The Note Coffee

The Note Coffee is one of Hanoi's most photographed cafés, and its concept is in the name. Every surface of its three floors is covered in colourful sticky notes left by customers, mostly inspirational quotes and reflections on life. Newsweek included it in a list of the world's quirkiest coffee shops, describing the hundreds of handwritten notes that adorn almost every surface.

The café stands at 64 Luong Van Can Street, beside Hoan Kiem Lake, and is easy to spot thanks to its bright red signboard. The upper floors have views over the lake and the pedestrian area that surrounds it, which makes a window seat upstairs the best place to sit. Adding your own message to the walls is part of the experience, and reading what others have written is half the fun.

The signature drink is egg coffee, which Newsweek's write-up described as more delicious than it sounds. The menu also includes fresh juices, smoothies, snacks and sweet cakes, all at modest prices, so it works for a mid-morning break or a light afternoon treat. It is not a specialist coffee shop, and visitors come for the atmosphere as much as the drinks. Anyone curious about how the drink began can compare it with the original at Cafe Giang in the Old Quarter.

The café is listed as open daily from 8am to 10pm. Spread over three floors, it usually has somewhere to sit even when the window seats are taken, which makes it a dependable place to rest between sights around the lake. It suits couples, friends and families with older children, who will enjoy writing a note of their own. If a seat with a view matters to you, arrive earlier in the day, before the café fills up. Allow half an hour to an hour.

Its position beside the lake makes the café a natural stop on a walk between the lake, Ngoc Son Temple and the Old Quarter. Cafe Pho Co, with its rooftop view over the same lake, is another option if you want to compare two very different takes on a Hanoi café with a view.