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Tuesday, November 14, 2023

The Note Coffee - Post It Love: One of 50 Most Instagrammable Cafes in the World @ Hanoi Old Quarter in Vietnam

When I was researching a bit before my Hanoi trip, on eateries around Bonsella Hotel, I chanced upon the The Note Coffee cafe, which was featured on the list of  "The 50 Most Instagrammable Cafes In The World"; ranked 5th! 

Since it was just about 200 meters from our hotel, and there were some time to spare before the group met up, the Greatest Kon, Lock and I decided to check it out! From far, I bet one wouldn't assume much of this cafe. 

Step closer to be blown away by the millions of post it notes stuck to the walls, the doors, the windows etc! They were like all over the place, and could appear extremely messy in the eyes of a person with severe OCD. 

Just in case you are thinking it was just a gimmick and the operator would simply paste the post it notes for no reason; each of them had a handwritten message from customers all over the world. 

Down here, you can people watch while sipping your cup of hot coffee, and ponder about life in general. With our minds being so high strung (with work, with family, with social media), I wonder if we could really just slow down and see the world go by. 

Before any exploration, get yourself some food and drinks from the counter on the ground floor. I was still full and could only stomach some drinks! 

Let's proceed up! The staircases in Vietnam can be so unsafe; how would an elderly person be able to navigate up and down without a handrail by the side?! Thankfully, I am still able at this moment.

Walls covered with post it notes! Question: how did they paste the note all the way up there?! I doubt someone would purposely jump up on a staircase as that's so dangerous! Oh well, I was pretty brainless when it comes to safety when I was a teen.

The second floor that felt claustrophobic as it had a lower ceiling. My aim was to go all the way to the top so that I can have a window seat with views for some time-lapsed videos. 

Third floor. 

Again, how tall do you need to be in order to stick those post it notes on the ceiling! Being short, I guess I am happy just sticking the post it note nearer to the floor. 

Fourth floor which was slightly more spacious and had numerous windows looking out to the streets surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake

There was a higher level but it appeared to be reserved only for larger groups. As there were just three of us, I guess we had to make to do with level four. 

View from our level. You can see the shark jaws building from the picture on the topmost, whereas the bottom picture shows the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake. Click here to read more about the legend! 

Remember - the motto of The Note Coffee cafe is "Post It Love", which means post its are literally everywhere within the cafe. Do keep in mind I mentioned 'within' as anything outside would likely be considered as vandalism! At least it is in Singapore!  

Even this plant sticking out from the planter box wasn't spared. However, doubt the notes can survive the occasional wind and rain. 

Some were in the design of long trains from the ceiling. Disadvantage with that is that someone would eventually get irritated with the notes and remove the whole train! 

Although the colorful notes looked pretty when we were inside the cafe, the backing of the notes would be the ones you see from the outside. And it was white backing. Therefore, do step in and be overwhelmed by squares and squares of post it notes.

Would you care to read all the handwritten messages on the post it notes? I think it would be so romantic if a couple wrote and pasted a note and eventually found it ten, twenty years later! 

Now my turn to write; for the empty post it notes, you can usually find them in boxes placed on tables. If there isn't any, just get from one of the service staff members. I wonder if people would be so stingy as to grab a ton to bring home. I am stingy but not to that extent. Plus, I have horrible handwriting! 

In case you are wondering whether it is 3M post it notes, the ones provided at The Note Coffee were exclusive, and had from, to and date. I jotted something but can't remember what I wrote! Don't ask me where I pasted it.

Typical post it notes had just a sticky strip at the back whereas the ones at The Note Coffee had literally sticker backing! That's the reason why you don't see most of them fluttering. 

My drink; likely coffee. 

Don't stick your stickers at "high touch" surfaces. As you can see, they don't last well. Speaking of which, would these be an issue during COVID times, when many people were obsessed with virus that stays on surfaces? 

Whatever the case, it's time to leave.

Video time! 

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Address
64 P. Lương Văn Can, Hàng Trống, 
 Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam 

 Map
As above.


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