My Trip to Saigon: Adorable Vietnamese Girl at Highlands Coffee

As I sat at Highlands Coffee with the best ever iced Vietnamese Coffee, my day dreaming was interrupted by a little girl in the next table who accidentally splashed orange juice on me as she was playing with her straw. I didn’t notice the child before that, but she was just a living doll in her puff sleeved floral dress.  She also had a very distinctly Vietnamese look from images I have seen on television and in the movies.

The pretty tot had a striking resemblance to a relative of mine who is about the same age. I was amazed at how she has the exact same expression as well.  (I believe we all have a double somewhere in the world. I once saw a Chinese Suri Cruise in Singapore.)

photo by bookjunkie

The little girl’s mum looked really young, fashionable and barely out of her teens. In fact her grandmother looked very young as well.  We witnessed how the child was kissed and hugged unlike what I recently saw in Singapore – a mother screaming and slapping her boys in public (at a shopping centre in Yishun) and they responded in aggression as well. I find this really bad and so my spirits are cheered when I see children treated lovingly – as they should be.

photo by bookjunkie

This was my second visit to a branch of Highlands Coffee and I wish we had a branch in Singapore. I later discovered that it’s not the best cafe in terms of service and that there are better ones like Trung Nguyen. But I hardly noticed that and enjoyed my Vietnamese coffee so much. It was not too strong like the one I had at the Sheraton hotel, and was just perfect. The portion was very little though. Just half the glass is filled and you’re left hankering for another.

photo by bookjunkie

I made a mistake and ordered a coffee freeze which was not as good – just espresso with loads of whipped cream in it.

photo by bookjunkie

I did enjoy my chicken baguette which was yummy.  I noticed that the chicken in Vietnam was always fresh and tender.

photo by bookjunkie

There was no indoor seating area at this branch of Highlands Coffee which was across the road from the swanky Park Hyatt, but due to the fans and tenting it was cool enough to sit and relax.

photo by bookjunkie

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
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11 Responses to My Trip to Saigon: Adorable Vietnamese Girl at Highlands Coffee

  1. 365days2play says:

    Cool!! I was just thinking whether to go on a short trip somewhere. Now I feel like going to Vietnam too!

    • bookjunkie says:

      I would definitely recommend it. It’s barely 2 hours away from Singapore – i think it was just 1.5 hours. The plane seems to be landing soon after take off. I preferred Vietnam over my Asian trips to Kerala, Hong Kong, KL, Bintan and Bangkok. The only downside is the pollution due to the throngs of motorbikes, but a short trip is worth it.

  2. i’m glad you like visiting vietnam! i wish i was as close to the country as you are so i can always visit. 🙂

    and i agree about the pollution. it is one of the biggest problems in vietnam and it’s not going to go away any time soon. sigh.

  3. moonberry says:

    Ugh. Damn. I had already begun salivating upon seeing your photo of chicken bahn mi, only to realize a second too late that this is in Saigon. :'( Arrrghhh! (Note to self: Must find bahn mi in SG asap.)

    • bookjunkie says:

      The closest I have come to is the Viet Cafe at VivoCity but the chicken is just not as tender and fresh. Please tell me if you find a better place. I am now craving for it as well.

  4. Lady J says:

    Hi bookjunkie, I thought I recalled seeing a Highlands Coffee here in Singapore at Liang Court. I could be wrong, but it sold Vietnamese coffee… 🙂

    • bookjunkie says:

      It’s Trung Nguyen at Liang Court, which is supposed to be even better quality than Highlands according to some websites. I must check it out again one day, although I did love the Highlands iced coffee which was just nice and not too strong.

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