A so-called blind dating cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has come under fire for installing a one-way window that allows men to see the girls they are talking to, but not vice-versa.
On June 1st, a blind dating cafe in Ho Chi Minh’s District 1 went viral for a controversial reason. According to multiple reports, Mina Cafe features two different rooms for men and women, separated by a glass wall. The controversy lies in the fact that the wall is advertised as a mirror when in reality it is only a mirror from the women’s side. The men’s room is dark and they can clearly see the person on the other side. Basically, the blind date part is only valid for the women, as the men can freely admire their potential partners like items on display.
Mina Cafe went viral in Vietnam after a popular TikTok user posted a video about it, showcasing the experience from a man’s perspective. Apart from the one-sided window, viewers also criticized the fact that men’s seats are considerably lower than women’s, which some claimed offered a better view of their privates. The fact that only men are required to pay for the various packages offered by the cafe, while the women get free drinks is also considered unfair.
Confronted about the controversial practices, the cafe owner, a woman named Lina, said that they had “created this model to give men the right to proactively pair up. It’s up to women to agree or not.” Shea added that although the cafe’s social media pages had been taken offline because of the recent negative feedback, she had no intention of closing the dating cafe because nothing illegal was going on.
Asked if women are informed about the one-sided window separating their room from that of the men, Lina said that her staff does its best to inform patrons, but they sometimes forget, and some of the girls don’t always understand the situation. Still, she admitted to ignoring the issue until the recent controversy.
Following the general outrage of the public and the extensive media coverage of the scandal, the Mina Blind Date Cafe has become the object of a police investigation.
