Stop Trying to Find Thai Nightlife in Vietnam

Who knew?! Vietnam is not Thailand. It's almost like they're two different countries.

So a good friend of mine, Andrew, who lives in Pattaya, recently came to visit Saigon because the visa situation in Thailand is a bit more strict now and it's a good time for him to travel and explore.

I also watched this video from a YouTuber called Sammy who runs the "Gone Adrift" channel. He put out a video on four common scams in Vietnam/Saigon aimed at travelers.

The first one he covered was meeting women on dating apps and getting steered into a bar area.

Both got me thinking that I need to address this nightlife thing as it's one of the biggest mistake I see from first-timers make.

Square Peg, Round Hole

Most people tend to visit Thailand before Vietnam. Often getting stuck in Thailand for years and becoming all about that country like it's the center of the world.

When they do eventually make their way to Vietnam, they look for aspects of Thailand here because it's all Southeast Asia so must be the same.

It isn't.

These are two different countries with two very different nightlife cultures, and going in with the wrong expectations sets you up for a letdown at best, a bunch of wasted money at worse.

What Saigon Nightlife Does Well

Saigon is great if you have a girlfriend and/or a group of friends.

Places here like The Gangs or The Street work as beer halls where you get yourself a big tower of beer, food and drink with and be silly with your friends.

Sammy (Gone Adrift) mentioned to wandering in here solo and making the observation that no one cared or paid attention to him.

That, they "didn't seem that enthusiastic about meeting people from overseas" and to that I would say - OF COURSE!

These two spots are not a place to go wandering into as a solo, middle aged guy. Young Vietnamese are here with their friends or work colleagues partying it up.

Cocktail bars and clubs

Saigon has a bunch of different bars, clubs, cocktail bars, beer halls and rooftop places scattered around the city and it's these spots where both foreigners who live here and local Vietnamese go to.

That's why I mention having a girlfriend here as well as just dating (Layla Bar was my go-to date spot) is so awesome because it opens up all these fun, random places.

You can also go with your friends as well, but there are ton of places to take a date to.

The Three Areas Male Tourists Always End Up In

Most guys end up in one of three places:

1. Bui Vien.
2. Japantown.
3. Pasteur Street.

Bui Vien

Bui Vien is strictly for tourists. Cute Vietnamese girls who are out with their friends will almost never frequent this area. Same with any foreigners who live in Saigon.

It's for tourists through and through. Now I'm not making a moral judgement. It's just an observation. I go to Bui Vien maybe once every 6 months. There are some clubs there and random hidden spots.

It's a fun night out with a group of guys, but it's no Khao San Road that is found in Bangkok. Khao San is somewhere where local Thai girls go specifically to meet foreign men, it's bigger than Bui Vien and has a better selection of bars and clubs.

Japan Town and Pasteur Street

I'll lump these two together because they're basically the same thing.

Random little bars that aren't that nicely designed with attractive girls out front with the sole goal to get you inside the bar to buy drinks and lady drinks.

That's it.

Nothing more.

Saigon has no equivalent of Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza, or the walking streets of Phuket and Pattaya.

That scene simply doesn't exist here.

Pasteur Street and Japan Town are lined with tiny bars, with young women outside trying to get you in.

Once you're inside, the model is to buy drinks for yourself and then buy drinks for the hostesses.

Is it a scam?

No, it's just kind of silly, and I don't get the appeal. You can walk in and sit without buying anyone a drink, but nobody is going home with you the way they might in Bangkok.

These areas are fine for a quick stop to see what they're about, but they're no big deal.

I find myself in Japan Town because there is a bar called 7 Bridges in the front that is decent and Japan Town has legit, Japanese restaurants that are outstanding.

As for the little girly bars, yea me and my guy friends bar hop over here, but that's it.

As for Pasteur Street, I'm only ever over here because of Phatys Sports bar and Bar 5, which offers a free flow happy hour that lasts 8 hours and costs only 170k VND which is $6!

Yea it's insane, go to Bar 5 if you want a $6 free flow happy hour that lasts literally all day. What could go wrong 😅

What About the Dating App Scam?

Back to the scam Mr. Gone Adrift described.

Dating apps in Hanoi were a a total scam for me, but Saigon is a different story. I've had a ton success on Badoo and Bumble, and it's how I met my beautiful girlfriend, along with plenty of other attractive young women.

I do agree with the warning in one sense

Roughly one in every hundred matches was a bar girl, and the tell is easy to spot. She wants you to meet her at a stupid little bar on Pasteur Street, or in Japan Town, or says that she will book a table at a club or something and to join her.

She earns a commission, you spend a pile of money, and you just waste your time with someone who is not into you.

Yes, this happens, but in my experience it's not common in this city.

Old guys in general don't last here

The bigger factor is that Vietnamese women are beautiful, smart, well dressed etc and that pay-to-play culture found in Thailand or the Philippines is not really a thing here with young, attractive women.

Yea, I'm sure you can meet working girls off Tinder, but it ain't Thailand and if you're used to leading with money, out of shape, don't dress well, and socially awkward you're going to struggle and be frustrated here as you'll see beautiful women that you don't have access to.

The apps overall work fine here in Saigon if you're reasonably attractive, charming and put together. Not to be rude, but that means no cargo shorts, no ball cap at night covering your bald head, with a clean shaven face while wearing an under armor shirt, wondering where all the girl are at.

You got to have it going on and be put together here if you're vying for an attractive young woman that has options.

No they're not poor and stupid. No, they don't want your money. No, they're not Essan girls from Thailand working at a bar that you can just pay for (no disrespect to these girls by the way).

So is the bar invitation a scam?

It's deceptive, for sure. But I wouldn't put it at the level of a true scam. They just want to get you into the bar so you can buy beer for yourself and lady drinks for the girl you think you have a chance with but don't.

Conclusion

Stop trying to find Thai nightlife in Vietnam. Most places here close around 1-2am max.

That means GO HOME.

Now are their late night options?

Of course, Pasteur Street, Japan Town, Bui Vien are all open late. Certain bars like Play Saigon, Buddha Bar are also open. Finally clubs like Bodega and Papi also stay open late as well as the Pham Viet Chan area.

So it's not impossible to find, it's just more oriented to going home at 1am in general.

So in short, if nightlife is your top priority, you'll enjoy Thailand a lot more than Vietnam.

Saigon and Vietnam in general has a really fun drinking culture, but overall this is a place better for living than to visit as a tourist.

More? More!

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