Coffee & History in DaNang, Vietnam
This morning on my way to a co-working space that I never found, stumbled across a small coffee shop, Binh’s Caphe, tucked away on a corner off of the busier Pham Van Dong street in DaNang, Vietnam. It was one of one of those magical travel moments, that makes you believe in serendipity and that sometimes the universe just knows what you need. (Roll your eyes if you like, but that’s how I feel)
When I came across Binh’s, I needed coffee. The need to obviate my morning grogginess was so strong that only a few minutes prior, I had contemplated just getting a caffeinated drink at a convenience store. I am glad I waited.
I saw Binh’s. I saw it had coffee, thought it looked “cute,” and that was enough for me. It far exceeded my expectations. Bing, the owner, in excellent English, asked what type I would like. I put in my order for “caphe with milk” and affirmed that iced would be good when he asked. “Ca-phe sua da” would have been the correct way to say it but I get quite self-conscious when trying to use my five newly learned Vietnamese words.
Binh told me that his coffee was very pure and pointed to the station where it is made, explaining the steps of grinding the beans and then putting the grinds into the espresso machine. The station was immaculately clean.
I sat down, connected to the WiFi, and waited for my drink. The caphe did not disappoint. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe coffee well so I will go with this word: excellent. It was refreshing, sweet enough but not too sweet, and the coffee taste was smooth.
Relaxing with Caphe Sua Da, Tea, & To Do List
As I enjoyed my caphe and accompanying tea, a very Vietnamese combination, Binh came over to talk to me. He asked me about where I was from, the purpose of my trip, and showed me a photograph of his other visitors who were from California. He also shared some of his background, he previously worked for the United Nations assist in the development poorer areas from the ground up through provision of education, vocational training, and related infrastructure.
He has been to the United States, both New York City and Washington, DC. I loved the way he described New York: “To see the sky,” he said, “you must go like this” and then he craned his neck up as though attempting to look over the tall buildings. It was not a criticism, merely an observation. He gave New York credit for its park, presumably a reference to Central Park.
Binh is from DaNang so I was interested in his view on all of the building and construction that the city appears to be undergoing at a rapid pace. He expressed a concern over the lack of urban planning for the area. It is growth but without sufficient thought, for example, not enough planning of green spaces, like parks, for people in the city to get a break and enjoy the oxygen from the trees. He described the construction as a flock of birds: as one goes, they all follow, but here, without thinking about where they are going.
Binh with his Exhibition.
Eventually the conversation turned to the exhibition, “Memories: The Two Sides of the War” within the shop. It is a display of communication devices and soldier’s gear from the Vietnam War, some quite rare. The display includes items from the United States, China, and Russia, which is an interesting comparison.
Binh’s wealth of knowledge was a welcome supplement to just looking at the equipment. Without hesitation, he could tick off exact dates and model numbers and explain the function of each piece. For example, he showed me the difference between the US and Russian helmets and explained that all United States soldiers were provided combat helmets but some Vietnamese soldiers had to do without because of financial reasons.
Soviet Equipment. I tried to sound out a few words with what little I know of the cyrillic alphabet.
His method of collecting is unique, he learns about the items first and then goes to look for them.
Used for transmission of clandestine information by the Soviets.
A few items have explanatory hang-tags and there are some general photographs from the Vietnam War among the items, including the iconic “War is Hell” photograph of a young, innocent solider with that phrase across his helmet. But there are no gruesome war photographs and that is intentional. Binh wants to provide an educational display without making anyone feel uncomfortable or pointing fingers.
Very well organized and easy to compare.
If you are in Danang, whether you are staying in the city center or near the beach, I highly recommend that you take your motorbike, cab, or feet over to Binh’s, located at 152 Duong Dinh Nghe Street, Da Nang, Vietnam and enjoy some coffee and history.
Even if you are not in DaNang, procrastinate for a few minutes and take a look at Binh Caphe’s Facebook @binhscaphe where there are more photographs of the Cafe and of the Vietnam War antiques with explanations in English and Vietnamese.
