American restaurant owner loves Vietnamese culture
Cafe owner Tyler Maurice Kooy, 32 years old, from the US shared: “I first came to Vietnam for tourism in 2016. Initially, I planned to stay here for 6 months to experience the food and culture of this country. But the impressions of this beautiful country kept me staying longer, the taste of street food, coffee shops are wonderful, the local people are kind and hard-working. Up to now, I have lived in Vietnam for nearly 7 years.”
After enjoying Vietnamese coffee, the American quickly fell in love with this drink. Tyler also spent time learning about coffee from familiar shops and Vietnamese friends working in the industry.
“Vietnamese coffee is one of my favorite drinks. I love everything from the coffee grown to the roasting, grinding, and processing,” Tyler shared.
Besides coffee, Tyler is attracted by the architecture of old apartment buildings. He often goes to the coffee shops in these buildings to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere, enjoy the melodious guitar music, and walk in the hallways.
From there, he and his wife, Ms. Uong Thi Phuong Thao (27 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) came up with the idea that if they had the chance, they would open a coffee shop in the old, classic style of Vietnam. Mr. Tyler and Ms. Thao have known each other since 2017, and now they have a son who is almost 2 years old.
Sharing about the process of opening the shop, Ms. Phuong Thao said that the couple had planned for nearly 2 years. “Because of limited finances, but wanting to find a location near the city center for the convenience of customers, I spent a lot of time on rental websites, going back and forth to look everywhere. It took me a few months to find a great location right in the city center, the space is a bit small but located in an old apartment building, exactly what my husband and I expected.”
With many years of experience in the F&B industry, Thao and her husband came up with the ideas for the shop decoration and menu. The couple spent nearly 3 months renovating the shop and preparing everything before opening to welcome customers. The shop's menu includes coffee, smoothies, juices and cocktails.
Ms. Thao said: “It wasn’t too difficult to find this shop. Although the shop is small, it sells a lot of things. However, the items are old from the subsidy period, so the prices are quite expensive and rare. Most of the items are only one-of-a-kind. Before going to see, I often browsed the shop’s website to see which items I liked, but when I got there, they were already sold.”
Ms. Thao said that the ratio of Vietnamese and foreign customers to the restaurant is 50-50. After the Covid-19 pandemic, more tourists visited, most of whom shared that they liked the cozy space of the restaurant as well as the drinks.
Classic space
Miranda Houchens (30 years old, from the US) shared: “I like to sit at the bar to chat with the staff and other guests. This is really a great space to socialize and relax. The old things here are so beautiful, they make me feel like I am back in time. My favorite drink is peach tea.”
Miranda shared that she has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly 6 years and plans to stay in Vietnam as long as possible. The American girl shared: “For me, Ho Chi Minh City is like home. I like living here because of the pleasant climate, kind people, delicious food, ...”
As for Mr. Lac Vu Thien, 28 years old, currently a music teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, the first impression he had of Lost and found was the photos that the owner had arranged in a meaningful and somewhat humorous way. The tables and chairs were in the style of the 1990s and here and there were old items on the shelves, giving him a nostalgic, close and familiar feeling. The lighting here was designed to be moderate and gentle with light bulbs and small, cute conical-shaped lampshades.
Mr. Le Huu Tri, 29 years old, currently an English teacher, shared that he was introduced to the shop by a friend and "immediately fell in love" with the cozy style as well as the cheerful, experienced bartenders. Mr. Tri said that he has been a regular customer of the shop for a long time and will definitely continue to come to the shop for many more years.
Eric Franqui, 34 years old from the US, also praised the shop for its friendliness, comfortable experience and excellent quality of drinks, whether it's cocktails or coffee.
Photo: NVCC
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