Review: Tubo – Milk tea shop rebuilt from scratch in the middle of Sóc Sơn urban area

If you love milk tea and often visit the Sóc Sơn urban area, you’ve probably heard of Tubo – one of the most popular milk tea shops in this busy food complex. Tubo used to be known for its big, open space with three floors, each nicely decorated. I reviewed it many times before because it used to be one of my favorite spots.

Recently, when I came back, I was surprised to see the whole shop was torn down and rebuilt. It was a bold move because the old version was already good. According to a staff member, the owner wanted to refresh the vibe and make it more vintage-style. I’ve only tried the first floor, so this review will focus on the space and drinks downstairs. I heard floors 2 and 3 are also interesting. I’ll check them out next time.

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The first floor of Tubo is decorated in a vintage and nostalgic style. The main color is warm yellow, with soft lighting that gives a cozy feel. What stands out are the many Vietnamese flags, pictures of Uncle Ho, and old-style posters. These details remind people of Vietnam’s history.

The floor is covered in small stones, and the wooden tables and chairs look simple but nice. You can tell the owner spent a lot of effort on this renovation. Still, as someone who liked the old version, I must say I don’t see a big difference. The previous Tubo already had its own style and good space. So I feel a little sad that the three old floors were all torn down.

Drink menu – clearly divided, more variety than before

The new menu at Tubo is more detailed and interesting than the old one, which used to be very basic. It’s divided into:

• Strong flavor milk tea
• Modern milk tea
• Fruit tea
• “Wake-up” drinks (coffee, bạc xỉu, strong tea...)
• Seasonal smoothies and drinks

The strong flavor milk tea seems to be their highlight. Some drinks in this group include:

• Shan tuyet tea (with egg cream and cheese cream)
• Traditional oolong tea
• Roasted rice tea (oolong Bao Loc + roasted rice)
• Jasmine milk tea (oolong + jasmine flowers)
• Orchid oolong tea

I ordered the coconut matcha drink – it’s the shop’s bestseller and a favorite among many because it’s healthy. The bottom layer is naturally sweet coconut water, topped with a rich, fragrant layer of matcha. Stir it up before drinking, and it tastes amazing!

On the other hand, the modern milk tea group is more fun and suitable for younger people. They have drinks like taro milk tea, chocolate, matcha, pudding, and some creative mixes like matcha choco velvet.

If you like fruit tea, there are many options too: mulberry tea, mango-passionfruit tea, lychee jelly tea, soursop tea, peach tea, etc. I didn’t try them this time, but they sound good and I’ll try more next time.

There are also wake-up drinks like coconut coffee, bạc xỉu, strong black tea, and salty cream coffee.

Tubo offers a wide variety of toppings, more than many other milk tea places in the area:

• White, black, and oolong pearls
• Salted cream
• Baked egg cream
• Apple jelly
• Pudding
• Lychee jelly, peach jelly
• Red beans, green tea jelly...

But the price is 8,000đ to 10,000đ per topping, which is higher than usual (most places charge 5,000đ to 6,000đ). I think Tubo is aiming at higher-end customers who are willing to pay more to try new and special toppings.

After the rebuild, Tubo still holds its place as one of the top milk tea spots in Sóc Sơn. The vintage-style first floor is well-designed, with a mix of old and new. The drink menu is clearer now, and the toppings are creative.

But for me – someone who really liked the old Tubo – I still feel a bit disappointed. The new space is nice, but not different enough to feel exciting. The drink I tried wasn’t very special either. Still, I believe there are other good drinks on the menu worth exploring.

Have you tried the new Tubo yet? If you found a really good drink there, let me know so I can try it next time!

📸 Review, content, picture by me @a-alice. Thanks for reading!😁