I have gone to quite a few nightclubs in Saigon over the last few months. At first their location was just a (drunken) blur. But eventually I nailed down the location of many of them with the aid of modern technology, and a true geek's insistence on bringing a GPS with him when he goes out clubbing (at this point, you might note without surprise that I *still* haven't found a girlfriend here).
The following Google Earth satellite image of District 1 shows the clubs in question. You can see more detail by clicking through to the original image on Flickr.
Clubs shown are
1. Lush(!)
An ex-pat and overseas vietnamese ("VQ") oriented club with a cover charge. It is usually so full that dancing is not possible but open until about 2am.
2. Liquid***(!)
A local club of the sort where pretty girls pour your drinks and talk with you (in Vietnamese) in exchange for a $7 tip.
3. Acoustic
A mellow live acoustic music club where people come to watch rather good local Vietnamese singers and players of contemporary American music from the 70s through the present. They sing in english.
4. MGM***(!)
A massive multi-story local club with excessively loud trance and hip hop sections.
5. Prive***(!) and Bounce***(!)
Bounce and Prive are next door to each other on upper floors. Bounce plays exclusively Hip Hop for a soundtrack with DJs pretending to play. Prive has a wider mix of music. Bounce is the more popular, but Prive is open later so people often go there after Bounce.
6. Palace(!)
On one of the mid-floors of the Palace Hotel, across from landmark Sunwah Tower. No real dancing here. Mostly loud music and of the sort where pretty girls pour your drinks and talk with you (in Vietnamese) in exchange for a $7 tip.
7. Gossip***(!)
A local club with a dance floor.
8. Go2 Bar
An ex-pat club that is open 24 hours a day. This is the place where people go to when everything else is closed. Very late at night it is filled with locals and foreigners who have nowhere to sleep that night.
9. X Club***(!)
A large local club with a modest dance floor.
Notable Clubs and Hangouts not shown are
1. America***(!) (outside District 1)
America is very large. It has several real DJs and a large dance floor. I think this is the loudest club in Saigon that I have been too, even whe n I did wear 33 decibel ear plugs, my ears rang for twelve hours into the next day after an evening here. A local club of the sort where pretty girls pour your drinks and talk with you (in Vietnamese) in exchange for a $7 tip.
2. Apocalypse Now
An ex-pat club, famous mostly for being very old and for being filled with prostitutes.
3. Volcano***(!)
A local club with a large Trance dance floor and a Hip Hop room.
4. Q Bar
A rather quiet high end bar that is open very late and popular among ex-pats. It has pleasant outdoor seating, and a very cool decor indoors.
5. "Blue" club. This is one of the names it goes by, but not it's official name. This is where locals go when all of the other clubs close. It is right next door to a very late night Chinese Dim Sum restaurant.
Honourable mention goes to
1. Windows 4 Cafe
An expensive coffee shop where people come during the day to see and be seen.
2. "CNSG"
A late night spot for locals to eat after a night out. This is just one of a few places open at the end of the night, so everyone you've seen at a local club seems to turn up here next. It is open until at least 4am.
The address is 162 Nguyen Trai.
***A main occupation here is to gyrate at tables while drinking $100+ bottles of rum or cognac. This is why these clubs can recoup their $500,000 liquor license bribes and startup costs in a matter of a few months.
(!) Bring ear plugs if you do not want pain and permanent hearing damage. Clubs in Vietnam are far louder than any I have experienced in the U.S. or Canada.
1. Lush(!)
An ex-pat and overseas vietnamese ("VQ") oriented club with a cover charge. It is usually so full that dancing is not possible but open until about 2am.
2. Liquid***(!)
A local club of the sort where pretty girls pour your drinks and talk with you (in Vietnamese) in exchange for a $7 tip.
3. Acoustic
A mellow live acoustic music club where people come to watch rather good local Vietnamese singers and players of contemporary American music from the 70s through the present. They sing in english.
4. MGM***(!)
A massive multi-story local club with excessively loud trance and hip hop sections.
5. Prive***(!) and Bounce***(!)
Bounce and Prive are next door to each other on upper floors. Bounce plays exclusively Hip Hop for a soundtrack with DJs pretending to play. Prive has a wider mix of music. Bounce is the more popular, but Prive is open later so people often go there after Bounce.
6. Palace(!)
On one of the mid-floors of the Palace Hotel, across from landmark Sunwah Tower. No real dancing here. Mostly loud music and of the sort where pretty girls pour your drinks and talk with you (in Vietnamese) in exchange for a $7 tip.
7. Gossip***(!)
A local club with a dance floor.
8. Go2 Bar
An ex-pat club that is open 24 hours a day. This is the place where people go to when everything else is closed. Very late at night it is filled with locals and foreigners who have nowhere to sleep that night.
9. X Club***(!)
A large local club with a modest dance floor.
Notable Clubs and Hangouts not shown are
1. America***(!) (outside District 1)
America is very large. It has several real DJs and a large dance floor. I think this is the loudest club in Saigon that I have been too, even whe n I did wear 33 decibel ear plugs, my ears rang for twelve hours into the next day after an evening here. A local club of the sort where pretty girls pour your drinks and talk with you (in Vietnamese) in exchange for a $7 tip.
2. Apocalypse Now
An ex-pat club, famous mostly for being very old and for being filled with prostitutes.
3. Volcano***(!)
A local club with a large Trance dance floor and a Hip Hop room.
4. Q Bar
A rather quiet high end bar that is open very late and popular among ex-pats. It has pleasant outdoor seating, and a very cool decor indoors.
5. "Blue" club. This is one of the names it goes by, but not it's official name. This is where locals go when all of the other clubs close. It is right next door to a very late night Chinese Dim Sum restaurant.
Honourable mention goes to
1. Windows 4 Cafe
An expensive coffee shop where people come during the day to see and be seen.
2. "CNSG"
A late night spot for locals to eat after a night out. This is just one of a few places open at the end of the night, so everyone you've seen at a local club seems to turn up here next. It is open until at least 4am.
The address is 162 Nguyen Trai.
***A main occupation here is to gyrate at tables while drinking $100+ bottles of rum or cognac. This is why these clubs can recoup their $500,000 liquor license bribes and startup costs in a matter of a few months.
(!) Bring ear plugs if you do not want pain and permanent hearing damage. Clubs in Vietnam are far louder than any I have experienced in the U.S. or Canada.
[this is good]
Posted by: Ned | 02/09/2009 at 07:28 AM
[this is good]
Posted by: petia | 03/12/2009 at 01:22 PM
[this is good]
Posted by: peltonin | 04/11/2009 at 11:59 AM
[this is good]
yo Lawrence
this article is awesome since it's straight up what I need! I've been in HCM city few times 2 yrs ago when I was on my buisness trip. Now I'm officially working and living in this neighborhood. Well, not quite... my company is actually in an industrial park 1 hr away. I just need to find some real good spots to entertain myself, a new young man in this town... lol
I've been to Lush, Vocano, Q Bar, and Sheraton 21... but which of those are the best spot so far. I'm a western culture oriented person who grew up in the states. Plz advise me on this! Thanks! ;)
Posted by: Nick Huang | 08/26/2010 at 10:45 PM
Lush is probably still your best bet. One insider tip on the place: turn up early and eat there. I think about 7 pm is a good time. The food is inexpensive and quite good. It is a bit strange, however, seeing the place so empty; it really does not get busy until quite late.
Posted by: Lawrence W. Sinclair | 08/27/2010 at 08:10 AM