With the Tea Ceremony on the street, Ms. Yen has transformed the solemn traditional rituals into a friendly and intimate experience. Inspired by the beauty of community in Vietnamese tea drinking culture, she has created a "tea ceremony" space that still has a simple, rustic and easy-to-immerse atmosphere. From the menu with tea dishes combined with popular ingredients to the handmade tea making tools, everything exudes the genuine and warm Vietnamese soul.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, Ms. Yen's Street Tea Ceremony appears as a simple but attractive stopover, where tea drinking culture is encapsulated in the intersection between tradition and modernity, between the solemnity of Asian tea ceremony and the close community of Vietnamese people. "While Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies often focus on solemnity and hierarchy through small details such as the size of the tea cup, with the owner's tea cup always placed in the most solemn position. On the contrary, Vietnamese people drink tea without placing too much emphasis on etiquette standards but rather on community, where people can naturally sit together, chat and share," Ms. Yen said.
Enjoy Vietnamese tea culture in the middle of the street from only 5,000 VND
Ms. Yen began her journey of learning about tea in a simple way, self-studying, exploring information from domestic documents until years of studying with a Chinese tea master. From there, she concluded that Vietnamese tea is not just a drink but a sharing, a way to connect people. That is why, when opening a tea ceremony shop on the street, she did not aim for solemnity but wanted to turn tea into a part of everyday life. For her, the "way" in "tea ceremony" is not a ritual but an exchange.
Vietnamese tea culture
Vietnamese tea drinking culture has long been associated with the image of the mat, regardless of the high and low, and without emphasizing the main tea cup or the side tea cup. Vietnamese people enjoy tea together, inviting each other to a cup of tea as a way to connect and erase all distances. This spirit has been recreated by Ms. Yen at "Tea Ceremony in the Street", a space where everyone who comes here can feel peaceful and familiar.
The tea shop is decorated in a simple and intimate way.
At Yen's shop, there are no strict rules, no distinction between seats or teacups. Each cup of tea is like an invitation to connect. Customers come here not only to enjoy drinks but also to chat, watch people passing by, temporarily forgetting the worries of daily life. Next to the teacups are small cakes, peanut candies or hand-painted paintings drawn by tea drinkers themselves and given to the shop, all creating a truly Vietnamese atmosphere.
The painting the tea drinker drew for Ms. Yen
The intersection of tradition and modernity
The menu of Tra Dao ra pho is unique, reflecting Yen's creative spirit in blending the characteristics of Vietnamese tea with simple, familiar ingredients. In the "Tra Hoa Hop" section, there are special teas mixed with familiar agricultural products such as passion fruit, mulberry or kumquat. Yen also cleverly named a drink: "che chit", which also means astringent tea. These small details all show her deep love for Vietnamese products and culture.
Teahouse menu on the street with creative yet familiar drinks
The tea ingredients here are all carefully selected from famous tea regions in Vietnam such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Yen Bai - highland areas with ideal climate and geology, which have nurtured special teas such as Shan Tuyet tea, Midland tea, and Oolong tea.
Shan Tuyet tea is an ancient tea that grows naturally in high mountainous areas with cold climates, especially in Ha Giang and Yen Bai. Shan Tuyet tea has large leaves and buds covered with a layer of white fluff like snow, creating a rich and refreshing flavor. Midland tea is mainly grown in midland and delta regions such as Phu Tho and Thai Nguyen. This type of tea has a slightly astringent taste, is easy to drink, and is popular in Northern Vietnam. In Vietnam, oolong tea is mainly grown in the Southern highlands and Central Highlands such as Lam Dong and Bao Loc, where the climate and soil conditions are similar to Taiwan - where oolong tea is very developed.
Handmade tea making tools
Made in Vietnam
Not only focusing on the quality of tea, Ms. Yen also invests in handmade tea making tools, to support and honor small-scale craftsmen in Vietnam. From teapots, tea cups to tea trays, all are products of local artisans, bearing a simple, rustic yet sophisticated style. These tools have contributed to making the space of the Tea Ceremony shop on the street unique, both traditional and modern.
Every little detail in the shop has a special meaning, showing Ms. Yen's meticulous care in creating a new tea space but still imbued with Vietnamese spirit. From the hand-designed menu, meticulously hand-written each tea dish, to the tea tray and teacups, all bring a feeling of closeness and familiarity.
Meeting place
For Ms. Yen, the tea ceremony is not a solemn ritual but a way to communicate and connect people with each other. In the Tea Ceremony on the Street, tea is a bridge for strangers to become close, a place where every story, every smile can start from a cup of tea. Here, things that were once considered solemn and standard have become closer, more popular, and become a part of daily life.
Every visit to the shop is an interesting cultural experience. In each cup of tea that Ms. Yen prepares, the drinker can easily feel her appreciation of culture and love for the art of Vietnamese tea. Each sip, combined with the fresh air and peaceful scenery, brings a sense of the ancient beauty of Vietnamese culture. This is a place where people can enjoy tea in the most natural way, without restrictions, without stereotypes, only the connection between people who share the same passion.
