Teahouse Birds

Filed in archive A World Away on July 23, 2007

Located down a tiny alley off the tourist area of Saigon's Pham Ngu Lao Street is a café catering to a unique clientèle. Amidst the brashness and commercialism of the tourist trade, one can hear the chirping of birds. Follow it, and there is a nondescript teahouse where locals congregate, birdcages in hand, to enjoy the morning.

Though mainly a tradition held by older men, youth, or at least middle age, is represented at this café. Stopping in for a quick pot of tea will give you a chance to see some local culture smack in the middle of tourist central.

This practice of bringing you pet birds to the teahouse is also popular in China, especially Hong Kong. Fearing that the close contact between humans and birds might cause a mutation in the deadly avian flu, several songbird cafes and shops have been closed down. To the best of my knowledge, the Vietnamese teahouse mentioned above remains open.