Place your heart in “Green Field”

      “Once there were green fields, kissed by the sun. Once there were valleys, where rivers used to run. Once there were blue skies, with white clouds high above. Once they were part of an everlasting love...”
The ballad Green Fields sounds in my brain as I head to Mien Dong Thao (Green Field) Coffee Shop on the advice of a friend to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
Located in HCMC’s Phu Nhuan district, the moderate-scale coffee shop is surrounded by high walls, though it is well-lit, to keep it from the busy life outside and the noise of the trains that pass by.
Stepping through a small wooden gate under a stone-like dome, I was welcomed by flowers and a cozy green space that included a lovely man-made stream which nearly divides the shop into two halves of a small “stone castle”. Both the small stone building on one side and the wood structure leading to the end of the shop on the other side are decorated with many kinds of creeper.
The shop is designed for both privacy and for harmony with nature. The left half offers comfortable window seating and air conditioning and the right half offers more informal lounging in the open air. Background music includes soft melodies and classics performed by well-known Vietnamese and foreign singers, according to customer requests.
Mien Dong Thao, open from 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., serves most kinds of popular drinks from coffee and cocoa to ice creams and cocktails. Seasonal fruit juices and French coffees start at VND29,000 (US$1.6). The shop also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, Vietnamese and Western cuisines, with prices from VND20,000 (US$1.1) for a salad to VND58,000 (US$3.2) for other food including rice and noodles.
If you like avoiding crowds, visit the shop before 9 a.m. or after 1.p.m. or you will find yourself among a lot of others who, like I do, want to hide from the busy city life at 221A Nguyen Trong Tuyen street, Phu Nhuan district. You can dial (08) 62782208 or (08) 38451357 for reservations.