Why Not? Coffee

Jun 252014

Why not ..? Coffee
128C Nguyễn Đình Chính
Phú Nhuân District

APRIL 2017 UPDATE: Sadly, we must report that the owner here has closed her cafe and relocated to Nha Trang.

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Why Not Coffee - Saigon A few month back, Hai and I had a need to ship some items back to the San Francisco Bay Area. With all my years living in Saigon, and traveling occasionally back to California, I have somehow always managed to transport things in my checked luggage or by squeezing them into the overhead compartment.

A unique, strong and delicious coffee at Why not ..? Coffee shop – Coffee Beans from Nha Trang !

Not this time! I had lots of HEAVY things (some souvenir tiles) and a couple of BIG pieces.

Why Not ..? Coffee’s special, Cafe Why Not?

Okay, breathe deep … and find a shipping company.

I began doing my classic Google searches; Expats in Ho Chi Minh City reviews; and Another Side of Vietnam postings (I know, I know … no classifieds here). Luckily it was the day of my weekly cafe rendezvous with my friend Rick who offered a winning recommendation.

“I heard vietlinkglobal is good. Never used them, but supposed to be the least expensive”, Rick offered. Inexpensive is good!

Hai and I motobiked down to their office on Thang Long street,Tan Binh District the next day and met an angel. Well, actually, a competent, helpful, supportive , English-speaking service rep — in Vietnam, that’s the same as an angel.

I explained to my shipping angel, Ngan, I’m not sure exactly how much I will ship … depends on the cost, the time … maybe this and that, maybe just this …. blah blah blah. Ngan understood, “Don’t worry, we can do whatever you want … we’ll give you all your options”. Wow!??

Now, my style IS to worry. But Ngan’s confidence and soothing voice assured me. Okay, this time I’m not going to worry.

Ngan directed, “We’ll take some measurements next week and then meet at a little coffee shop I know … we’ll make a plan there on how to proceed”. Well, OK.

Ngan and Joe making our shipping plans over a Cà Phê Sữa Đá (Ngan now at UPS)

But I’ve now droned on too long about a non-food related item. The long story-short, the shipping went well. All the items arrived safely in California and at a very reasonable cost. And Ngan got her reward, not in heaven, but from heaven … almost immediately after she helped me, she landed a new job and a good raise at UPS in Saigon.

But, it’s the coffee shop where we made our shipping plans that I really want to share here. Ngan’s shipping supervisor, Ms. Hong, happened to also be the owner at the little cafe where we met – the Why not ..? Coffee shop.

Ngan & Ms. Hong strategizing on my shipping needs

Why Not Coffee A small, almost tiny, coffee shop, Why not ..? Coffee is homey, cozy, sweet, innocent with some fun “home-made” art on each wall. Only recently opened, Ms. Hong was anxious to get reviews on her art, her coffee, her local pizza and all else on her menu.