Ho Chi Minh District 7 Nightlife - Spotlight On Bars

When you’re visiting Ho Chi Minh City… one of the areas that may be lower on the list for tourists to see is District 7.

While there’s nothing wrong as such with District 7… it’s an area that’s more upmarket with prices to match. And, there’s not a lot of sightseeing activities.

So, on our travels through Ho Chi Minh… we’d have to say that District 7 Saigon is one of the most expensive areas we’ve been to.

Now, there are many expats that live here, and that’s most likely the reason why prices are on the higher end of the scale.

Yet, it does have a quieter, more suburban feel than other parts of Ho Chi Minh. Thus, the clientele at bars we’ve been to have generally been fine.

And, along with that we’ve yet to encounter any riff-raff on our nights out in District 7!

So, if you happen to be in District 7, while there are nowhere near as many bars as in District 1… we have been to several. Plus, there are several karaoke places too, if that takes your fancy.

Yet, in this blog post we’ll run through some bars you may (or may not) want to check out. So, the bar to begin our Ho Chi Minh District 7 nightlife blog is…

Speakeasy

The Speakeasy is a cool bar, which has many areas to enjoy some brews. Plus, there are nights where there is live music.

And, if you feel up for some action… there’s pool table and if we recall, darts. Plus, they have screens to watch live sports.

So, when we were there the music pumping through the speakers was from Queen. Thus, it was a good start for us. And, the service from staff was swift and friendly.

Yet, having been in Vietnam, it’s hit and miss as to whether or not the beers would be cold.

So, after ordering our tiger draught beers, our first mouthful was a cool delight. Woo hoo! The beers were icy cold.

So, a small tiger draught beer is 45,000 VND (about USD $1.95). Now, that’s still cheap in comparison to the rest of the world! Yet, for Vietnamese prices that’s on the more expensive scale.

But, you can come during their happy hours of 3:30pm – 7pm. And, you can snap up some bargains like selected bottled beers at 35,000 VND… house wines at 80,000 VND or certain spirits at 65,000 VND.

Plus, if you’re feeling puckish… they also have a kitchen where the chef can whip up some international and local foods.

The Rusty Bucket

So, another place to take advantage of District 7 HCMC happy hours on a variety of drinks is… The Rusty Bucket.

And, from 3pm to 7pm happy hours include a variety of tiger beers between 35,000 VND to 50,000 VND. Plus, wines by the glass at 70,000 VND.

Similar to Speakeasy, there are screens to watch live sports. Yet, the paraphernalia inside the bar is more sporty… with lots of different jerseys hung on the walls.

So, when we were there not sure who she was… but the lady behind the bar was like the queen and running a tight ship! Thus, no messing about with her… LOL!

It felt like a casual atmosphere and there was food available to order if we needed a feed.

So, as far as the music is concerned there was a mix of genres playing. And, we could even choose our songs via Youtube on their computer! Yet, remember it’s a bar, so playing boring or depressing music might see you banned – ha ha ha!

So, while we were there a couple of the beers we had weren’t ice cold. Yet, overall they were, so check out The Rusty Bucket if you’re in the area.

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Miss Saigon

Now, as we were bar crawling and checking out the Ho Chi Minh District 7 Nightlife… we saw a place called, Miss Saigon.

So, we recall having been to a Miss Saigon bar in District 1 Bui Vien Walking Street. Thus, we thought we’d check out the one here. Yet, we weren’t expecting it to be raucous like in Bui Vien.

And, after walking through the front doors, it was lifeless. We were the only ones there. Plus, the staff didn’t seem to have much interest in serving us. Then, as we were sitting at the bar, we were looking at the menu of drinks.

So, there was a decent variety, and we ended up choosing the Red Saigon for 40,000 VND each. Now, as far as we know there was no happy hour.

So, when the staff was bringing out our beers, she put a small plate of nuts out for us too.

Yet, we pushed them back to her and politely declined. And, she was surprised that we didn’t want them.

Plus, we weren’t sure whether or not the peanuts were for free… or if there’d be a surprise addition on the bill. So, something to think about if you go to this bar.

So, the beers were quite cold, which was great. But again, it felt like a dull atmosphere in this small bar.

Toilet Business…

Now, to get to the unisex toilet it was like a labyrinth. I didn’t go, but Paul said to me, “If you can hold on then I suggest you do!”

So, we were then only planning to have one beer here. And, after getting our bill, we saw that they had over-charged us. Then, when we were discussing it with a staff member, she was looking at it strangely.

Then, another staff member came over and they said that they had made a mistake. Hmmmmm… was it really a mistake? We were the only ones there, so it did make us wonder.

So, we wouldn’t go back to Miss Saigon, but at least we tried it out!

The Tavern

When going to The Tavern, it stands out amongst the rest of the buildings because of its earthy red color. Then, once inside the same theme continues on.

So, there are daily happy hours. But, you’re best to ask the staff what the happy hour promotions are. And, that’s because there are signs promoting offers, like buy 1 get 1 free Tiger beer draught. Yet, that’s only for Monday to Friday.

Plus, there’s a daily food eating competition, where if you can eat their massive burrito within 20 minutes… get it for free as well as a 1,000,000 VND voucher to use at The Tavern.

And, if you’re craving a roast meal, they can whip up one on Sundays. Like many of the other bars, they also have a varied menu of international cuisine if you decide to eat there too.

Plus, if you’re looking for some action there are dart boards and a pool table. And, there are screens to watch live sports.

And, if you want a smoke-free zone, then head on upstairs. So, the service here is great and it has a vibrant atmosphere.

Ruby Soho

Ruby Soho is an unassuming bar, which is completely different to all the others we’d been to in District 7 HCMC. And, the main reason is that once we went inside, here’s what we saw…

There are heaps of photos, paintings and pictures of singers, actors, superstars… and of general everyday life.

And, another thing we instantly noticed was that it was cool inside… from the air conditioning that was working well. So, this was similar to other places we’d been to.

So, there are several sections inside Ruby Soho to take a seat…

Out the front of the shop
In the ground floor area
At the bar area on the ground floor
Small area upstairs

So, the service here is great and the staff are generally attentive. Plus, there are happy hours daily from 3:30pm – 7:30pm.

And, the happy hours include a large range of beers from 28,000 VND, with glasses of wine from 65,000 VND.

Thus, Ruby Soho seems to have the best happy hours… as well as pricing and out of happy hours from what we can see.

And, even better is that the beers are ice cold. Plus, the beer glasses come out cold too as they’re in the fridge to keep cool before serving.

So, as with many of the other District 7 bars, there are screens to watch sports. Yet here, there’s a massive projector type screen.

So, we like the atmosphere here and it seems very laid back. And, while we haven’t had any meals here, from what we’ve seen it looks pretty good… especially the massive cheese platter we saw!

And That’s A Wrap…

And so, there were some bars that you can check out to experience the Ho Chi Minh District 7 Nightlife. We could walk around easily to each of these bars too.

So, take your pick and even explore, as there are several more bars dotted around District 7. Yet, with some of those you’ll need to get a taxi, or other transport to them… as they’re too far for comfortable walking distance.

And, be mindful that smoking is allowed inside the bars, like just about everywhere in Vietnam.

But, with pretty much all the bars we went to, the air conditioning was blaring… and the beers were mostly cold. And, that’s what’s needed when in hot, humid, Ho Chi Minh City.

ENJOY!

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Note: All of our reviews and comments are our opinions and no-one else’s. Even if we receive complimentary goods or services we share our opinions honestly.