Only a handful of establishments in Saigon are truly “gay places” in the internationally-recognized sense. Instead, gays tend to gather together in “mixed” establishments with their own group of personal friends.
Based on Eating Saigon! & Utopia.com experience, this is a current overview of Gay Places in Saigon (mixed, unless noted otherwise)
Another gay-friendly street venue serves up yummy sinh tô (fruit shakes)
COFFEE – DRINKS – FOOD
Sinh Tô on the Street
Opposite to 211-213 Vo Van Tan Street, District 1
An evening street venue serving great sinh to (fruit shakes). Gay-friendly, gay-owned and frequented by gay customer
Dong Hoa Xuan
49 Long Trang Long
Binh Thanh District
Hai – Our very own chef!
Eating Saigon!’s #1 recommended eatery (Hai’s place!!). Gay-owned, gay friendly, local neighborhood eatery with authentic Vietnamese dishes. Open 7:00 am – 3:00pm. Come by 11:30 am for best selection of foods. Rated highly on Trip Adviser!
Quán Thúy Linh
239/66A/66B Trần Văn Đang Street, P.11, District 3
#0906 432589, #0933 683719
Open 3:00 p.m until 1:00 a.m.
Mixed-sex couples enjoy their hot pot dinner meal. Apparently-lesbian couples, arm-in-arm, laugh with friends over their drinks. Transgender workers swish (literally) across the floor (hips first), taking orders, delivering food, cleaning tables, and exchanging coy smiles with customers. A table of construction workers (gay? who knows?) laugh together with their Trans waitresses. The server, with dangling earrings, sings confidently as he/she refills the trà đá (ice tea) glasses. Very fun!
Beer and Seafood on the Street
Pasteur Street, District 1
Go to Sherwood Residence and walk 50 meter backward of Pasteur Street
Located about 50 meter from the opposite side of Sherwood Residence at Pasteur Street
This eatery place is normally crowded from 8pm till late. Snails, crabs and fried noodles among the food available here. Many gay customers.
* * *
Saigon River Boutique Hotel Rooftop Cafe
58 Mac Thi Buoi street
District 1
+84 (0) 1 666 888 138
A small, but lovely rooftop cafe atop this downtown boutique hotel. Gay-owned and operated with gay-friendly staff. Coffee and food menu with a pocket-view of the Saigon River.
* * *
Papa Café
Cong Truong Quoc Te
#083-601-5629
Some lunch food & coffee. See BARS, next.
BARS
Papa Café
Cong Truong Quoc Te
#083-601-5629
Enter down a long alleyway packed with motorcycles on busy nights, just off the large traffic circle aroundHồ Con Rùa (“Turtle Lake”). This two story mostly gay club that gets packed on weekends. Enjoy the Karaoke bar downstairs as the gay clientel sing their hearts out. 2nd floor is a chill-out lounge with couch seating, large screen TV and French pop music at a conversation-friendly level.
* * *
Godmother Saigon Bar
129 Cong Quynh St, Dist 1, #3832-4589
Gay-friendly bar located in the backpacker area of Saigon. Meet up with your friends and hang out. They serve inexpensive, international comfort food. Busiest before 10pm. Ask to chat with the friendly owner and tell him you saw his place on Utopia and Eating Saigon! He’ll give you a very warm welcome.
* * *
Centro Bar
11 – 13 Lam Son Square, District 1
Mobile: +84.8.3827 5946 Facebook: Centrolounge
People come here in groups and seem to know each other. Centro Bar is located next to the Caravelle Hotel and Lion Brahaus.
* * *
61 Club
61 Nam Kai Khoi Nghia St, Dist 1
Gay-popular dance club. Heaving on Sat nights. Half the space is a dance floor with wall-to-wall LED computer graphics display. The other half is tables around which people drink and dance. Muscular security is everywhere to prevent tables from tipping over and embraces from getting too sloppy. Sound system will make your hairs stand on end, literally. The DJs play a relentless, looping drone beat and mix dance songs into it, occasionally punctuated by a police siren. Many groups of gay friends in evidence. Crowd is 20s and 30s.
GUEST ROOMS – HOTELS
Saigon River Boutique Hotel
58 Mac Thi Buoi street
District 1
www.saigonriverhotel.vn
+84 (0) 1 666 888 138
A conveniently located downtown Saigon boutique hotel. Tastefully appointed rooms at good prices. Gay-owned and operated with gay-friendly staff.
SPAS – MASSAGE – SAUNAS
NaDam Spa
12/29/1 Quốc Lộ 13
Hiệp Bình Chánh
Thủ Đức- HCM
(848) 37268028
0903 974 955
World class gay men’s facility. Friendly staff and deluxe gay sauna facilities. Massage room are luxurious with wet treatment areas as well as massage beds. Spa and massage services including body scrub, body care, hair dresser, facials, etc. Very popular, often crowded.
* * *
TD Spa (Thanh Dao)
372/25 Cach Mang Thang Tam St
(small alley opposite the large “Bakery” shop), Dist 3
#32248-6371
This small neighborhood gay sauna is a little gem. Nicely decorated in a colorful, Moroccan style. The patrons are fit and friendly. Ground floor has reception area and lockers (be sure to wear the rubber slippers provided because the stairs and landings are otherwise treacherously slippery). 2nd and 3rd have massage rooms, bathrooms and a resting nook. 4th has dry sauna, steam room, and a relaxing lounge. That’s it – hot men, warm sauna. Go all the way down to the end of the alley and look for the small TD sign.
* * *
Binh Minh Sauna
L19 Hoang Hoa Tham St
Ward 3
Binh Thanh District
(Enter on 2/F. Cross Hoang Hoa Tham bridge going north and the sauna is a block and a half on the left with a large sign and attendant out front.)
OPEN 9AM – 11PM ; Entry Fee about $3 USD
Easy to find, friendly neighborhood gay sauna. Locker room on 3/F and the attendant will help you get settled. There are showers in the bathrooms on all levels and also on the top floor. 4/F has a small TV lounge. 5/F has a dim mix room with lounge chairs and in the evening this room gets busy. Top floor has a nice smelling steam room (lemongrass) and a jacuzzi. Men here are friendly and unpretentious working class guys. Not much privacy, but connections get made. Crowd is mixed ages and it’s more active towards the evening. They also offer massage.
***
Nam Spa
FF8, Ba Vi Street, Bac Hai, Ward 15, District 10
+84.8.6264 9430
www.namspa.net
If you are looking for places to pamper yourself with good quality spa services, Nam Spa is really worth a try. This place is better than some.
SWIMMING POOLS
Younger gays and those less well-off, who perhaps cannot afford the cost of bars and high-end coffee shops, often socialize at Saigon’s public swimming pools. Most often after work/school and on weekends. Hours of operation are mildly unpredictable, with closures at holidays, lunch hours and after 7 pm. Bring your own bathing suit, towel, and bag for checking garments and valuables. Among the pools most often noted as gay meeting sites are:
One of Ho Chi Minh City’s gay-friendly public swimming pools
Hồ Bơi Lao Động
6 Huyền Trân Công Chúa
District 1
(about 3.5 blocks behind Cho Ben Thanh)
08 3930 9778
* * *
291 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street
District 10
+84.8.3862 7144
8A Cư Xá Bắc Hải
District 10
08.39705614
Find out about Gay Places in Saigon
No comments:
Post a Comment