Nightclubs and bars in Vietnam

This Coffee Cafe is out of the usual tourist areas in District 10 and the Tan Binh District.
The area is surrounded with at least 6 coffee cafes all with outdoor sidewalk seating.
CLV was the best of the group, not because their coffee was any better, but because they had the nicest looking and the most "coffee hostesses". They also seemed to be a little larger than the others.
But again...the girls were a real plus. Even though I am only speaking as an observer....my wife sittting next to me the whole time! LOL

They do not speak English (only VN), this being a non tourist area, but they all wore great smiles and were very nice. So bring an interpreter if you want to speak to them at length, they will sit and talk to you.
No food, only beer was Heinekin. The coffee is good and STRONG!
There are also two teen clubs about two blocks away but no interest in that venue. Again all VN.

Dress Code: Come as you are. Sit outside and watch the people.

Here is a restaurant, drinking and socializing place right in the middle of the back packer area.
I know people are aware of it because it is usually very busy, but it is not your average restaurant since it is outdoors right on a small "street/alleyway" right off Pham Ngu Lao St.

I love to come down to this area, having stayed here on my first trip eight years ago, if for no other reason, for a change of pace from the all Vietnamese areas I now stay in.

This place was here when I first visited and is still going strong.

I went to the Wild Buffalo Bar, in the the beginning, but tired really fast of the cost of small appetizers and expensive beer.

So instead of paying 50,000 dong for a tiger beer, I go to Huong Vy, and pay 23,000 for a BIG Tiger!!
The food has always been decent and I really recommend the pasta with a cream sauce, ham and mushrooms. Fantastic.
Sitting outside, watching the people and all the other interesting things going on in this area is really very cool. It reminds me a sitting out at a street stall in Bangkok.
So if you are looking for a reasonable eating and drinking place in the backpacker area, I highly recommend Huong Vy.

Dress Code: There is no dress code, come as you are.

The Carmen Bar has been around for many years. I first visited eight years ago and it seems to still be going strong.
This is in part to the talent of many performers, but in particular one young man named Y Thanh.
When I first got to the club, which is set in a dungeon type building....duck your head upon entering! You will be met at the bar by a nice young lady who will get you a seat and your drink order.
The prices are actually reasonable (150,000 dong for glass of wine) when you consider the entertainment. There was no cover charge.

The music is Latin influenced and a variety of entertainers accompany the eight of so musicians on stage.
Y Thanh is a first rate performer. He really gets the crowd into the vibe of the club. He is funny and charming and actually a really good singer. My wife absolutely loved his Beatles rendition.
We were lucky enough to have him sit at our table between his sets and his english was very good. He is quite witty and interesting, speaking about his passion for choreography, which he actually teaches. He has a website: www.ythanh.net.
There were a number of other performers all of which were great. The band was also very good.
We also had the good fortune to listen to a couple songs by a duo on holiday. The girl from Norway and the gentleman from the Dominican Republic. They really were very good and complimented each other well.

The club is only open at night from 6pm until...?? It gets very busy around 8pm so get there early for the best seats.
I do not think they serve food so best to eat first.
The club is in a nice area with other venues within walking distance.
Overall this is a do not miss, change of pace in Saigon.

Dress Code: There was no dress code, although everyone was dressed casual with not many in shorts and tee shirts.

Get some friends...and if you don't have a friend.....tap the shoulder of anyone you see on the street and say you want to invite some friends over....Kaboom!!! you'll have them all by nightfall. :o)

Then hawl them all to a local Karaoke spot.....the rent rate is pretty cheap depending on location. Most expensive is about 50,000dong (~3.5USD) per hour per Medium room.

"Medium" = Means the room can hold a maximum of 12persons???...Vietnamese can cram more if you need to do so. They are pretty good at it. :O)

Most cheap places you can negotiate down to half as much....

Dress Code: Anyway you want.....I had even saw Buddist Monks came out of those places!....not bad eh? Them party animals.

Put your life behind and start singing/yelling your head off....should be fun as all of the people will do it anyway if you are shy. :0)

Stay away from the pubs listed in most guides. They're full of pestering ladyboys. This place is really cool, a bit expensive but they have excellent live music on 2 floors in Saigon and 1 floor in Hanoi. Foods pretty good too, service is excellent and no one bothers you. Leave a good tip the 1st night and you get the best spot in front of the band the following nights. I didnt visit the one in Danang.

your evening will be interupted around 12 am by the switching off of bar lights,street lights and the street hawkers serving you 50 cent beers by the approaching of the local police,dont worry the local spies give you time to hide.
i found hanoi strange place for drinking,but depends what u are looking for.the nightclubs you hear about did not exsist for me,maybe my moto driver was just out for the drive too.
still a cheap place to drink and eat, and mix with locals.

The Saigon Saigon Bar is located inside the posh Caravelle Hotel, on an open-air terrace on the 9th floor... Take the elevator on the right side of the hall as you enter the hotel, the elevator on the left side leads to the hotel rooms, and is of no use for the bar.

The bar is exceptional... not only for the panoramic night views, but for the breeze... even when it's roasting hot at ground levels, up there it's wonderfully cool... it tends to be on the expesinve side, so you'll only find rich HCM residents and crowd (about 50/50 I would say), but it's very pleasant.

Plenty of drinks and cocktails, and there's a live band, too - nothing too impressive... One really comes here for the views, not for the music.

Dress Code: Casual is fine... smart casual is better...

Vietnamese people are not much the kind of people who enjoy nightlife, especially in smaller towns: they go to bed early and rise early, often before dawn. In the eveningI found that the most pleasurable activity was to simply walk around, especially wherever I could find some street vendors and local families.

Nightlife does exist, though... the country is quite touristy and you can find happy hour bars and nightspots quite easily... in this case you'll be spending your evenings/nights with other foreigners... often people from your own country. Just like you would have done at home... So why bother?

Dress Code: Casual