Tucked in a little alley, away from the madness of Saigon’s District 1, is a lovely cafe, The Princess & The Pea. The place is secluded in a small alley near the bustling corner of Pasteur- Le Thanh Ton. Though quite difficult to find in the midst of a maze of very narrow back streets, getting there is so worth the hunt.

As the name would suggest, the place is a theme-café featuring everything about the fairy tale "Princess & The Pea". Seen as a place for dreamers, young people love to hang around and have an actual feel of the tale. The tales that weave up most of the Vietnamese teens’ childhood are depicted in faux antique paintings along its corridor and staircases. Flowery patterns are all over the curtains, glass jars are filled with cookies, there are bird cages made of copper dangling from the ceiling, and many other bountiful details that lead diners back to the reveries they all once lived.

Once up the stairs, the cafe is cozily divided into three rooms connected by large doors and a low window that almost reaches the floor. Diners can comfortably nestle on the cushions on the floor surrounding the small wooden tables where fresh flowers sit everyday. In the corner is a pile of small mattresses and next to that a small library corner where customers can read by the light of an Aladdin-style lamp. And at the end of the room is another tiny staircase leading to a seemingly forgotten garden, where pink roses charm with the roofs of ${bigcity_Ho_Chi_Minh_City:"Saigon"} in the distance.

This pretty café offers free wifi and power outlets almost at every seat, very convenient for laptop warriors. The café also has a stand-up comedy show every Friday night at 8.30 and cool live music on Wednesdays. No doubt it is a popular place, especially for young people.

The Princess & The Pea café offers a variety of diverse teas such as Oolong, ginger, Tra Rau Bap, lotus tea, and salted lemon, all for reasonable prices (between VND 30,000 to VND 35,000). They also offer an attractive list of Yogurt menu with mixes that include Aloe vera and strawberry. They also serve several fresh fruit juice options such as grape fruit with honey, lemon and ginger, strawberry and passion fruit; plus smoothies, cocktails and mocktails.

Light food such as baked sandwiches with peanut butter or strawberry jam, and fried fish balls, are also available in the menu (VND30,000). Popular desserts offered are chocolate cheese cake (VND35,000) and  Tiramisu (VND40,000).

Overall a nicely done and magical café. To check out Princess & The Pea café, go to 63/85 Pasteur Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.