Hanoi coffee shops overloaded after on-site dining ban lifted

Motorbikes are parked in front of a coffee shop on Nguyen Dinh Thi Street in Tay Ho District.
Hanoi allowed restaurants and other food and beverage establishments, except businesses that sell alcohol and beer to offer on-site dining services since Oct. 14 as part of its roadmap to relax Covid restrictions.

Most tables inside a coffee shop in Cau Giay District are occupied, with customers failing to wear face masks.

The second floor space of a cafe on Trich Sai Street in Tay Ho District is filled with customers.
Owners and their employees must be fully vaccinated, and their customers medically declare themselves via QR code before entering coffee shops.

Viet Ha, an office employee living in Dong Da District, said she looks forward to the lifting of the on-site dining ban so she could enjoy a comfortable, free and creative working space.
"I have the habit of working at a coffee shop, at least 2-4 hours, sometimes for a whole day," Ha said.

"I feel happy being back at work after several months of strict social distancing measures. Due to a large number of customers flocking to the cafe, we had to thrice show customers away," said Mai Thi Nhu Quynh while cleaning up a table last weekend.

A group of young girls look for a coffee shop near the West Lake, a popular hangout spot surrounded by cafes and restaurants.

Customers sit along a sidewalk on Trich Sai Street.
Hanoi has recorded over 4,300 cases during the fourth coronavirus wave that began in late April. The capital is now classified at low Covid risk.