Hillside Da Lat cafe serves coffee with a vista twist

Located six kilometers from the famous Xuan Huong Lake, the Chenh Café in the Central Highlands town is built mostly with wood, giving it a rustic, homely feel that makes it blend well with the natural beauty around it. It has a ground floor, a mezannine and a rooftop.

The wooden counters, stools and other furniture as well as the soft lighting create a welcoming, nostalgic feel.

The usual cafe favorites of Vietnamese iced coffee and ca phe sua da (iced milk coffee) ensure that the attractive aroma of coffee pervades the shop, and this can be spiced up at the counter by the interesting anecdotes the owner can share with customers.

Old style benches, chairs and bookshelves reinforce the nostalgic ambience that the owner has sought to create. It is not unusual that a few customers come here to hang out and play their guitars.

After climbing a creaky staircase, customers can enjoy sitting on the porch with tree logs as tables. This is a great spot from which to look out on Da Lat’s verdant, hilly landscape.

The rooftop is the pride of the cafe and an obvious customer favorite. The wooden floor and the tall pines around add to its old world charm.

In the early morning, the rooftop is a perfect spot to watch the hills covered with clouds over which the sun rises.
For the most beautiful photos, the ideal lighting happens between 4-6 a.m.

A greenhouse on the hillside. Despite standing next to the Lights Valley, the cafe faces the other way, and is not as lit up and bright at night as one would expect.

However, the views of the rural-urban sprawl, hills, clear blue skies or skies painted with sunset colors make this cafe a unique establishment in Da Lat.
No wonder that Da Lat youth like to gather at the cafe on winter afternoons, drinking hot tea or coffee and enjoy soft, mood-making melodies.