Saigon bubble tea shop goes to hell

A group of customers chill in a corner of the bubble tea shop, paying no heed to a grisly painting on the wall or the fake, chopped hands and legs that hang from the ceiling. 

The unnamed bubble tea shop stands on Nguyen Kiem Street in Saigon’s Phu Nhuan District. 

Customers chat and enjoy their drinks in a dark room lit in blue, with tombs painted on its walls.

The shop has three floors, each 70 square meters. Each one has different macabre theme.

"I've always liked watching horror films and playing horror games since I was young. I used to be an actor and took part in some horror plays in the past too. After three years of thinking it over and raising money, I decided to open a horror-themed bubble tea shop," said 25-year-old shop owner Khanh Hoang.

A customer studies a mannequin dressed in white, hanging from its own hair.

Hoang said it cost him VND500 million ($21,500) and a month to bring the grisly artworks and mannequins "to life." 

"I wanted the horror theme to be just enough [not too scary but not too bland], with simple decorations and related to Eastern spiritualistic culture," he added.

Amongst all the horror, a talisman is pasted onto a wall for luck.

Eerie music played in the shop adds to the ghoulish ambience.

"I was curious so I brought my friends with me. When we got in, we were a bit spooked when the music came on, like when you walk into a horror house. It's quite a fun experience," said Danh Hao, a customer from Saigon's District 6.

A couple sit at a table designed like a tomb.

A man sits by a tea table designed like an altar.

A painting of a tombstone on a wall.

A shop employee carries a drink tray embellished with chopped hands.

A drink is served in a mug designed like a melting human skull.

The shop, open from 10am to 10pm, receives approximately 200 customers daily.