from the menu inside. The most popular menus here seem to be coconut coffee and condensed milk coffee. I visited Cong Cafe twice during my recent trip to Ho Chi Minh, and once I ordered condensed milk coffee and once I ordered coconut coffee. The price is about 3,000 to 4,000 won in Korean currency, so it is an affordable price.

There are seats on the first floor, but since it is located next to the ordering area, there aren't many seats, and to see the view outside, it would be better to go up to the second or third floor rather than the first floor. Kong Cafe's ordering and pickup system also uses a vibration bell, which was surprising, just like Korean cafes.

This is the second floor. There are definitely more seats and tables, and the atmosphere is a bit more pleasant. Of course, the air conditioning was strong, so I was able to relax and drink coffee in a cool atmosphere. I thought there would be a lot of people, so I was worried that there would be no seats, but when I first visited, there were more seats on the second floor than I thought.

In particular, the most popular window seat at Kong Cafe across from Pink Cathedral was empty, so I quickly grabbed a seat. The second-floor window seat is not a table seat, but a squat seat, so it was a seat where I didn't feel too uncomfortable sitting alone. Thanks to that, I was able to drink the condensed milk coffee I ordered while looking out the large windows at Pink Cathedral. The condensed milk coffee had a pretty strong taste.

After finishing my coffee, I went up to the third floor. The third floor has indoor seating and an outdoor terrace, so you can look down on the Tan Dinh Cathedral from outside. I think this is probably the place with the best view of the Pink Cathedral in Cong Cafe, but since it is an outdoor terrace, it is quite hot. It seems difficult to sit there for a long time during the day. Most people just take pictures and go back inside.

And on my second visit, I ordered and drank coconut coffee. On my first visit, the 2nd and 3rd floors were full, but on my second visit, the 2nd floor window seats, table seats, and even the 3rd floor seats were almost full, so it seemed like there was no place to sit. Fortunately, there was an empty table seat inside, so I was able to sit there and enjoy my coconut coffee. The coconut coffee was delicious, but personally, I think the rich condensed milk coffee tasted better with the coconut coffee. Anyway, I recommend you visit Ho Chi Minh Cong Cafe, where you can enjoy delicious coffee in a cool cafe with a view of Tan Dinh Cathedral.