Students go to coffee shops at 3am and "camp" overnight to study.

(Dan Tri) - Coffee shops open 24/7 are gradually becoming a familiar "shelter" for students in Ho Chi Minh City during the peak season of homework, projects and exams.

Under the yellow lights and strong smell of coffee, many young people choose to stay up all night to meet the deadline (complete their work on time), regardless of their health and disrupted lifestyle.

When a coffee shop becomes an overnight classroom

Dang Khoa, a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, said his schedule is packed from morning to afternoon. After school, he eats and goes to a coffee shop to do homework from late at night until morning.

Students sit tightly in coffee shops 24/7, working hard on their personal computers to "run deadlines" through the night (Photo: LTT).

Because of studying Graphic Design, the Faculty often has to complete group assignments, requiring a lot of discussion to agree on visual images and workflow.

This requires direct communication with each other instead of doing it individually at home. Therefore, the 24/7 coffee shop becomes the ideal place for the Faculty group to "camp" every project season.

“We chose a shop near the school for convenience, large space, and to be able to talk and work in groups comfortably. The price of a drink is around 35,000-60,000 VND/cup, including the cost of seating, parking, services... which is fine,” Khoa shared.

Not only students majoring in Design, Bich Thuy, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, has also become a regular customer of coffee shops that stay open all night. For her, it is the only option to be able to work in peace.

“I live in a dormitory, and everyone goes to sleep around midnight, so I can’t turn on the lights or type on the keyboard. So I go to a coffee shop to relax and not disturb others,” Thuy said.

Although it was almost morning, a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City was still crowded with young people, including many students (Photo: Phuong Thao).

In the Thu Duc “University Village” area, where many large universities are concentrated, finding a coffee shop that is open 24/7 is not difficult. According to Thuy, the criteria for choosing a shop is having a stable internet connection, many power outlets, enough light and an open space to concentrate.

“Studying at night is much more effective, my mind is alert and I am less distracted,” she added.

The situation of students staying up all night in coffee shops not only happens in schools with creative majors such as Architecture, Fine Arts, and Design, but also spreads to many other majors.

24/7 coffee shops around the dormitory and school areas are always crowded during exam time, making night study almost a habit.

Ms. Thu Trang, owner of a coffee shop in “University Village”, said that during peak season, her shop can welcome more than 100 students each night. Some students come in the evening but others come to the coffee shop at 3-4 am.

“You guys brought your laptops, drew projects, did group assignments… from evening to morning. I felt sorry for you, because everyone was tired but still tried,” Trang shared.

To support customers, Ms. Trang's shop prepares pillows and blankets for students to rest temporarily.

“If you are too sleepy, you can take a nap and then continue studying. It will be much less tiring,” she said.

Some cafes provide pillows, blankets and beanbags so students can take a nap between classes (Photo: Phuong Thao).

The Price of Sleepless Nights

On the positive side, when “running to deadlines” becomes a habit, many students start to pay the price for endless sleepless nights. Thuy admitted that after each time she stayed up all night, she had to sleep until noon the next day to wake up.

“My body was exhausted, my skin was bad, and I ate irregularly. One day I had a headache all day because I drank too much coffee,” she said.

Many groups of students choose coffee shops as a place to discuss and edit group assignments until the next morning (Photo: Phuong Thao).

Dang Khoa was in a similar situation. During the final project, his group barely slept. Every day they stayed at the cafe until 4-5am and then fell asleep during class.

“Staying like that for several weeks made me dizzy, my skin darkened, and I became weak,” Khoa recalled, at the same time realizing the harmful effects of staying up late for long periods of time.

“We are scared now, only when it is close to the deadline do we dare to stay up late. Otherwise, we try to finish early so we don’t have to rush anymore,” he said.

In fact, the 24/24 coffee shop model was born to serve many different groups of people, from office workers, freelancers to students. However, when staying up late is becoming more and more popular among young people, health issues need to be taken into consideration. Because only when students are healthy can they go the long way, instead of collapsing on the race against deadlines.

Phuong Thao

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/sinh-vien-3h-di-ca-phe-cam-trai-xuyen-dem-de-hoc-20251022203450234.htm