Best bars in Ho Chi Minh City: rooftop drinking spots that show Saigon in all its glory
- Ho Chi Minh City’s bar and restaurant scene is booming, and one of the best ways to take in the city is from its charming rooftop bars
- Many were opened by young, innovative immigrants to the city and serve up food that is the match of the eclectic, innovative drinks
Vietnam’s northern capital, Hanoi, might have hogged the limelight since US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, met there in February.
But Ho Chi Minh City in the south, or Saigon as it is still often called, charms the visitor with its distinctive French-Indochine flavour, growing sophistication and lively dining and nightlife scene.
Bolstered by foreign – particularly Chinese – investment of late, a property boom in Vietnam has seen many new skyscrapers rise in Ho Chi Minh City, while landmarks such as the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace still provide significant reminders of its history.
Once you have had your fill of fresh street-side pho and banh mi, there is a great contemporary food and drinks scene to discover.
“Vietnam has become one of the most progressive countries in Asia, and Saigon is its most cosmopolitan city,” says former Hongkonger Mark Joyce, who relocated to Vietnam years ago and has now co-opened a three-storey restaurant and bar in Ho Chin Minh City called Knick Knack.
“The city has a fascinating F&B [food and beverage] dynamic, where its pioneering people are hungry for new experiences and restaurateurs can access exciting home-grown flavours and affordable start-up costs.”
One of the best ways to take in the city is from its rooftops, where a number of charming alfresco spots overlook gleaming new buildings jutting between colonial-style architecture and bustling city streets. Here are five of our favourites.
Social Club Saigon at the Hotel des Arts Saigon
Since opening in 2015, the boutique Hotel des Arts Saigon in District 3, part of the M Gallery chain, has made an impression on the city’s trendsetters.
Its modern Indochine design and calendar of well-curated events – including visits from Michelin-starred chefs and international DJs – make it one of the buzziest places in the city.
The Social Club rooftop terrace on the 24th floor is the hotel’s gem and a luxurious urban oasis. Locals and visitors alike take dips in the infinity pool and lounge about as hipster bartenders serve botanical-inspired cocktails during sunset hours.
It’s an idyllic way to spend a sun-drenched afternoon, and the perfect spot to take in vast, impressive views of the city.
Often there are live jazz nights or a DJ on the decks. On a recent visit it was packed to the rafters with a glamorous crowd waiting for Leeroy Thornhill (of Prodigy fame) to spin. The Social Club restaurant below offers a delicious champagne brunch that is popular with locals.
23-24/F, Hotel des Arts Saigon, 76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 3
Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar
The 10th-floor rooftop bar of the heritage Caravelle Hotel is a historic landmark made famous during the Vietnam war. Overlooking the old Opera House, here weary foreign journalists would gather to drink and file reports while watching soldiers closing in on the city.
Today, it is far more peaceful and remains a favourite among expats and tourists drawn by the historical significance of this picturesque spot. The bar offers live music sessions (acoustic, Latin and jazz nights) all week around.
You can sip on a glass of the bar’s own branded beer – the Caravelle Terrace Draft – made at a local brewery, while overlooking the spectacular and rather grand European-style buildings surrounding the Opera House.
10/F, Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square, District 1
Anan Saigon Rooftop
Situated in the centre of a vegetable and wet market, and home to a cool, mixed crowd, Anan is one of the city’s most exciting drinking and dining experiences.
“Every community had its own wet market in the old days, set up by the government so that people could go and buy their stuff, and it’s always been the centre of the community,” says owner Peter Cuong Franklin, a former Hong Kong resident who is also chef of Chom Chom and Viet Kitchen in Hong Kong, as he shows me around the four-floor building.
“They go and meet and connect with other people during the day. Now that is changing, because now we have supermarkets. But we want to be part of this thing which is real.”
From the roof, magical sunset views over the local market offer a slice of local Vietnamese life: the hum of families bargaining over market stalls, children running around and the odd stray dog darting between alleyways.
The carefully crafted cocktails are a refreshing change from the sickly sweet concoctions so often found in this region – the Mulberry Clover Club is especially delicious.
Anan’s design is chic and eclectic and the food innovative – Cuong Franklin’s signature playful take on his native cuisine. Try their Dalat escargot thin crust pizza, betel leaf beef (using tender buffalo flank) and tasty tacos. Not to be missed are the uni and crab starter and the mouthwatering foie gras imperial rolls.
The rooftop has a view towards the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh, as well as the old market. “It’s like a reflection of what we do,” Cuong Franklin says. “Taking traditional, real things from the street but making them modern – it’s that juxtaposition of the two.”
89 Ton That Dam, District 1
Knick Knack
Opened in March and hidden just beyond the mind-boggling motorbike streams of District 1, this fabulous new addition is testament to Ho Chi Minh’s dynamic new F&B scene.
The three-storey venue is a hip restaurant, bar and rooftop space founded by three ex-Hong Kongers, riding the wave of the city’s flush new dining scene. Tucked away in an alleyway in the heart of District 1, it is in the centre of the action but just off the main tourist strip.
“At Knick Knack, like many new places in town, we’re taking inspiration from contemporary global trends to present visitors with a concept steeped in that local vibrancy,” says co-owner Joyce. “It’s the kind of thing we wouldn’t be able to pull off in any other city in the world right now.”
Dinner on the leafy, pink-tinged rooftop is a great way to spend a lazy evening. Dig into the refreshing tofu and mint salad, tamarind crab, shiitake ravioli and dry-aged beef tartare.
The food here is contemporary, innovative Asian fusion fare for well-travelled people. Accompany it with one of their inventive cocktails, like the Dalat Pisco Sour or Old Passioned that bring a fresh local flavour to some classic recipes.
24bis Dong Du, Ben Nghe, District 1
Broma: Not a Bar
Located near the Saigon River, Broma has a casual bohemian vibe while being in the midst of downtown skyscrapers.
The entrance is a little hard to find, but once you walk up the three narrow flights of stairs through the bar (which also has an indoor floor and a terraced floor), you get to a relaxed roof overlooking a pedestrian street right in the centre of the city.
Laid-back and friendly, Broma is a great place for beer lovers. Ho Chi Minh is a city known for its boutique beers and microbreweries, and you’ll find many, including those from Pasteur Street and Winking Seal, served here.
On balmy evenings, Broma’s themed music nights draw a young international crowd. This relaxed, atmospheric joint has struck a chord with the flood of young Western immigrants that have flocked to the city, as Ho Chi Minh vies for a place among Asia’s newest city hotspots.
41 Nguyen Hue, Ben Nghe, District 1
Getting there: There are several direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City from Hong Kong, taking about 2.5 hours, on Cathay Pacific, Vietnam Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines and VietJet Air.
