Students spend millions of dong each month going to coffee shops to study.

What attraction makes students go to coffee shops to study?

Vu Thanh (born in 2003, from Nam Dinh), is a final year student at the Academy of Journalism and Communication. To write his internship and prepare for the graduation certificate exams, Thanh often goes to the coffee shop near his residence 3-4 times a week.

Thanh explained: "When I come here, I am more focused and motivated to study. At home, I am easily distracted by my phone or TV, or feel bored and just want to lie in bed and sleep all day. In addition, the cafe is an open space, seeing everyone focused and working hard also urges me to do my work more effectively."

Phuong Anh (born in 2004, from Ninh Binh) said the reason she came to study at a coffee shop was because she liked the space there. "Besides, I often study on weekends when the school library is not open, so coffee shops are the optimal choice," said the third-year student.

However, Phuong Anh said that sometimes she has to limit this activity because she finds it quite expensive. "The price of drinks is not cheap, sometimes it is equal to the cost of lunch and dinner. The money I spend on going to a coffee shop to study takes up about 10-15% of my parents' monthly budget. I don't make any money yet, so I don't dare spend too much on this," Phuong Anh said.

For Dang Khoi (born in 2005, Hanoi), the reason for going to a coffee shop to study is somewhat different: As a person with a fairly severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Khoi likes to study at home because he needs a private space with silence. However, sometimes Khoi participates in study groups, and is invited by friends to go to coffee shops, especially for subjects that require memorization or difficult exercises. "Studying in groups at a coffee shop, we can easily exchange and supplement each other's knowledge, stimulating creativity, so studying is more effective," Khoi said.

Not a small expense for students

Studying alone or with a group of friends at coffee shops is becoming more and more popular in the lives of Gen Z, especially for students. Whether this activity actually brings good results or not depends on each case, but it is an obvious fact that coffee study sessions consume a large part of students' already limited budgets.

Minh Anh (born in 2003, Hanoi) said that every week, she studies at the cafe 2-3 times. Drinks here range from 45,000 - 65,000 VND/cup, some shops will have higher prices because the space there is dedicated to studying and working. During the peak exam season, the cost of "paying" for Minh Anh's cafe is millions of VND, even higher in exchange for time to concentrate on studying.

This third-year student expressed: “I study and work at the same time, and I have enough income to pay for this. However, in my opinion, students should consider carefully when spending time and money at a coffee shop to get a place to study! Don't do this just to 'catch the trend' or because it's 'chill', to avoid wasting it."

According to Dr. Bui Thi Van, lecturer at the Faculty of International Relations, Academy of Journalism and Communication, studying in a coffee shop can bring certain results if students know how to make reasonable use of this space.

“Some studies show that a flexible, comfortable learning environment can help increase concentration and creativity, especially for those who like innovation in the workspace. For group discussions, coffee shops are also a convenient place to exchange ideas without being constrained like in a traditional library,” said Dr. Bui Thi Van.

However, according to her, if not well controlled, the trend of going to coffee shops to study can become a kind of "waste" because the regular cost of drinks, combined with the risk of losing concentration due to the noisy environment, can reduce learning efficiency. In addition, coffee shops cannot completely replace libraries or classrooms, which provide rich learning resources and suitable space for in-depth research.

Dr. Bui Thi Van believes that Gen Z students have many advantages when accessing technology and modern learning methods, but should not depend on one space (coffee shop), or concentrate their studies at one time (when exams or graduation are near).

To improve learning efficiency, according to this lecturer, you can apply many scientific methods to help optimize memory and concentration such as dividing study time into cycles of 25 minutes of concentration - 5 minutes of rest, helping the brain not to be overloaded.

In addition, to avoid cramming at the last minute, students should manage their time effectively, planning their study schedule by week or month to maintain stability. Finally, take good care of your mental and physical health, because a healthy body and clear mind will help you study more effectively.