Bar
Chill Skybar
One of the city's longest-running rooftop bars, on level 26 of AB Tower, with 360-degree views, DJ nights and a strictly enforced dress code.
A small, stylish rooftop cocktail bar on the 24th floor of Hotel des Arts Saigon, with views over the city from above the boutique MGallery hotel.
Good to know
Social Club Rooftop Bar crowns Hotel des Arts Saigon, a boutique hotel in the MGallery collection that opened in October 2015. The bar is on the 24th floor, above The Albion by Kirk Westaway on the 23rd, and the national guide to the city's nightlife describes it as small and stylish. It is a calmer alternative to the larger rooftop clubs, with the emphasis on cocktails, conversation and the view.
The hotel itself is inspired by the 1930s era of French Indochina, with Art Deco lines and pieces from the owner's private art collection displayed around the public spaces, and the bar shares that polished, design-conscious feel.
The location is on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in Xuan Hoa ward. The national nightlife guide notes that the bar overlooks the Opera House area. It suits couples, small groups and anyone who wants a quiet drink with a view before dinner. Smart casual dress is the safest choice in a hotel bar of this kind. Its smaller scale, compared with the big rooftop clubs of the city, is part of its appeal, and it is a good choice when you want to hear yourself talk. If you want to make an evening of it, the hotel's other venues include Saigon Kitchen, inspired by Asian street food markets, and Café des Beaux-Arts, where afternoon tea is served with live piano music.
A few general points apply to the rooftop bars of District 1. Most open in the late afternoon and close between midnight and 02:00, and the national guide to the city's nightlife notes that prices are usually quoted before service charge and VAT, which are added to the bill. Sunset is the busiest and most atmospheric time, so arrive a little early if you want a seat at the edge. In the rainy season, from around May to November, afternoon and evening showers can close open-air areas for a while, so it is worth checking the sky before you set out.
The hotel is easy to reach by taxi or ride-hailing from the rest of District 1, and the War Remnants Museum is in the same ward, so the bar works well as an end to a day of sightseeing in this part of the city.
On the 24th floor of Hotel des Arts Saigon MGallery, 76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street.
Small and stylish, with the focus on cocktails and the view.
Yes, it is the rooftop bar of Hotel des Arts Saigon, an MGallery hotel.
The Albion by Kirk Westaway, on the 23rd floor.
Yes, its calm, polished atmosphere suits couples and small groups.
Smart casual dress is the safest choice.
Around sunset, when the view is at its best.
In October 2015.
Restaurant
Chef Peter Cuong Franklin's Michelin-starred restaurant in a narrow tube house in the Old Market, reworking Vietnamese street food with modern technique.
Thing to do
The covered market of central Saigon, in its clock-towered building since 1914, selling food, coffee, crafts and clothing, with a night market on the streets outside.
Café
The flagship café of Marou, the Vietnamese bean-to-bar chocolate maker founded in 2011, serving chocolate drinks, cakes and French-style pastries on Calmette Street.
Hotel
An opulent five-star hotel in the Times Square Building between Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi, home to the Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Long Trieu.