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

Many clubs popular with gays are located in District 1, just a short hop, skip or taxi jump from one another, in the heart of the tourist area.

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

DISTRICT 1
• Dong Phuong Bar
  22 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan St, Dist 1. Filled with well-behaved gay couples and friends hoping to find a steady partner. It's dark, unpretentious, and very popular. Live shows (Vietnam's most famous transgender singer sometimes performs traditional folk songs here) as well as karaoke. Very friendly, though almost entirely sticky rice crowd.

  Eden Bar (mixed) 236 De Tham St, Dist 1 (Pham Ngu Lao area), 836-8154, email. A safe and G&L-friendly bar with pool room and restaurant located in Saigon's backpacker area (similar to Bangkok's Khasan Rd). Downstairs bar is a mix of beer drinkers, families, and friendly staff. 2/F is a stylish restaurant with a bit more privacy for gay and lesbian friends to chat and dine. The international menu features Vietnamese specialties along with pizza and pasta, burgers, sandwiches and much more. There's a wide range of drinks including beer, wine and cocktails. The owner is young, professional, and protects the premises from prostitutes and moneyboys. His manager is educated and speaks excellent English. Although not a gay bar, it's a great place to inquire about the do's and don'ts of the local scene. They ask you to please let them know you are from Utopia so that they may welcome you personally. Utopia Member Discount

DISTRICT 1
• Apocalypse Now (mixed)
  Thi Sach St. 2B-2C (see map), Dist 1, 825-6124, FAX 910-0476. The majority of the audience are straight, rich young Vietnamese. Some female prostitutes. About 10% of the crowd is gay (beware of hustlers) and they tend to stay in just one corner area indoors or sometimes the outdoor patio area. Two dance floors, plus an open-air garden café. Entrance fee is arbitrarily applied, but usually free for foreigners. Young crowd, under 25. Open daily from 8pm until late.

DISTRICT 3
• Paris Dong Phuong
  22 Ba Huyen Thank Quan P6, Dist 3, 930-2796. Crowded with cute gays who come to sing.

  
  DISTRICT 10

• Golden Smile Karaoke (mixed)
  656 Su Van Hanh St, Dist 10.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "Golden Smile Karaoke has been transformed into an expensive bar and not the same crowd as before." -- tamquat, Feb 21, 2009

  
  TAN BINH DISTRICT

• Nang Xanh Café Bar (mixed)
  Phan Xich Long St, Tan Binh Dist. Gay karaoke and café. Popular for singing and dancing from 9pm-midnight.
• The Time Café (Café Thoi Gian) (mixed)
  28 Tan Xuan St, Tan Binh District (near the Thing Nhat Hospital). Popular with gays from 8pm-midnight.