Travel & Life - April 8, 2018 | 11:01 pm PT

A quirky café for unconventional people

Chill out and be yourself at this chaotic space in southern Vietnam.

The colorful Bohémiens café lies down an ally of Ba Cu Street in Vung Tau.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “bohemian” as “a person (such as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others.”

Bohemians do not want to conform to any establishment of political or social viewpoints. Often thought of as outsiders, Bohemians just want to be treated as creative individuals who lead free and unorthodox lives.

This philosophy has been successfully adopted at a café named Bohémiens in the port city of Vung Tau, southern Vietnam. The coffee shop's chaotic artistic design full of irrelevant elements offers an escape for those who want a place where they can fit in, just the way they are.

The shop captures people's attention with colorful graffiti, different sized chairs and plants growing out of old tires.
The limited space is filled with paintings, pictures and repainted window shutters.
The balcony offers a relaxing atmosphere with green plants enjoying the sunlight.
The second floor is painted yellow and customers can sit on Japanese-style mats around small tables.
The room is filled with items that bring a feeling of nostalgia such as an old sewing machine, an old TV and weighing scales often used by street vendors.
An old transformer also makes up part of the decor.
Bohémiens cafe offer drinks at affordable prices starting from VND15,000 ($0.6).

Ha Thanh