Cafe decorated with ancient stone items

A cafe uses hundreds of ancient stone slabs and household items for decoration, furniture, and pathways, offering guests a unique experience.

The cafe in Tam Thanh ward, Lang Son province, features decorations of various stone, wood, and bonsai trees. It opened in 2005, moved to its current location, and was redesigned in 2024.

Owner Tran Lenh Chi, 47 years old, specializes in wooden house construction and landscaping. He designed the cafe based on the indigenous culture of northern mountainous ethnic groups. The establishment incorporates stone materials and displays various agricultural tools. Chi lived for many years studying the culture and customs of highland people. Through the cafe's space, he aims to create a place for guests to "slow down," preserving nostalgic dreams and old values amidst modern life.

Chi stated that he and his friends collected the displayed items from the villages of the Tay, Nung, Dao, and Mong people in Lang Son and some neighboring provinces. These are household items and agricultural tools like stilt house steps, buffalo shed steps, stone presses, grinding mills, and water tanks that local residents discarded when demolishing old homes for new construction. His team restored and repurposed these items for use in the cafe.

The cafe spans approximately 1,500 square meters, divided into two areas with both indoor and outdoor seating. The interior offers a quiet, distinct atmosphere. Pathways within the premises are paved with repurposed grinding millstones, once used for corn and grain. The abundant greenery keeps the cafe cool in summer, while fireplaces provide warmth and cozy seating during winter.

{"caption_all":"Animal feeding troughs, large manual grinding mills with wooden trays catching ground grains, flowing into collection basins and the end of the trough (from left to right). Chi said that the large grinding mills (center image) were for professional use or for large families. The items used in the cafe are for both decoration and as stone steps paving the courtyard. From his research and practical experience interacting with locals, he stated that these items are several decades to over a hundred years old. "For example, a millstone with external carvings might be about 30 years old, while internal wear marks indicate 70 years or more," Chi explained.","caption_items":"["","",""]"}

{"caption_all":"A farmer's sugarcane press consists of a stone base and a nghien wood shaft. At the cafe, the stone base is used as a table, and the wooden shaft for decoration.","caption_items":"["",""]"}

The cafe is named "Ke." "This word does not imply giving up," Chi said. "I want to have moments of peace, drink a cup of coffee, and set aside today's worries to start tomorrow with more excitement."

The cafe serves a variety of drinks, from machine-brewed coffee to fresh fruit juices, ice cream, and pastries. Prices range from 35,000 dong to 55,000 dong.

On Google Review, the cafe received 4.7 stars. Phuong Trinh, from Lang Son, gave maximum points for the ambiance after visiting, but rated the food, drinks, and service as average, stating "the staff were a bit cold."