Saigon is the new rising star in Southeast Asia – and I’m obviously not just speaking in terms of family or backpacking tourists who just have to either start or finish their trip around Vietnam in the exciting southern metropolis that’s now officially called Ho Chi Minh City (I’ll be mostly referring to it as Saigon though in this and my other Vietnam guides, as it’s still much more commonly used).
Of course there are also countless of single men arriving at the city’s airport every day who are looking for some fun with the local Vietnamese girls in Saigon. And let me tell you right off the bat: There are so many “adult entertainment” places in Saigon, I’ve been almost running out of colors for map markers (see end of the guide).
Welcome to Girls Heavens’ ultimate nightlife guide to Ho Chi Minh City in which I’ll show you all the different types of places to meet sexy, friendly and open-minded Vietnamese ladies.
Saigon Nightlife Overview
There are only 2 areas you should be visiting at night in Saigon: Bui Vien Street and District 1.
Bui Vien Street is comparable to Khaosan Road in Bangkok – it used to be a backpacker heaven (well, it still is), but the crowd is much more diverse now including families, couples and guys in their early 20s to late 70s walking up and down the street and looking for a place to hook up with local girls. It’s basically a 500m long street with dozens of restaurants and bars, most of which are packed by 10pm and people even standing on the street while sipping their 40k Saigon beer. There are also a few happy ending massage salons and freelancing girls in this area, which I will talk about further below.
District 1 is comparable to Sukhumvit in Bangkok – the most developed part of town where the expats and more “sophisticated” tourists hang out (nicer hotels). By the way, if you are wondering why I like to compare it to Bangkok – well, I live there and take frequent trips to Vietnam, so I can tell you from my own experience that Saigon is such an exciting place for single men right now – it kind of feels like Thailand 10 years ago. District 1 has also one of the few red light districts in town, and by far the most diverse types of places to meet women in the nightlife – to which I come now.
Girly Bars in Saigon
If you are looking for foreigner-oriented girly bars like the beer bars in Bangkok, then you should go to Bui Vien Street where you’ll find Crazy Girls (left picture) and 159 Bar right opposite. These are long established bars and have about 10-15 Vietnamese girls employed who will sit and drink with you if you buy them lady drinks. In my experience they are not very friendly though and I don’t know anyone who took a girl home later on (just read a few reviews on Google and you’ll know what I mean). I think they are a tourist trap where you spend lots of money with little to nothing in return.
Much more fun are the hostess bars in Little Japan (Thai Van Lung Street in District 1, right picture). Don’t be put off by the fact that the bars in this area are mainly oriented towards Japanese and Korean men – you will also get lots and lots of smiles by the ladies in front of the bars and be invited to “come inside” all the time. The girls are much more sexy and attractive on average than what you find down in Bui Vien.
- Prices: The drink prices are slightly more expensive than in the regular bars, means you’ll pay about 50-60k for local beers and 70-80k for international beers. A whiskey coke will cost you around 100k, and if you buy the ladies drinks that’ll be 110-120k per glass of coke / shot of whiskey. Little Japan is pricier though, with lady drinks costing up to 200k.
See also: 3 Best Girly Bars in Saigon
Nightclubs in Saigon
Lush is by far the best nightclub in Saigon to meet Vietnamese girls. You will also see a lot of Korean guys in there – but that’s just how it is, they are everywhere in Vietnam now. There is a lounge area where you can have a good conversation with the girls (no loud music) and of course a main room with a big dance floor and upper seating area. After 11pm you’ll see the single ladies even standing on the stairs because the place is so full.
And then there’s also Apocalypse Now, which is the hooker spot in Ho Chi Minh City’s nightlife. Or “high end” prostitutes I should probably say, because yes, the women in there are extremely hot for the most part (I even saw some Chinese and one African girl), but they are also charging horrendous prices – their first offer is up to 5 million. Seriously, for that money I’d rather date 5 different girls from the dating site and get a much better experience too.
- Prices: Generally no entrance fees in both clubs, though Lush does charge 100k sometimes when they’ve got some “event” going on (like a popular DJ). Inside you’ll pay 80-120k for a beer and 200-250k for spirits and cocktails. Whiskey bottles are quite expensive, like the cheapest gin (Boodles London Dry Gin) costs 2,690,000++ in Lush.
Happy Ending Massage in Saigon
The Dai Nam Hotel is one of the most popular places for happy ending massages in Saigon. You walk into the lobby, pick a service from the menu (like hot stone massage for 270k), go to the locker room where you get changed (towels are provided). If you want you can use the sauna and steam room free of charge. Then you’ll be directed to the private massage room, where a young and white skinned Vietnamese girl gives you a well skilled massage that finishes with a hand job. You tip what you think is appropriate, but 300-400k is the standard.
Similar hotel massages are Boss Palace and Vien Dong Hotel.
If you prefer to choose your masseuse, you should go to Little Japan (picture). The girls there are the hottest in my opinion, but it’s also more expensive: 400k for the room plus tip – 1 million for a hand job and 2 million for sex are usually their initial asking prices.
And finally there are also the massage girls on Bui Vien Street. They try to lure you in with cheap massages (200-250k) but they are much tougher in price negotiations regarding the happy ending as they think they can charge tourists more. If you only want one good experience, I recommend the Dai Nam Hotel.
- I have marked the Hotel Massages with the blue pin, the Little Japan Massages with the purple pin, and the Bui Vien Massage Shops with the yellow pin on the map below.
See also: Complete Guide to Happy Ending Massages in Saigon
Blow Job Salons (Hot Tocs) in Saigon
The most unique part of Saigon’s (night)life scene are the blow job salons. Hot Toc is the Vietnamese word for hair salon, and there are several “special” kind of hot tocs in town which don’t offer hair cut services, but blow jobs. Yes absolutely, you just walk into such a place and a Vietnamese lady in a short skirt will bring you to a private area upstairs where she takes off your pants and sucks your dick.
Benny (picture) is probably the most famous blow job hot toc in Saigon, it’s located in the northern part of town outside the tourist area. Just take a Grab Bike which will cost no more than 25-30k from where you are right now.
There are also several other “special” hot tocs along Nguyen Phi Khanh Street (orange pin on the map below), about 1.4km from Benny, so you could even walk there if you wanted a 2nd round.
- Prices: Fixed price of 400k in Benny, more negotiable in other places, but that’s the typical price people pay. Ladies in some places also offer full service (sex) for about 1 million.
See also: Complete Guide to Blow Job Salons in Saigon
Street Hookers in Saigon
Just like in most other cities in Southeast Asia, there are also lots of street hookers in the tourist areas who will join you to your hotel for a “short time” if you pay them some cash.
Bui Vien Street and the backstreets of Little Japan (picture) are the main spots where you can find them. They’ll often offer you “massages”, but most of the time that’s just their way to say hello, before discussing business. Up in Little Tokyo they are pretty straight forward in what they offer though.
- Prices: They usually ask for 1 or 1.5 million, but 500k is generally what most guys pay for sex with street hookers in Saigon.
Rooftop Bars in Saigon
You know what, I started this guide with a comparison of Saigon and Bangkok, so let me finish it with one as well – sky bars! Bangkok is undoubtedly the “rooftop bar capital” of the world, I’ve already been to 7 different “sky bars” in Thailand’s capital and that’s not even a quarter of what’s on offer here.
But with all the investment and building boom that’s going on in Vietnam’s economic center at the moment, Saigon ranks clearly number 2 now – there are many really cool bars on huge buildings where you can enjoy a cool Saigon beer or a well shaken cocktail along with great views of the city.
My favorite sky bar in Saigon is The View Rooftop Bar (left picture) on Bui Vien Street – fantastic atmosphere and it’s easy to meet other people there. Plus, they have a happy hour every day until 7pm with buy one get one free for cocktails for 150-170k. And Bar Eon 52 Heli (right picture) is the highest bar in Ho Chi Minh City, like the name suggests on the 52nd floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower.
Oh, and if you are looking for a laid back English pub with excellent draft beer and a good pool table – Shamrock Pub in District 1 is awesome, very nice and talkative waitresses and they’ve also got quite good food.
- Recommended: The Best Dating Site in Vietnam
