Young Vietnamese game through the night with strangers at cafes

For the past three months, every week Linh has been visiting coffee shops that host overnight “Werewolf” games with strangers.

In this game, each participant is assigned a role through a card, and players must use reasoning and observation to identify others’ roles.

“Each game takes three to four hours because there are so many players,” Linh says. “I can never get home before 3 a.m.”

A habitué of a 24-hour coffee shop in District 12, HCMC, Hoang Dung, 24, says he was initially shy and awkward but subsequently became very close with everyone. In fact, he has been made game moderator, and his role includes connecting new and old players.

He says sometimes, after starting at 9 p.m., they even play until noon the next day because the game was so engrossing.

“Previously we had to rent a homestay and gather friends to play, which cost about VND300,000 (US$12) a night,” he shares. “Now there are coffee shops allowing us to play and we only have to spend VND50,000 (US$2) on drinks. So it is cheaper and more fun.”

Having moved to HCMC from Hanoi for work, Dung says these nocturnal activities help alleviate his loneliness. Even if he does not join the game, he can go and watch it to relieve stress and chat with strangers.

People participating in a Werewolf game at a coffee shop in Dong Da district, Hanoi, at 12:30 a.m. on July 6, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nga

It is not always Werewolf however: strangers also come to coffee shops to play board games like Monopoly, French board game Small Horses, Uno, and Exploding Kittens.

The trend of playing through the night at coffee shops with strangers has become popular in the past year. On social media, there are dozens of groups dedicated to posting game schedules and names of coffee shops organizing these games, mainly in Hanoi and HCMC. Each group has tens of thousands of members.

VnExpress counted more than 20 cafes in the two cities that combine coffee with board games, with Werewolf remaining the most popular. A session typically starts at 8 p.m. and goes until 1-2 a.m.

Tien Dat, the owner of a coffee shop that hosts Werewolf games in Dong Da, says he has been doing this for two years. This year the number of young people coming to his cafe to play has doubled to an average of 50-70 each night, he says. Some 80% of the customers are aged 18-29.

The game at his place starts at 10 p.m. and goes on until two in the morning. The better the players, the longer the game sessions. There are sessions that last until 10 a.m. the next day sometimes.

“Board games typically require creativity and sharp thinking,” he says. “The more you play Werewolf, the more addictive it becomes. Many customers come every night, eager to solve the mystery and win.”

The manager of a 24-hour cafe in District 10, HCMC, says the place has been hosting games for over a year. Customers usually gather in large numbers from 9 p.m., with around 100 waiting for their turn each night.

There is also a separate place for customers to have coffee, play other games or watch Euro football matches.

Commenting on the issue, Nguyen Viet Chung, a lecturer at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, warns: “These games require high levels of reasoning and concentration, with players often feeling competitive. It can lead to prolonged insomnia.”

He also warns about the risk of getting into gambling.

A Werewolf game in the middle of the night at a coffee shop in Tay Ho district, Hanoi, on July 6. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nga

Ngoc Lan, 21, visited a cafe in HCMC’s District 7 at 10 p.m. one day to play.

She felt isolated amid the crowd and stressed out seeing more than 40 people arguing.

She says though the game seemed lively, it was not until she started playing that she saw unfriendly cliques and old-timers baiting newcomers. As an inexperienced player, she chose to play silently without actively engaging in the discussions and arguments among players.

“I was looked down upon for not reasoning well and for not analyzing logically,” she recounts. “I came to relax and ended up feeling more stressed.”

Thanh An, 22, another young woman in HCMC, discovered that playing in cafes did not suit an introvert like her and says it should be just a one-time experience. Besides having to socialize, she also had to wait a long time for her turn.

“Sometimes, when there were many players, people did not even notice I was there,” she says. “Some even got into loud arguments over the game, which I found boring. Playing with friends is much more comfortable.”