Long Coffee — wooden chairs, the aroma of phin-dripped coffee, and an unchanging corner of Hải Châu

There are cafés you visit to take photos. And there are cafés you visit just to… sit. Long Coffee at 123 Le Loi is the second kind — a street corner in Hai Chau where every morning people pull their chairs up close together, and nobody is in a hurry. The first time I pushed the door open, I hesitated a little: in a city where every café races to have air conditioning, warm yellow lights, and lo-fi music, this place goes almost the opposite way. All wooden tables and chairs, no air conditioning, no music. A few low stools, some simple wooden tables, with strangers sitting right next to regulars. The only "noise" is the clink of spoons stirring glasses, the sound of Da Nang locals greeting one another, and the aroma of roasted coffee clinging to the air from early morning. Order a glass of iced black coffee. The coffee here is roasted right on-site and then brewed with a phin filter — not the quick machine-brewed kind, but the kind where you have to sit and wait for every single drop to fall. Bold flavor, distinctly bitter, with a faintly smoky, slightly burnt finish – very much the "style" of old-time Central Vietnam coffee. If you're not used to bitterness, order it iced with milk instead; it's creamy and gently sweet. The price is only about 10,000 – 30,000 VND per glass — so cheap that I had to ask again. I have to be upfront about one thing so you don't get the wrong expectations: this is a coffee-only café, with no desserts or pastries worth mentioning. And strangely enough, it's exactly that "lack" that gives it its own unique character. With no side dishes to hold on to, you're left with just your cup of coffee, a wooden chair, and your own quiet moment. People come here for the coffee, and out of habit. And that habit has lasted for more than 40 years. Long Coffee was founded in the early 1980s, when its owner — Mr. Đỗ Long, formerly a teacher — left teaching to take up the craft of roasting and grinding coffee. From a few small tables at 123 Le Loi, the name "Long" gradually became a familiar brand for the people of Da Nang, and then went on to open many more locations. But the original shop on Le Loi Street has barely changed — still the same stools, still the phin filters, still packed with customers every day. In the middle of this year, Mr. Đỗ Long passed away at the age of 70 (at the end of July 2026). In the days that followed, many people stopped by 123 Lê Lợi — not just to have a drink, but to remember him. I think that is the most beautiful way to pay tribute to someone who built nearly four decades of habits for an entire corner of the city: people still pull up a chair and sit down, the coffee still drips drop by drop, and the old ways are still carried on. A heritage that isn't found in a museum, but in the morning cup of coffee of the people of Da Nang. Who is it for? If you love strong, old-style phin-filtered coffee, prefer watching the rhythm of local life over "living for the 'gram", or simply want a seat that's truly cheap and truly authentic — then this is your place. On the other hand, if you need ice-cold air conditioning, power outlets, strong wifi and a pretty corner for taking photos, you might find it… a bit too simple. Tips for visiting: - Address: 123 Le Loi, Hai Chau, Da Nang. - Opening hours: around 05:00 – 19:00 (best to go in the morning; hours may change). - Price: ~10,000 – 30,000 VND/cup. - Try ordering: iced black coffee or iced milk coffee — the two classic "signatures." - Travel light: don't expect food on the side; just treat it as an excuse to slow down a little. Da Nang has countless beautiful cafés. But if you want to find a cup of coffee that still holds the taste of time, just head to the corner of Lê Lợi and pull up a wooden chair.