‘Keep quiet’ cafes generate noisy controversy

At first, the 35-year-old woman from Dong Da district, Hanoi happily complied. But when one of the guests insinuated that she was an "irresponsible parent," Trang angrily defended herself.

"You may have come here to work, but I’m here to relax," Trang said, emphasizing that there is no rule about keeping quiet so others can work when you are at a cafe.

A group of four young people (on the left) maintain distance from other customers studying at a cafe in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, on the afternoon of April 12, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/ Quynh Nguyen

Hoang Lan, 28 and from Cau Giay District, Hanoi used to work with her friends at cafes regularly. But she’s almost given up on such outings as venues have become so crowded over the last two years.

To Lan, whispering in public places felt uncomfortable. If she spoke too loudly, she would immediately notice glares all around. The stares were often implicitly warning Lan’s group to quiet down.

"They are giving themselves the right to ask others to follow their personal wishes, which is too unreasonable and inconvenient," Lan said.

A plethora of posts and videos on social media on this subject have attracted tens of thousands of likes and comments, often expressing frustration with similar situations.

"Instead of going to work-friendly cafes, these people keep coming to crowded spaces and forcing other customers to be quiet so they can focus on work," an online user named Mai Loan commented.

A VnExpress survey recorded that most cafes in central Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are crowded with working customers, mainly from mid-morning to late afternoon. Most of them are students or remote workers.

More Vietnamese are visiting cafes than ever before. The 2023 F&B market report in Vietnam released on March 27, showed that nearly 60% of respondents were willing to spend VND 41,000 ($1.61) or more for a trip to a cafe. The survey said that 42.6% choose to go 1-2 times a month, 30.4% go 1-2 times a week, an increase of nearly 8% compared to 2022, while 6.1% of respondents go daily.

Associate Professor Dr. Le Quy Duc, former deputy head of the Institute of Culture at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said that socializing at cafes has been a part of local Vietnamese culture for ages. Cafes are the nation’s most popular place Vietnamese people like to hold meetings.

"Therefore, asking customers to keep quiet so that some people can focus on working and studying is unreasonable, unrealistic and limits the freedom of others," Duc said.

Associate Professor Dr. Do Minh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Business Culture, also noted that more and more people like to go to cafes to work, and while their requests to have a quiet environment are not exactly "wrong," they necessarily appropriate either.

Authorities have stated that asking others to quiet down is only the right thing to do when the cafe already has a rule about keeping quiet.

Cuong noted the rising trend of remote working especially among young people who prefer freedom and flexibility. Many people want to work in beautifully decorated spaces, dress comfortably, and talk freely instead of going to the office or working at home, which can be cramped and cause distraction. Lastly, a small part of this group are trend chasers, working at cafes because they saw their friends doing the same.

A group of young people gather at a coffee shop in Hanoi's Dong Da district, preparing for their workday, early 2024. Photo by CF Thu Bao

Five times a week, Thanh An, 25 years old, a freelance website and banner designer in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, goes to a coffee shop to work because he feels more focused working there.

Instead of choosing a co-working space, the man went to a normal cafe because he doesn't get charged by the hour for seating. According to An, his only complaint is that the cafe is too crowded and noisy.

When asked about the controversy, An said that everyone is free to talk, but only at a moderate volume. "If they laugh and talk too loudly, or let their children run around everywhere, then other people can’t help but feel uncomfortable," An said.

Admitting that each person has their reasons, Associate Professor Dr. Do Minh Cuong warns that if conflicts are not thoroughly resolved, it could give rise to more frustrations from both sides – and even the cafes themselves might have a hard time with these conflicts.

Thu Ha, 20 years old, a cafe employee in Hanoi's Dong Da district, said that more than 50% of her customers visited her establishment to work, and on average each customer sits for 2-3 hours.

According to Ha, the purpose of her cafe is to create a space for people to interact and listen to vintage music, but many times she has been asked to reduce the music volume and remind surrounding tables to speak softly so that customers can concentrate on work. Ha said she can turn off the music but cannot remind people to keep quiet because the cafe has no such rules.

As for Thu Trang, after being reminded so many times about her noise level, she has developed a dislike towards those who come to cafes to work. The 35-year-old woman swore that she would continue to stand up for herself when asked to keep quiet because she had already spent money for her seat and drinks.

Afraid of conflicts, Hoang Lan plans to go to cafes far from schools and residential areas, willing to go a long distance so she can talk freely and not disturb others.

"If I'm in the inner city, sometimes I have to go to a sidewalk iced tea shop or a park, just so I can freely talk and laugh out loud," the 28-year-old girl said.

A coffee shop on Nguyen Khang Street in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, frequented by young people for long hours of work and study, June 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Nguyen

To avoid awkward situations and create unnecessary conflicts, Associate Professor Dr. Le Quy Duc advises those who want to go out to work find quiet places such as book cafes, and co-working spaces, in order to increase their concentration and avoid distractions.

In addition, Duc said, cafes also need to identify their target customers, so they can establish appropriate rules. If you want both kinds of customers, then a separate space for each customer type should also be an option.

"But in the end, if you choose to work in a public place, you must accept its nature as a shared environment. Others might agree to lower their volume, but it is only out of politeness. If they refuse, then it is their right to do so," Duc concluded.