Saigon’s wine bar scene
District 1 has a surprisingly deep wine culture, built by decades of French influence and a wave of serious importers who’ve set up shop within a few blocks of the Renaissance Riverside Hotel. This guide mixes the two things you need for a good wine night: places to drink a glass right now, and shops worth a stop if you want to bring a bottle back to your room or home.
How to use this guide
- The first and last few stops are restaurants and wine bars where you can sit down and order by the glass.
- The middle stretch is retail wine shops and merchants worth browsing even if you’re not buying, since staff are generally happy to talk you through a bottle.
- Everything on this list sits within a 10-minute taxi or a comfortable walk of Dong Khoi and Hai Ba Trung.
Good to know
Retail wine in Vietnam carries steep import duty, so bottle prices run higher than you’d expect elsewhere in Southeast Asia — by-the-glass at the bars is usually the better value if you’re just there for a drink.
