Along these streets, you’ll find a variety of Western-style eateries, coffee shops, international bars, numerous tour operators, budget motels, hostels, and guesthouses. Additionally, there are many ‘mini-hotels’ with six to seven floors that typically lack elevators, alongside internet cafés, pharmacies, and souvenir and craft stores.

Pham Ngu Lao Street caters not only to budget-conscious travelers but also attracts a diverse crowd due to its proximity to major attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. With a lively atmosphere, many visitors enjoy indulging in local street food or people-watching while sipping on the incredibly affordable bia hoi draught beer available at roadside stalls.

Pham Ngu Lao Attractions

While Pham Ngu Lao has experienced rapid growth over the last ten years, it still retains many delightful colonial-era structures, as local families have resided there for generations. The street atmosphere can be quite hectic, with vendors offering a wide array of products, from cigarettes to massage services.

Budget travelers frequently choose to stay in hotels located in Pham Ngu Lao because of its prime location near various city landmarks and attractions. The well-known Ben Thanh Market and Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Museum are just a 10-minute walk from the backpacker area, while Reunification Palace and Mariamman Hindu Temple are less than a 10-minute taxi ride away.

Dining in Pham Ngu Lao Street

For first-time visitors to Saigon, experiencing the street food culture is essential. Here, one can indulge in local specialties such as banh mi sandwiches loaded with various toppings, banh xeo (savory pancakes), pho (the quintessential rice noodle soup), and bun bo hue (a heartier rice noodle soup compared to pho), along with traditional Vietnamese coffee. It is advisable to explore the dining options in the Pham Ngu Lao Area, renowned for its delectable yet affordable cuisine. Additionally, numerous cafes offering robust Vietnamese coffee are common in the area, typically equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi.

Shopping in Pham Ngu Lao Street

When it comes to your shopping itinerary in Vietnam, if you’re on the lookout for iconic conical hats—considered the unofficial emblem of the country—as well as a variety of handicrafts, vibrant paintings, luxurious silk items, trendy tee-shirts, delicate rice paper, aromatic tea, rich coffee, stylish coffee containers, delectable coconut candies, and exotic tropical fruits, then Pham Ngu Lao Street is the place to be. You are sure to discover all these treasures here.

This bustling area boasts a plethora of lively street markets and contemporary shopping malls, along with charming boutique shops and captivating art galleries tucked away in its narrow alleys. While shopping in this vibrant locale can be an exhilarating experience, especially due to the appealing prices, it’s advisable to take the time to compare prices and engage in some bargaining before finalizing any purchases.

Activities in Pham Ngu Lao Street

For those seeking to engage deeply with the local culture, we strongly recommend rising early to explore the area’s parks. Observing, or even participating alongside, the elders in their Tai Chi-like exercise sessions can be a fascinating experience. Additionally, visiting morning markets such as Ben Thanh Market is highly recommended, where local vendors offer a diverse selection of fresh produce, household items, and authentic Vietnamese street food at competitive prices.

Given that Pham Ngu Lao is a relatively small area, it serves as an ideal location for exploration on foot—early morning and late afternoon are the most pleasant times for this, as midday temperatures can be quite high. For those seeking a bit of adventure, numerous travel agencies are available to assist with organizing day trips both within the city and to surrounding areas.

Map of Pham Ngu Lao Street

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Liquid Sky Bar in Ho Chi Minh City gained a lot of popularity with both Vietnamese as well as expats, and is frequently visited by both. Up here you can enjoy lounging, dancing and swimming while listening to music and enjoying drinks with friends. Their cocktail menu is well known in town as it is innovative and served by Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Quyen, an award-winning mixologist.

The cocktails they serve are being prepared by using handmade syrups, perfumes and spices. The signature drinks Ginger Ninja and Sticky Rice envoke flavours of Viet cuisine are truly worth a try. Cocktails cost around VND 260.000 (US$10) per drink. There is a daily happy hour from 17:00 till 19:00 (50% off cocktails). The swimming pool closes at 21:00 and the DJ takes over the scene.

If you like to relax more then to dance then visit Liquid Sky Bar Saigon in the afternoon or on the weekend between 15:00 and 22:00 for a BBQ, during which they offer a beverage package for VND 400.000 per person (US$20).

Opening Hours: 11:00 – 24:00
Location: 8-15 Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 8 3822 0033

Map of Liquid Sky Bar

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Popular amongst local youths, Saigon Ranger Bar tends to get packed as early as 18:00 every day so make sure you head there early to grab a seat. Music-wise, the bar plays dubstep, techno and house on most nights, but punk, rock and hard-core music are often played by both resident and international bands.

On the drinks menu, you can find your usual bar offerings plus signature cocktails – beers cost about VND 50,000, spirits between VND 60,000 and VND 90,000 while mixed drinks and cocktails are priced at VND 110,000 and VND 120,000, respectively.

Besides being a live music venue in District 1, Saigon Ranger Bar also hosts a range of cultural events including exhibitions, launches, film screenings and readings. It can be a little hard to find as it’s hidden along Nguyen Sieu Street – look out for a flight of stairs which leads you up to the place.

Opening Hours: Daily 18:00 – 02:00
Location: 5/7 Nguyen Sieu, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 90 647 6747

Map of Saigon Ranger Bar

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Opening Hours: Daily
Location: 148 Cong Quynh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 90 800 4404

Map of New DC Club Saigon

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Some different kinds of beers that are brewed at East West Brewing Co. are pale ale, IPA, stout, blonde and dark Belgian, rose beer and more delicious treats. Their IPA can be described as a traditional favourite, with a smooth and soft palate and fruity Asian flavours and can be bought for VND 85.000 per glass (USD 3.50). Their stout has subtle flavours with hints of chocolate and coffee to remind you of drinking a true stout beer. A definite recommendation is to go for their tasting option and try four of their beers (160ml each) for the price of VND 175.000 (USD 7).

While tasting the handcrafted beers, you can enjoy some traditional comfort food from their western and Vietnamese menu. A sharing plate – the so called ‘West Appy Platter’ – is one of the signature dishes and consists of barbecue wings, soft pretzels, salmon tartine and chicken quesadillas (VND 275.000 – USD 10). If your hotel is located in the city centre, you can reach East West Brewing Co. Saigon by foot in around 10-15 minutes.

Opening Hours: 11:00 – 23:00
Location: 181 – 185 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (+84) 913 060 728

Map of East West Brewing Co. Saigon

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Opening Hours: Daily 17:00 – 02:00
Location: Ben Nghe Address: 41 Nguyen Hue, Ben Nghe, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 83 823 6838

Map of Broma Not A Bar

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One of the unique selling points of the Above Sky Bar is their terrace with a swimming pool. Here you can cool down while having a refreshing drink or snack from their canapé menu and enjoy the view and music. A nice touch are their sun-lounge beds, with a small table, that are set inside the pool so you can have your legs in the water while sipping on their Pho signature cocktail (VND 150.000 or US$ 7).

There is a daily happy hour from 14:00 till 17:00, during which you will get one cocktail, draught beer or spirit for free when you buy one. You also have the opportunity to watch a movie in one of their premium cinemas on the first floor. Enjoy the latest movies from a luxurious arm chair, in a cosy and private ambiance.

Opening Hours: 06:30 – 24:00
Location: 59 Pasteur, Quận 1, TP. Hồ Chí Minh City
Tel: +84 8 3822 5678

Map of Above Sky Bar at Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint

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Playing mostly electronic dance tunes, this vibrant nightclub’s dancefloor is located at the third floor of a building in District 1, and is usually crowded after midnight. On the drinks menu, you find just about anything you may desire, including fruit shakes, cocktails, beers, juices, and wines. Local beers such as Saigon are priced at VND 45,000 while imported ones cost between VND 50,000 and VND 75,000 per bottle.

During the day, you can enjoy a meal and drinks while people-watching on the ground floor. Western favourites such as sandwiches, burgers (VND 98,000), pastas and pizzas (VND 150,000) make up the most of the menu, but there are several traditional Vietnamese dishes (VND 85,000 upwards) on offer.

Open 24 hours daily, Crazy Buffalo Nightclub Saigon is a 10-minute walk from Ben Thanh Market. After midnight, all drinks at Crazy Buffalo Nightclub Saigon are about 20% pricier so it’s a good idea to head there early for better deals.

Opening Hours: Daily (24 Hours)
Location: 212 De Tham, Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 90 842 4037

Map of Crazy Buffalo Nightclub Saigon

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This living history is palpable at Saigon Saigon and its famous past is reinforced with wooden fixtures, sepia photographs and a chequered black and white marble floor. Although the bar is only on the ninth floor, the view is majestic with many of Ho Chi Minh City’s most famous sites laid out beneath the right hand side of the bar. Directly below the hotel is Lam Son Square with the ornate Saigon Opera House and equally famous Rex Hotel facing each other, and stretching into the distance, the People’s Committee Hall and Notre Dame Cathedral. This is without doubt the best view of historical Saigon and a must for anyone interested in the tumultuous history of the city.

Chairs on the right hand side of the bar are mostly laid out in pairs with a small table, fairy lights and plenty of foliage to keep your experience private and romantic; to the left of the bar there are larger tables for bigger groups and good views of the stage. There is a daily happy hour from 18:00 to 20:00 when draft beers and wine are buy one get one free and every night at Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar there is an excellent live band performing Latino style lounge music from 20:00 that adds a lively touch to dinner or a few drinks. The cocktail menu at Saigon Saigon runs several pages and the menu has an excellent range of western favourites with some of the best steaks and burgers in town. All drinks are served with a sort of bento-box selection of nibbles that includes nuts, dried fruit chips and small crunchy shrimp.

Opening Hours: 11:00 – 02:45
Address: 19 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +(84-8) 3823 4999

Map of Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar

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The walk to the outside bar has a real wow factor about it, especially as you descend the few steps that lead to the terrace and take in the sweeping panorama for the first time. The bar uses lots of neon lighting that feels totally modern, and then far below you can see the hustle of the city.

The bar opens at 17:00, an hour or so before sunset, and plays down tempo, chill out music through dusk, before livening things up around 22:00 when the DJ spins popular hip hop and dance music. Unlike other cocktail bars in Saigon, there is a dance floor inside Chill which becomes packed with the city’s glitterati on weekends.

It must be said that drinks here are very expensive. A cocktail costs close to US$20 and are well mixed, but no better than you will receive at other rooftop bars for half the price. There is however an excellent happy hour from 17:30 to 20:00 when all cocktails, long drinks and beers, and some wines and snacks are half price. The cocktail menu is a rather limited collection of classics, some of which have signature twists, such as the mojito, made with sugar syrup instead of brown sugar and a splash of champagne instead of soda.

Owing to its popularity, you are advised to call ahead and make a reservation if you would like to take a seat while you enjoy the view. Otherwise there is standing room only at the bar or seating inside the club. Chill rooftop bar in Saigon is popular with tourists who come for the great views, cool vibe, and to take photographs to share their experience. Some of the staff don’t seem to appreciate this fact and will tell customers where they can and can’t take pictures, where they can and can’t stand, all of which detracts from the experience and feels a little like being back at school. Still, for people who love a good view while they dance to the latest hip hop tracks, Chill Skybar is unbeatable.

Opening Hours: 17:30 – 02:00
Address: 76A Le Lai Rooftop of AB Tower, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (83) 8 272 372

Map of Chill Skybar

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