Our Favorite Ho Chi Minh City Nightlife Choices

An unknown person used to say,

“when you first come to a country, the first thing you should learn is their language. The second thing is their culture”.

And if you want to do just that during your time in Ho Chi Minh City a great place to pick up on both those are in pubs. Just visit one and see how naturally Vietnamese culture and language comes to you.

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) can get much more exciting when day turns to night. After a long, hot working day people want nothing other than to get together with friends and enjoy a nice drink. A night time hang out has become a specific part of HCMC’s culture.

You’re sure to miss out if you never get a chance to visit a pub while you’re here. They are places you can not just experience a mix of good drinks but also a mix of cultures. The pub is one of which brings people together no matter where they come from or given background.  

If you asked me ten years ago where a pub in HCMC was, you could receive an answer of maybe two pubs. One is a street pub on Bui Vien street, and one is HardRock Café on Hai Ba Trung street.

Luckily, as I mentioned before, HCMC is adapting to a new culture, I believe there is no place else on the world that can adopt a new lifestyle so easily like HCMC. It might take a whole day to list every single pub in HCMC. Fortunately for you, we compiled a list of our favorite Ho Chi Minh City nightlife choices among hundreds to get you started.

Our Top 8 Nightlife Choices in Ho Chi Minh City

1.    Malt

• Address: 46 Mac Thi Buoi Street, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Open time: Monday – Friday : 2pm – 1am; Saturday & Sunday: 12pm – 1am
• Malt Bar on Tripadvisor
• Website: www.maltsaigon.com

A popular suggestion among expats and foreigners has to be Malt. People often coin it as a hidden gem and once exposed to all it has to offer you’re sure to realize why.

For one, Malt is the only bar which doesn’t allowing smoking. I love this place because I personally am a non-smoking. This can be a piece of good news for a fan of non-smoking but is still looking for a good pub with plenty of refreshments.

They have great list of both draft and bottled beers sure to please customers from around the world. As well as, a satisfying cocktail and wine menu. If you’re hungry they’ve got something many palate pleasers for any time of day. From build your own breakfasts to some classic sandwiches, there’s something there for just about everyone’s liking.

If you fancy some friendly competition why not challenge someone to a match of darts or shuffleboard?

They often host many events which give customers a chance to taste new food and also challenge with other guests.

A classic styled pub that wont dissapoint!

2. BackPacker District

• Area: Bui Vien – Pham Ngu Lao – De Tham street, District 1
• Hours: Street open 24/7, Pubs (vary)

30 years ago, the street of Bui Vien – Pham Ngu Lao – De Tham was not supposed to become anything specific. Not until 1986, when some moves from the government were made. Vietnam signed the commercial trade act. Then,  restaurants and hotels started popping up. In 1993, a famous travel guide name “lonely planet” introduced to the world Bui Vien Street. Since that moment, almost every foreign travelers would choose this area for some of the best pubs HCMC has to offer.

Recent years, Bui Vien area is more popular and busier than ever. It grows to a combination of restaurants, bars, pubs, and hostels. This “District” can understand as a small copy of HCMC which almost everything including.

Not only foreigners but also Vietnam young generation loves to hang out at Bui Vien. In this area, there it is friendly mix of locals and foreigners. You can meet people from around the world and a variety of ages.

Although, not one specific pub but a street where many pubs can be found, simply too many to put on one list, so we suggest you venture down this street and you’re bound to find one to your liking.

3. Chill Sky Bar

• Address: AB Tower Saigon, 76A Le Lai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• Hours: Monday – Thursday & Sunday 17:30 – 02:00, Friday & Saturday 17:30 – 04:00
• Chill Sky Bar on Tripadvisor

The bar is located right in the center of HCMC. One of the most luxury bar in Saigon. Those are sentences that you will hear from locals and you’ll realize yourself once you go there. This is a place that can show Saigon nightlife at its best, equipped with a rooftop bar, beautiful view, better music, and surrounded by professional people.

This place is usually where famous Vietnamese actors and actresses chose to throw a party. The cost is understandably high, compared with other rooftops. However, they have their own unique parties during the weekend, with a great show of dancers dressed very fashionably performing inside the bar.

Some things to note prior to going here:

• Dress Code: you must wear cute or formal outfits. You cannot wear flipflop and sandals. The staffs will not allow you to enter.
• Reservations: This place is of often full of customers so you need to call them and book a reservation.

4. Chinchin Bar

• Address: 75-77 Ho Tung Mau Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
• Hours: 15:00 – 01:00
• Chinchin Bar on Tripadvisor

If you enjoy the mix of the the previous century with a nice modern style all in one place, Chinchin bar can please your taste. The site was built a long time ago; it can be called the medicine bar because there is only one pub decorate like a medicine store. Their drink menu also resembles this with the cocktails being named after various medicines. In some respect, it is like a healing bar where the particular “medicine” can heal customers’ emotion or lousy feeling and replaces them by relaxing and enjoying.

The bar offers a very elegant and warm ambiance that could appeal to people of many different ages.

The cost is not very high; relatively reasonable. The location is very convenient to find.

5. Pub Crawl Saigon

• Website: www.pubcrawlsaigon.com
• Pub Crawl Saigon Tripadvisor

This is one of the easiest ways to enjoy many bars with a meager price. They provide a service which will show you five famous bars in HCMC, and the final destination is a club where you can drink and dance your heart away. The program will include:

• Free cab when traveling to each bar.
• One beer for free when you arrive.
• At the first bar, you can drink as many shots as you want. There is no limited.
• One free shot for every bar behind that.

You can check the event on their website.

This pub often gets recommended by their customers. Personally, I believe this is a very effective way to know about pubs, culture, and met people  in HCMC.

6. The New House

• Address: 40/25(E18) Pham Viet Chanh Street, Ward 19, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
• Hours: 18:00 – 00:00

The New House is a hidden bar located on a small street. There is not many foreigners that know about this place. Mostly locals will visit this pub during the weekend. So you might ask why do we list this place as one of our favourites? The bar offers something quite special which makes it unique than other pubs. Beyond that I can’t share much other than that there drinks are just that, unique. So you’ll just have to trust me and come to The New House and see for yourself.

7. Rum Bar

• Address: 15 Phan Văn Dat Street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Hours: 19:00 – 01:00

This bar can also be listed as one of the strangest bars in Vietnam, if not all of SE Asia. At first glance, you might not believe it’s a bar because it looks exactly like a small food store with plastic chairs and table which you can see everywhere in HCMC. This bar is the combination of street food and alcohol mixed up into one place. It’s located in the center of HCMC right next to the most bustling and luxury street. The cost is not expensive; you can experience night drinking while sitting in the ever so common plastic chairs you see everywhere in HCMC. This place really offers the perfect combination of tasty food and refreshing drinks presented in the most simplistic of ways.

8. Glow Skybar Saigon

• Address: 93 Nguyen Du Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
• Hours: Monday – Thursday & Sunday 17:00 – 02:00, Friday & Saturday 17:00 – 03:00
• Website: www.glowsaigon.vn

This bar is also a luxury rooftop bar, located in the heart of the city. The bar provides a stunning panorama view of the whole HCMC center, which is even better at night. Its decorated in a very modern fashion which gives a very sleek look to the place. They have an extensive drink menu served from professional and award winning bartenders. If you’re getting you can get here a little earlier in the night you can enjoy any of their elegant and reasonably priced dishes, that comes with a view. There are no written rules like the Chill Bar has, however, we do suggest you wear something a bit more formal and politely dressed. As you’ll find this bar to be a bit more classier than others.

HCMC is always welcome to new travellers from any and all backgrounds, and the centre of the city will always keep them in mind. Offering a variety of nightlife activities to suit just about anyone.

Check how to get around in Ho Chi Minh city

Since you read until this. Thanks for checking out Saigon Kiss Tours’s blog. We do hope you enjoy the content we created. Of course, this is a very simplified list to give you a place to start, but we highly encourage to do some exploring for yourself to find the right place for you.

Finding the alternative for bars or pubs? Check top local things to do in Ho Chi Minh at night instead!