HO CHI MINH CITY / SAIGON -- area code (84-8)

Saigon (called Ho Chi Minh City when written, Saigon when spoken by the locals) is broad and breezy, tropical and easy-going, with just the right balance of urbanity and grittiness. The population of metropolitan Ho Chi Minh City is nearing 10 million (400,000 of whom are Utopians).

The European-flavored heart of the city stretches from the river to the Opera House along Dong Khoi St, lined with 5-star hotels, trendy coffee shops and fine dining. Many clubs that are popular with gays are also located in District 1, just a short hop, skip or taxi jump from one another other.

The downtown section of District 1 is easy to navigate using our Utopia map:


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The expanded and updated 2nd Edition of the Utopia Guide to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam offers a remarkable insider's glimpse at the gay and lesbian scene in 18 cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Yangon/Rangoon, Phnom Penh, and Angkor Wat/Siem Reap. Enjoy savvy comments and recommendations from local Utopians, as well as gay travelers. Click here to order

• Rhino Tours
  1102 M3 Ton That Thuyet Apartment Bld, Dist 4, +84-91-394-3393, email. Private tours in Saigon and around southern Vietnam. Booking hotels, car rentals, visas. Gay-owned. Utopia Member Discount

Click here for Saigon hotels and accommodations.

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• Nha Van Hoa Lao Dong (Workers' Club)
  55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St (see map), Dist 1. The Workers Club is a huge site that has indoor and outdoor sport facilities including tennis, volleyball, table tennis, gym, basketball and a dance school for show dance. Thousands of people use the facilities. At the back of the premises is the swimming pool. Gym, pool, saunas can be very cruisy. "Foreigner tickets" can be purchased for 50 minutes use of facilities, but it seems that no one checks how long you really stay. Bring your own towel and swimwear or buy it at the shop on the right side of the entrance. Once you have the ticket, wait for the next admission time (every 30 minutes). First you'll find yourself in the shower rooms. At the end of the hall is the storage area. Plastic bags are sold to wrap your clothes and belongings in. Open daily. No English.

Click here for Saigon karaoke.

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• Cinemas
  • Vuon Lai
    Corner of Tran Nhan Ton St and Vinh Vien St, Dist 10. Very cruisy and busy on weekends. People walking up and down the aisles in the dark looking for fun. Be careful of pickpockets, do not bring anything valuable here.

    Comments from Utopians:

    "It's very dirty and hot, no aircon. The movie quality is extremely low so all the people here are just looking for fun." -- RobbiePepsi, Apr 22, 2009

    "The price is D$20,000. It's probably the only price in HCMC which is lower than in the past. It was completly crazy. You can meet a lot of people and have a lot of fun, if you accept that a dozen people at least are looking at you, some touching you. Some are very old and not really handsome. Whatever, a nice experience." -- dophbd, Jan 4, 2009

• Phu Tho Sports Club
  211 Ly Thuong Kiet St, Dist 10. Next to the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "I like the swimming pool at Water World in Dist 5. The ticket is D$40,000. There is a pool (25m long), a jacuzzi, a cold pool, foot massage, and (especially) a sauna room. Staff are good looking. Many gay visitors and very nice, too. Fewer queens than other places. Close at 9pm. Best time to visit is 6pm." -- Gaykute, Jul 14, 2009

  "You should go to Nguyen Tri Phuong swimming pool, Dist 10. Have fun in changing room. The best time is 4-6pm." -- Gaykute, May 17, 2009

DISTRICT 1
• 343 Café (coffee and snacks)
  343 Nguyen Trai, Dist 1, 920-0988, 920-0998. Outdoor area with a fountain, air-conditioned inside on two levels. TVs and video screens everywhere show music videos, movies, or sports. Menu in Vietnamese and English. Popular with gays, but the crowd is mostly young and straight. Open daily from 8am-11pm.
• Bunta (urban Vietnamese)
  136 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St (opp the Reunification Palace), Dist 1, 822-9913, 822-9914. Their slogan is "Everying is Bun." That may be true, certainly everything was delicious. Contemporary urban Vietnamese menu and lots of exotic fruit drinks in a large, clean, and air-con dining room with modern ambience.
• Café Terrace
  1/F Saigon Center, Le Loi St at the intersection with Pasteur St (see map), Dist 1. This coffee shop is popular with gays, especially those out to spot foreigners getting off work in the neighborhood (or maybe they just feel right at home in the OTT decor scheme). Indoor and terrace seating. Coffee, drinks, snacks and desserts. We spotted a gay Vietnamese celebrity singer on our tea time visit.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "No gays when I went on a Mon afternoon, but truly a nice café and restaurant." -- RobbiePepsi, Apr 22, 2009

• Nam Giao (Vietnamese)
  136/15 Le Than Ton, Dist 1, 825-0261. This popular, shady, fan-cooled restaurant is behind and a block away from Ben Thanh Market, tucked down a covered alleyway. The simple photo menu offers a limited selection of excellent local specialties. The "Special Clam with Rice" turned out to have incredible, alien mouth feel -- fresh and clean, not really seafoody, with the texture of organic packing material comprised of banana flower, peanuts, shreaded rice cake, mint leaves, pork cracklings and baby clams. They'll also place a towering plate of banana-leaf-packaged mystery items in various geometric shapes which you may sample if you wish. The rectagular ones are Vietnamese wedding cakes made from coconut and rice gelatin. Avoid the others -- raw meat sausages -- unless you have a strong stomach. On our visit, half the customers (and some of the staff) tripped our gaydar.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "Papa coffee shop is also a good gay meeting place in Saigon. It's located near Reunification Palace in District 1. Price is cheap $2-5/drink. There are only waiters (mostly young, gay and cute). The best time to go is weekends and Mon evening." -- Gaykute, May 24, 2009

  "New coffee shop opened. It's a franchise of Bobby Brewers. Gay friendly, great coffee and food, free Wi-Fi, big screen TVs, 20% discount on weekends, and great value set lunches. Quiet location at 70 Nguyen Cong Tru, Dist 1." -- bandit991, Mar 13, 2009

  
  DISTRICT 3

• Phuong Cac Café (coffee shop)
  Bis Nam Ky Khoi Nghia 213, Dist 3, mobile: 9-327-484. This garden café has beautiful flowers and very nice decor. Music videos play on the TV. Prices are very reasonable. There is no other place in HCMC where you will meet more friendly local men and women (a few hundred) than on Sun morning between 9am and 12 noon when they gather here for breakfast. Foreigners are welcome, but the staff speaks no English and the menu is in Vietnamese only. Other days of the week, and also after noon on Sun, the café has few guests. Free motorbike parking at the entrance -- only room for 600 bikes though!

  Comments from Utopians:

  "Went to a cute coffeshop/ice cream and found out the owner was like minded and wanted more like minded guys to visit him and get involved. It's the B & G and that has many meanings but if you go there you will out what it really means. 315 Vo Van Tan in Dist 3 will get you there and upstairs is well appointed but could do with a few more lounges which would make it more comfortable." -- tamquat, Oct 31, 2009

Click here for Saigon saunas for men.