[Wendella]

Once again this is not my writing, I'm reposting it from another website. If you want the link, just send me PM.

Top Nightclubs and Bars for Expats and Tourists

As of today, the best expat nightclubs / bars in Ho Chi Minh City are the following:

1) Glow
Impressive rooftop bar with great music and a very relaxed atmosphere. Many expats, among which 50% seem to be French.

2) Chill Skybar
Even though it is often unnecessarily pretentious, Chill Skybar remains a great place for a night out. With a magic view and a beautiful crowd, all you need to enjoy it fully is a 6 figure salary.

3) Lush
Lush is fun and an excellent place to meet Vietnamese girls. Many of those going to Lush are non prostitute and are looking to meet foreigners. On the downside, Lush's music is mostly mainstream and the service can be awful. It also attracts quite many backpackers.

4) Sin Lounge
Sin Lounge is one of HCMC's favorite party venues for models, actresses and other local celebrities. Many of the patrons are Viet Kieu (Vietnamese from overseas). They have regular events such as guest DJs, bikini dancers or fashion shows.

In District 1, other popular nightclubs and bars among younger Expats are Ratcha Room, Blanchy's Tash Bar and Xu.


After Hour Clubbing in HCMC

My biggest disappointment with Ho Chi Minh nightlife is that bars, clubs and pubs tend to close rather early. Past 3am, if you want your night out to continue, your options will be severely limited to some of the seediest clubs and bars in town. These include the downtown hostess bars in the Hai Bai Trung street area.

Apocalypse Now (often referred by its shortened name "Apo") is probably the best late night option though it is only open until 4am. Backpackers, expats and prostitutes rock the dancefloor of this rather old-style club. The music is not very sophisticated and you'll hear mostly famous hits.

Nearby, you have Last Call, which is a small place popular with expats. There was a French man behind the bar when I was there who might be the owner.

At the heart of Saigon's backpacker district on De Tham Street, GO 2 bar and nightclub welcomes late clubbers until 6 or 7am. It is similar in style with Apocalypse, only smaller and with twice as many prostitutes and backpackers.

Vietnamese girls are typically not "easy" to pick up. Few accept the idea of a detached one-night stand with a stranger compared to girls you would meet in some other Southeast Asian countries. You will also notice that many Vietnamese girls are still living with their parents if they are not married yet.

If you are going out with the idea of finding a girl to sleep with for the night, your best chance is in Lush, Blanchy's Tash, Xu or Glow. In all these places, the women are interested to meet foreigners. It will take some charm, some luck and some convincing if you want something to happen though. Another option would be to try your luck with a foreign girl as there are quite many in the city either tourists or expats.

In all Vietnamese nightclubs, the proportion of girls looking for money is very high. You rarely see a group of girls alone having fun and paying for their own drinks. More likely, you'll encounter groups of guys partying together with girls they have invited. Those can be girlfriends, mistresses or hostesses (rarely the wife). The 5-star hotels and casinos bars have a fair share of lady companions as well (Maxim's, Catwalk, Caravelle, etc).