The Running Bean: Ho Chi Minh City Travel Guide

Why go

The Running Bean is a coffee and brunch café on Hồ Tùng Mậu, a few minutes on foot from the riverfront end of Nguyen Hue walking street. From outside you see a tiled wall with the name lit up beside a large “TR” logo. Inside, the room opens up into one of the bigger café spaces in the center.

It is the kind of place you can plan a slow morning around: order coffee, order breakfast, and stay a while.

From our visit

Our editor, Pixer, went in October. The coffee was good, but the breakfast was what made the visit. The full plate came with a sunny-side-up egg, two sausages, bacon, a cup of baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms, sliced avocado and thick slices of sourdough toast.

The atmosphere is lively, with a steady buzz from a full room.

The design has a character of its own. Old red brick walls and tall arches sit beside white beams, big paper lanterns and a long tiled coffee bar with the menu board above it. On our visit the shelves near the counter were dressed with dried flowers, pumpkins and bags of the café’s own coffee.

The space is wide, and plenty of the guests were foreign visitors. If you want an easy, comfortable first breakfast in Saigon, this works well.

Getting there

The branch is at 115 Hồ Tùng Mậu in Sài Gòn Ward, in the old District 1 core. From the Nguyen Hue walking street it is a short walk; from elsewhere in the center, a Grab bike or car is quick.

The Running Bean has more than one branch in the center, including one on Mạc Thị Bưởi. If you want this room, put the full Hồ Tùng Mậu address into your map rather than just the name.

Tips for your visit

Come hungry and come for breakfast. The coffee menu is long, from Vietnamese coffee and egg coffee to cold brew and filter options, so there is something for most tastes.

The café’s Instagram lists daily hours of 7:30am to 10pm at the time of writing. Check before you go, as hours can change.