What it is
The city's central market since 1914: one covered hall with entrances on all four sides, a working market early in the morning and a crowd from ten until three.
Address: Lê Lợi, Bến Thành Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. About the place, on Wikipedia
Why walk here for the coffee
Everything within a hundred metres of the market's gates is priced and paced for people who are about to leave. Leave by the south-western side, towards Phó Đức Chính and the banking blocks, and the crowd thins within a block — seven minutes gets you clear of it, to a room with air conditioning, which the market does not have. Eat at the market; sit here afterwards.