Saigon’s co-working spaces become new fad for city’s young professionals

Shared offices, more popularly known as co-working spaces, are catching the attention of young office workers, especially freelancers and start-up employees in Ho Chi Minh City.

These young professionals come for the traditional office amenities, such as desks, private meeting rooms, kitchens, and coffee, but stay for the trendy interior designs, laidback atmosphere, and opportunity to mingle and network with like-minded individuals.

Nguyen Thi Cam Hong, the 32-year-old founder of an event planning start-up based in Toong, a co-working space in District 3, was excited to share her experience with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Toong features a ‘park’ with greenery and plants, a skylight, and stone chairs placed under a tree, and a corridor painted to look like the clear blue sky adorned with red bird of paradise flowers.

Each office space is enclosed in transparent glass, giving the entire place a sleek, modern feel.

“Everything is see-through, so people need to learn how to respect each other,” Hong said.

“If we need to hold a meeting, we’ll have an A0 sheet of paper hung on the glass wall as both a door curtain and a projector screen,” she added.

Flexibility

Co-working spaces not only allow for flexibility in location, but also flexibility in working hours.

Toong’s public space is designed as a coffee shop in order to create a more congenial vibe so freelancers can escape the boredom that occasionally accompanies working alone at home.

It also features rectangle and round tables lining the walls near the windows. The entire space is fill with natural light.

For those who need extra space, private offices are also available for rent.

“Workspaces are designed to inspire work, but most importantly, this is where people have the opportunity to connect with others,” said Nguyen Nhu Quynh, a marketer for a livestream application start-up which rents an office room at a co-working space in District 2.

Quynh said that the perk of working in a shared office is that she can choose a different seat and meet new people every day.

“Seeing people walking by and working does not make me feel annoyed. It actually makes me feel more excited to work,” Quynh said.

Likewise, Hong told Tuoi Tre that there are usually social activities planned each week for people to share their own stories and experiences and learn from those around them.

“This workspace also makes me feel more humble because I have the opportunity to meet many successful and experienced people who also work here. It drives me to put more effort into my work,” Hong said.

Hong has also found several partners for her company through connections she’s made at the co-working space.

In addition, co-working spaces do not come with the high costs and commitments of a traditional office lease, an important factor for new businesses just trying to get off the ground.

“Our top priority is to focus on developing our company,” Hong said.

“We do not want to waste a lot of time managing and purchasing equipment.”

“With this office, we not only share space and equipment with other companies, but also knowledge,” she proudly affirmed.

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