Most visitors search for a Saigon bar and end up on Bui Vien Street. Bui Vien is loud, cheap and fun for one night, but it is only one small corner of the city’s nightlife. Ho Chi Minh City has jazz rooms, whisky bars, wine bars, hotel classics, Japanese alleys, Vietnamese nhậu halls and neighborhood bar streets where locals and expats actually spend their evenings. This guide sorts the Saigon bar scene by area and by mood, so each night out matches the crowd it is looking for.
Table of Contents
- A Short History of the Saigon Bar Scene
- Types of Saigon Bar
- Saigon Bar Neighborhoods
- Jazz Bars in Saigon
- Pasteur Street Girls Bars
- Vietnamese Nhậu Bars
- Trendy Saigon Bars Right Now
- Classic Cocktail Bars in Saigon
- Wine Bars in Saigon
- Saigon Bar FAQ
A Short History of the Saigon Bar Scene
Saigon has been a nightlife city for more than a century. In the French colonial era, the cafés and hotel terraces around Rue Catinat, today’s Đồng Khởi Street in District 1, were the center of evening social life.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Tự Do Street (the same street, renamed) was lined with bars serving journalists, diplomats and soldiers. The Continental, Caravelle and Rex hotels became famous meeting points, and the Rex rooftop hosted the daily US military press briefings known as the “Five O’Clock Follies.”
After 1975 the bar scene went quiet for more than a decade. Economic reforms in the late 1980s reopened the city, and by the 1990s new bars, clubs and backpacker streets were appearing again. Today Ho Chi Minh City has one of the most varied bar scenes in Southeast Asia, from rooftop hotel bars to speakeasies hidden in old apartment blocks.
Types of Saigon Bar
Ho Chi Minh City has six main types of bar, and each one draws a different crowd.
- Classic cocktail bars serve well-made cocktails and spirits in a quiet setting, mostly in District 1 and hotel lobbies.
- Hype and party bars play DJ sets, fill up after 10 p.m. and attract Saigon’s young, fashionable crowd.
- Vietnamese nhậu bars are loud, beer-focused drinking halls where groups share grilled snacks and toast every few minutes.
- Girls bars are hostess bars where staff chat, play pool and drink with guests, concentrated around Pasteur Street and Japanese Town.
- Wine bars focus on imported bottles and wine by the glass, usually with cheese and charcuterie.
- Neighborhood bars are small, cheap local hangouts found on streets like Phạm Viết Chánh in Bình Thạnh.
Saigon Bar Neighborhoods
Phạm Viết Chánh: The Local Saigon Bar Street
Phạm Viết Chánh is a street in Bình Thạnh District, Ho Chi Minh City, just across the canal from District 1. It has grown into a cluster of small bars, craft beer taps and late-night hangouts with a younger, mostly local crowd. Prices are lower than central District 1, and the street stays busy late on weekends.
The full guide to Phạm Viết Chánh neighborhood bars covers each bar on the street.
Go if: a local crowd, cheaper drinks and bar hopping on foot are the plan.
Don’t go if: the night calls for cocktails with a view or a dress code.
Japanese Town: Saigon Bar Alleys in District 1
Japanese Town is the area around Lê Thánh Tôn and Thái Văn Lung streets in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is packed with izakayas, whisky bars, karaoke rooms and small counter bars that serve the city’s Japanese community. Many bars sit inside narrow alleys and seat fewer than 15 people.
See the Japanese Town bars on Google Maps.
Go if: Japanese whisky, highballs and izakaya snacks after dinner sound right.
Don’t go if: the group is large. Most bars here are tiny and some are members-style or hostess bars.
Thảo Điền and Xuân Thủy Street: The Expat Saigon Bar Area
Thảo Điền is a riverside neighborhood in Thủ Đức City (former District 2), Ho Chi Minh City, known for its large expat community. Xuân Thủy is its main street and becomes one of the busiest nightlife strips outside District 1 after dark, with bars, restaurants and live music venues.
The full guide to Xuân Thủy Street covers the whole strip.
Ba Bar
Ba Bar is a neighborhood bar in Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức City, Ho Chi Minh City. It is a regular stop on the Xuân Thủy bar crawl, drawing a mixed crowd of expats and young locals for easygoing drinks.
Twist Cafe Bar
Twist Cafe Bar is a café and bar in Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức City, Ho Chi Minh City. It works as a coffee stop by day and switches to a relaxed bar in the evening, which makes it an easy first drink of the night on Xuân Thủy.
Go if: a relaxed evening, easy English and a mixed expat crowd are the goal.
Don’t go if: the stay is in District 1 and the trip is short. The ride is 20 to 40 minutes in traffic.
Jazz Bars in Saigon
COI: A Saigon Bar for Live Jazz
COI is a jazz bar in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It pairs live jazz with a relaxed drinks list, suited to a slow evening of music and conversation rather than a party.
Saigon has a small but serious jazz scene, with live sets most nights of the week in District 1. The full guide to jazz bars in Saigon lists every venue with live music schedules.
Go if: live music and conversation matter more than dancing.
Don’t go if: the night is about clubbing or loud DJ sets.
Pasteur Street Girls Bars
Bar Number 5: The Oldest Saigon Bar on the Strip
The girls bars around Pasteur Street in District 1 are a long-running part of Saigon nightlife. Hostesses chat, play pool and drink with guests, and drinks for the staff are part of the bill. Bar Number 5 is widely described as the oldest and most famous bar on the strip, and it remains the reference point for this style of Saigon bar.
Find Bar Number 5 on Google Maps.
Go if: a pool table, cheap beer and an old-school Saigon bar atmosphere appeal.
Don’t go if: the group wants a quiet drink with no hostess service. Lady drinks add up fast, so checking prices before ordering is standard.
Vietnamese Nhậu: The Local Saigon Bar Party
Nhậu is the Vietnamese culture of group drinking, built around cold beer, shared plates and constant toasts of “một, hai, ba, dô!” (one, two, three, cheers). A nhậu bar is the closest thing to a local party night in Saigon, and the crowd is almost entirely Vietnamese.
Sắc Nhậu Station
Sắc Nhậu Station is a Vietnamese nhậu bar in Ho Chi Minh City built around beer and shared drinking snacks. It is a straightforward way to experience a local party night, with big tables, loud toasts and a mostly Vietnamese crowd.
Go if: the plan is to drink like locals, with a group and a big table of food.
Don’t go if: the night calls for cocktails or a quiet conversation. Nhậu bars are loud by design.
Trendy Saigon Bars Right Now
Layla Eatery & Bar
Layla Eatery & Bar is a bar and restaurant on the second floor of 63 Đông Du, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is known for being full every night of the week, even through the usually quiet Tet holiday, which makes it one of the most reliable busy spots in the city center. falstaffthedotmagazine
BAM
BAM is a bar in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, popular with Saigon’s young, trend-conscious crowd. It fits the hype-bar side of the city, where music, energy and people watching matter as much as the drinks.
2 Lam Son
2 Lam Son is the cocktail bar of Park Hyatt Saigon, also known as the Martini Bar, on Lam Sơn Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto Hai Bà Trưng Street, with booth sofas along the sides and a central rectangular bar with counter seats, and it runs a party atmosphere most nights. thedotmagazinethedotmagazine
Go if: the goal is to see where Saigon’s fashionable crowd drinks this year.
Don’t go if: the budget is tight. Cocktails here are priced close to international hotel levels.
Classic Cocktail Bars in Saigon
Lost & Found
Lost & Found is a cocktail bar in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is a relaxed spot for well-made classic cocktails, suited to a quiet drink before or after dinner in the city center.
Firkin Bar
Firkin Bar is a whisky and cocktail bar at 20 Mạc Thị Bưởi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The name refers to a small aging barrel, and the bar seats only about 30 people. Its back bar holds around 250 whiskies alone, and a blind tasting flight is available for side-by-side comparison. Vietcetera named it Judge’s Choice Bar of 2018. Vietnam Bar Week 2022: ‘A Drink For Any Mood’ – Your Guide To Saigon’s Bespoke Bars +4
House of Merlin
House of Merlin is a steampunk-themed cocktail bar on Pasteur Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It opened in late 2023 and serves creative cocktails, rum and pizza in a Victorian-meets-machinery setting behind a massive entrance door. epicurevietnamamthuchiendai
Go if: well-made classics and a skilled bartender are the priority.
Don’t go if: the group wants a party. These are talking bars, not dance floors.
Wine Bars in Saigon
Cork & Bottle
Cork & Bottle is a wine bar in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It focuses on imported wine by the glass and bottle, suited to an unhurried evening in the city center.
The Living Room Wine Bar
The Living Room Wine Bar is a wine bar in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. As the name suggests, it is set up like a lounge, with a comfortable room for sharing a bottle and talking.
Go if: a glass of good wine and a seat to talk are the whole plan.
Don’t go if: the group is beer-only or wants to dance.
Saigon Bar FAQ
What is the best area for a Saigon bar night?
District 1 has the widest range of bars in Ho Chi Minh City, from rooftop hotel bars to jazz rooms and cocktail bars. Thảo Điền suits expat-style evenings, and Phạm Viết Chánh in Bình Thạnh suits a local crowd.
What time do Saigon bars close?
Most bars in Ho Chi Minh City close between midnight and 2 a.m. Some bars in District 1 stay open later on weekends.
How much is a drink in a Saigon bar?
A local beer costs around 30,000 to 80,000 VND in a neighborhood bar. Cocktails in District 1 cocktail and hotel bars usually cost 180,000 to 400,000 VND.
Is Bui Vien the main Saigon bar street?
Bui Vien Street in District 1 is the best-known backpacker bar street in Ho Chi Minh City. Many locals and long-stay expats prefer Japanese Town, Thảo Điền or Phạm Viết Chánh for a quieter night.
What is a nhậu bar in Saigon?
A nhậu bar is a Vietnamese drinking hall where groups share beer and grilled snacks. Nhậu is the most common way locals in Ho Chi Minh City go out drinking.
Is there live jazz in Saigon?
Ho Chi Minh City has several jazz bars, mostly in District 1, with live sets most nights of the week.
Are Pasteur Street bars safe for tourists?
The girls bars around Pasteur Street have operated for decades and are generally safe. Hostess drinks are charged separately, so checking the menu before ordering avoids surprises.