Vietnam has become a favorite destination for travelers to Southeast Asia. Picturesque, vibrant and youthful, it offers magnificent natural wonders, gorgeous beaches, ancient city lanes, addictive cuisine and a paradise of shopping bargains.

Vietnam is splashed with color, from verdant rice fields, hot pink lanterns and day-glo boutiques, to the increasing visibility of gays and lesbians adding their own special hues to Vietnam’s rainbow.

Vietnam is a place to have fun, but also a place to use your common sense since the gay world here is still largely in the shadows and, as a result, some prey on the vulnerability of gay tourists (see words of caution from Utopians in the coming pages).

Never-the-less, no one should miss a chance to encounter the amazingly friendly Vietnamese, to learn about their rich culture and enjoy their warm hospitality!

• Vietnam Gay & Lesbian News
• Travel in Vietnam message forum
• Vietnam Lesbian Scene Updates message forum
• Women in Vietnam message forum
• Additional links for Vietnam GLBT information.

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

• Vietnam AIDS/HIV organizations and information

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

Vietnam’s largest and most free-wheeling metropolis is also one of Asia’s major economic and cultural centers. Youthful, vibrant, and bursting with opportunities to dine, shop and be entertained, old Saigon has morphed into a phoenix of creative, cutting-edge combustion.

The population of Ho Chi Minh City is nearing 7 million (that's 280,000 Utopians).

Click here for Saigon hotels and accommodations.

• Eden Bar (mixed)
  236 De Tham St, District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao area), 836-8154, email. A safe and friendly bar for gays, lesbians, and straights, with tropical decor and a peaceful ambiance. Pleasant and attentive staff. They offer a wide range of drinks including beer, wine and cocktails. An international menu features Vietnamese specialties along with pizza and pasta, burgers, sandwiches and more."

• America Discotheque
  Windsor Hotel Tower, District 5. The disco is huge, the biggest one in HCMC. The DJs are very good and all the waitresses are hot. There is a dance floor in the middle and small tables all around. The place is really dedicated to dancing. The price is a little bit expensive, but you really have a lot of space to move your body compared to the other discos. Crowded on Sat. There are also some private rooms that you can close.
• Ben Thanh
  3/F 6 Mac Dinh Chi, District 1. After Sam Son Club closed, Ben Thanh became popular. Mon night from 8:30pm-11pm is the place for young local gays and lesbians to socialize (500+ people, with the majority being gay). No foreigners, almost no one above 25. Great Vietnamese pop music. Things go wild when the lights shut down for the last two love songs and the dance floor is a flickering sea of mobile phone LCDs. Lucky draw shortly before closing (you get the lottery ticket together with the entrance ticket).

• Bread and Butter
  40/24 Bui Vien (off Pham Ngu Lao). A mix of friendly teachers. The chef is a lesbian, the food is good and the beer cheap.
• Phuong Cac Café (coffee shop)
  Bis Nam Ky Khoi Nghia 213, District 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 only!

Phu Quoc Island

Click here for Phu Quoc hotels and accommodations.

• Eden Bar (mixed)
  Tran Hung Dao St, Duong Dong Town, 077-994-208, email. Second and bigger branch of Saigon's Eden bar, restaurant and guesthouse. Gay and lesbian-friendly. Dancing from 9pm till late. Utopia Member Discount