The newly opened cafe at 17 Than Van Nhiet Street stands out with its recycling of items that are typically dumped. It “litters” its 260 square meter area with recycled trash.
Its owner Nguyen Van Tho used to be a tour guide and traveled to many places in Vietnam. He saw litter everywhere, especially plastic waste, so he thought of a way to reduce waste in the environment and contribute to the community. "That’s how this coffee shop came about,” he said.
Work on the cafe took three months to complete. At its entrance are tables and chairs made of car tires, with dragonflies made of plastic bottles hovering above them.
Behind the entrance is a small space whose ceiling is made up of nearly 2,500 green plastic bottles.
Tho said all the plastic bottles are donated by locals. Their donations included many other items like shoes, water bottles, window frames and tires.
Two colorful discarded wooden door panels support shoes that have been converted into plant holders.
An old and damaged motorcycle supports a window frame and becomes a coffee table.
"Each item in the cafe is unique in shape. You cannot find a second one that is similar," Tho said.
The space inside is quite comfortable and colorful. The walls are decorated with newspaper and the ceiling lights are made with discarded plastic. Old sewing machines are used in full as tables.
Apart from plastic items, the materials used most in the care are old car and motorcycle tires.
A bright painting on the wall shows a sea turtle eating a plastic bag. It serves to promote awareness of and action against pollution of the marine environment.
A large table that can seat many people at the same time has been assembled with old sewing machines.
This table has been made from an old tricycle with its cargo space used to host green plants. Old tires are used for stool seats and as a frame for the mirror on the wall.
In its small outdoor space, a “playground” uses toilet seats, bathtubs and plastic buckets as furniture.
"This is the second time I've been to this cafe and what I like most is sitting in the outdoor. Every recycled item here is unique, helping me to realize that waste can be very useful if we use them properly," said An Nguyen, a customer.
