Bong Coffee – Funny Shop Name!

It’s time for funny translations that don’t quite make sense, or are really funny in English time! And this one is called Bong Coffee!

Who doesn’t love a great bong, I mean coffee? And why not combine both for some bong coffee? Where you could stay awake and get high at the same time! Now that’s just frickin silly.

Well, there are craploads of great coffee in Vietnam, and I’ve sampled litres of ‘start you bastard’ wake yourself up real quick caffeine from the countless coffee shops that are all around the place. Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest producers of the stuff, and you’ve probably sipped a brew or two during your travels.

But this coffee shop has a rather amusing English sounding name. It probably means nothing much or completely benign in Vietnamese, but if you’re a native English speaker and see this…

The Bong Coffee Shop!

You’d probably think that you’ve been teleported from from Hanoi to Amsterdam, or have been unwittingly cast as an extra in a Cheech and Chong, or Harold and Kumar movie set!

Anyway, my sis spotted this little piece of gold and decided it was worth sending to me to feature on this silly website. Just so this can clog up another little piece of the internet!

I’ve come across some funny bong-related photos in the past, such as the Bong Collection shop in Indonesia, and Doctor Bong from South Korea. Bong means ‘king’ in Chinese and since China is right next door, this piece of vernacular may have come across the border to infiltrate the local language.

Actually, the world ‘bóng’ can mean that rather boring ‘ball’. But I’m no Vietnamese expert so don’t ever take my word for it!

If you’re after a real bong, check out the Cannabis Starter Kit from Amsterdam, and the Green Grass from Nimbin. If you’re after a coffee, maybe check out:

• Tea mixed with coffee in Singapore
• The funny wi-fi password at the coffee shop
• The Drink Coffee Sign
• The bizarre Cafe Diana in London
• Coffee with legs in Chile
• Coffee from cat poo
• The Best Bar in Bangkok.