I bid my farewells and headed to more familiar territory.

First stop was lush – another friend, big booze distributor, was having a party with a DJ flown in from the Germany. VIP tables, bottles of booze and lots of hangers on. Stayed there for a while meeting some new friends and ogling a group of uni girls, spending pops hard earned Dong, out for a Saturday night. There really are some hotties in these places but for some reason I always crash and burn. Me and the Viet girls just don’t seem to gel. However lush is a cool place and a great vibe. Lots of talent. Another SMS and found out that another crew was over at Apocalypse tearing it up. Ended the night there since I was planning on getting up early. After previously checking the models, the p4p crowd looked pretty un-appealing.

Hotel han solo style.

In the morning I headed over to just men spa for a shave, manicure, pedicure and a facial – awesome place. Great service, decent prices and just can’t be missed. No hanky-panky here. This is a real spa but for all you trolls needing some metro sexual grooming action, there are a lot of u, this is the place to go. Spend the morning there, lay down the plastic, and come out looking and feeling better.

After that over to Saigon Hotel for a rub, tug and sauna. Prices may vary – still not the best deal for basic p4p but I was being lazy. As stated before, p4p in Vietnam, when compared against Thailand is truly a letdown. So why bother?

Sing to wash some clothes and repack. Over to KL.

KL is one of those hit or miss places where a normal night of clubbing can lead to bliss, hotel spas for some decent p4p or hit the freelancer joints to see what nationality you can pick up. For sure what KL lacks in the punch it makes up for with variety.

I was in the hotel working and being a lazy sod trying to examine the game plan. I needed to be up early, was not in the mood for partying, did not feel like getting in a taxi and remembered pmmp’s core principals of good living. Order in and stay home. Hmmmm. Went surfing and found this: This link is not safe from work. Surf to the core site and be sure to download the price list/menu.

I figured I had to try it. I called. We discussed Android versus iPhone. Local versus non-local. I ordered non-local Chinese. There was some confusion on which hotel I was at and I had to go to the lobby to collect but all in all it was as easy as ordering a pizza. Package arrived. She was hot, spoke no English and was all business. I can’t say it was worth it but the experience was interesting. Skills were so-so, but the girl was so hot – however the lack of communication took its toll. Not sure I would do it again unless I was assured to get someone who might speak a little more English and had a better attitude.

Some of the menu choices do look enticing though.

Package safely returned I went to bed.

After a day of work I hooked up with some locals for some r & r. Thing I like about the Asian locals is most of them have a pretty good lifestyle. They might have their wives and girlfriends, jobs and schedules – but they usually know where to take you for some local delights. I had been hearing about Batin – which is the Malaysian versus of the nut sack rub. I am a big fan so I was excited to know that there was a spot close to where we were working.

Lavender Aroma Therapy. Look for the pink signs:

47-2, Jalan Puteri 2/1, Bandur Puteri Puchong, 47100 Selangor

03-8060 3782

There are lots of branches so do call or ask people where to get Batin. Surprisingly even some of the co-ed spas have some Batin practitioners on hand. Prices vary but basically you are paying for normal massage and then so many minutes of Batin. I took the hour and then Batin for 30. No vowels – but thanks. It was slightly different than what I had experienced in Thailand. The technique is mostly the same when it comes to the nut sack kneading, but the finish is much slower. They tend to try and milk it rather than create re-enactments of old faithful. All in all awesome service and for sure I would go again.

Batin is your friend.

There is for sure much more to KL but when in Rome…

Speaking of full meal deals the town is littered with Health Spas and my guess is some sort of groin checks are happening but I did not have time to check it.

For lunch I met my service girl from Lush at Highland Coffee. HCMC is full of coffee shops and it seems on the weekends the hi-so white viet girls are lounging around them all day long. I must have seen 10-15 hotties I would love to jump but of course they had no interest in me whatsoever. Kind of like when YP walks into a hetero go-go bar. I am sure if one spent some time in HCMC it would not take long to start to hang with these girls. I think in general the laws of averages are much better in Thailand but the hotties in Vietnam are a thing to behold and so many of them have big tits. Kills me. Vietnam seems to win the tit wars in SEA but might tie with Indonesia. Thailand is out of the running for this game.

My date was a total bore so we went of for a foot massage. Find the chinese style ones for a good experience. Better than HK/China, they don’t break your feet, but a little less gentle than the put you-to-sleep type of foot rub in Thailand. The happy ending is a nice head shoulder rub. Good value all in all. I bid the lush girl goodbye and went to the hotel for a nap.

For the evening I wanted something a little different. Near the river, but out of district 1, you will find the yuppie/exapat don’t let the locals near me enclave of Ann Phu. I have never seen so many huge houses in one area in SEA. Huge pads but hidden among them on the river are little dead end streets tucked away with cool bars and restaurants. I chose the Deck on 38 Nguyen u Di – see website for how to get there. It was not easy but so worth it. http://www.thedecksaigon.com. A nice chill spot right on the river with great cocktails and food. A huge martini will set you back like 5 bucks. I ate dinner there and just hung by the river – would have been better with a date but not the p4p type. One street over, good luck finding it, is suppose to be the Zanzbar club – quite the place on fri/sat is what people say. I imagine the hip crowd but might be a nice change of pace.

I went back into town and started walking around the Le Thanh Ton area. All around this street and a few others in either direction, stick to the low numbers, there are tons of bars. Many Japanese hostess places and little watering holes with girls. My guess is there are some gems but you would have to explore.

I happened to stumble upon Smiley Bar on Thai Van Lung and realized it was on my list. Drinks are a reasonable 50k vnd and you can buy bottles. I had some 27 year old come up to me. A little chunky but a gorgeous face and fun demeanor. She told me she liked to drink hot milk. I assumed I knew what she meant and we started the negotiations. She said 700k and as much as I tried she would not come down from that. That is like 1200 baht – makes lolitas a total bargain. Generally this was my beef with Vietnam – there is no real value in it compared to Thailand. Maybe there never was but you get a sense how great Thailand is. I am sure there are HCMC regulars who will laugh at the prices or say you can do better but let’s compare. I don’t have to bargain walking into lolitas. Hell – I generally don’t even get a drink and if I paid her 1000 all in all she still takes the whole load and does not try to rifle through my wallet. Smiley was probably the better mid range hostess place in town but pales in comparison to Thailand. Also they have no real private spaces – just the pool rooms and the chairs. I think next time I will bargain to bang her on the pool table for extra effect. She was good though but they lack the extra touch of milking things to the very end. Her number btw the way is *&^.

With that I went back to my hotel to sleep. HCMC is fun but mongering is not the gem here. I think the eating, clubbing and chilling out are with the chance to throw in some action on the side. However there are other places I have yet to try, there are massage joints and I did not even crack the FL scene at all. I will be back for more but as a pure play I would not be chasing Vietnam for p4p.

appendix:

Eat/Drink

1. Camargue:
http://camarguesaigon.com/temp/carmague/
For dinner. Very cool, kind of Old Colonial French feel, French/International cuisine

2. Cepage
http://www.cepage.biz/
Great for dinner, lunch and drinks. Great food, very respectable wine list, cool people. A standard with Saigon regulars.

3. Au Parc
http://www.swiftcity.com/guides/vietnam/50/590.html
Chilled out Cafe/Restaurant located right on a park. Great international food, casual. Great for breakfast or lunch. If you go, sit upstairs in the front near the windows.

4. The Temple Club
http://www.igougo.com/dining-reviews-b146154-Ho_Chi_Minh_City-The_Temple_Club.html
Great atmosphere, a favorite of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (they rode a motorbike from their hotel to here apparently), good Vietnamese cuisine. Good place for lunch or especially dinner. I’d suggest a reservation if you are thinking of going. Old style French Colonial. Directly below this restaurant is Fanny’s Ice Cream, great French ice cream parlor.

5. Hotel Restaurant and Bars
There’s the Hyatt Saigon which has a couple of good restaurants. Square One on the second floor has some very nice Asian Fusion. The Intercontinental just opened and looks quite cool though I haven’t tried it yet. Apparently there will be a Hard Rock Cafe there soon. The Sheraton has a good rooftop bar which gives one of the best views of the city. All the major hotels are basically within walking distance of each other.

6. Clubs and Bars
- Apocalypse. For good and bad, all roads lead at the end of the night to Apocalypse. One of the few bars/clubs that goes for it and keeps going for it until very late.
http://www.saigonbarsonline.com/apocalypse-now/

-Lush. Good lounge/club. Cool design, young vietnamese crowd, usually good DJ
http://www.saigonbarsonline.com/lush-bar/

-Go2. Same league as Apocalypse. Located in the back packer area which is open very late (most other clubs and areas have to close by 2). Lots of drunk tourists and doginess. Have a few drinks in you before you attempt this place and watch your wallet!
http://www.saigonbarsonline.com/go2-bar/

-Qbar. Not quite as exciting as Qbar Bangkok but a good place for drinks. Incredible location. Usually a good scene but doesn’t really get going until the weekend after 12. During the week, great place to sit outside and have a ginger mohito, watching the organized chaos of Saigon pass by.
http://www.saigonbarsonline.com/q-bar/

7. Massage

Saigon Hotel on Dung Du Street (same street as sheraton)

Bong Sen Hotel on 117 Dong Khoi Street (diagonal from the corner of the Sheraton building) Bong Sen is usually a bit more full service but not FULL service.

They charge you 30USD for the girl to sit with you – I think that is the whole night. I guess you could just roll in and pick and go upstairs or book a karaoke room. I finally picked a little stunner and we had a few drinks – the freaking mamasan always lays on a drink without asking. I hate that shit. I decided I needed a nice short time so went for the room. You pay 50 for the room and that can be charged. From reading online I was under the assumption it was then like another 50 to the girl. However when I was up in the room she started asking for 80. I was like no way babe but let’s see the action first. She went from being fun and cuddly to all biz. Just like the way they operate in Sing.

Someone teaches them this and they all think this is good biz but it sucks.

We argued for a bit which takes most of the fun out of it but she was smart enough to get undressed in front of me while asking for money. I said I would go 60usd but pay in Dong. Of course then there math skills kick in and they start with the assumption that you get 20k per dollar. Please. You don’t even get 18k per dollar unless you go black market. The girl had a cracking body though and started undressing me. Unlike Thailand they seem to not be so focused on the cheesy shower, towel, and bed routine and the undressing game was getting me going. So we get to business and for the most part all is good. I am on top and doing my thing when like straight out the UFC comes the flip over move and now I am on the bottom. If this was meant to make for fun bed games then cool but it suddenly felt like a fake finish maneuver. Penfold – that would be FFM. Whilst on top she goes into full Jap mode and starts bucking and screaming like I was hung like BBB – which I was told by Penfold that I am not. Not sure how he knows but go figure. The Jap wail is totally ruining my mode and then suddenly she pretends to climax, hops off, grabs the condom and darts for the bathroom.

She comes back and says okay one finish. Happy – Happy. U pay me now.

Fuck off. I was like listen Bitch. This is not some porn but if it were the climax is usually the money shot. Between me, you and the rubber – nothing happened down there. So yeah – you can guess it. She went on to explain that one shot or one time is short time. If I want more then I need to pay more. This shit rarely, if ever, has ever happened to me in Thailand. If it did I would feel very comfortable with calling up the mamasan or the papasan and having at it. Or I would just throw her out but either way I would contest it. At this point I wanted out – sex was beyond interesting now. I told her that I did not finish and would not dream of paying for another round. She then said I needed to now pay her like 1.5vnd cause I was taking to long. Mercenary. Honestly – they are just not worth it since they don’t deliver. Hot bodies aside these girls, on the p4p side, just have the worst attitudes going. I tossed her a blue note – 500k and left.

The way it works at Fortuna is you pay for the room and they give you a key. You go to the room and wait for the girl who gets dressed into normal clothing when she comes to see you. Which is kind of fun but not that is matters now. There is no check out process so there was nothing I needed to do other than to get out of dodge. I was assuming she may have called down but I was willing to give it a go. I took the lift to the 2nd floor and then went to the banquet area and out a side door. Bypassing the front area and the basement club.

Fuck Fortuna and Boss. Lots of eye candy but total lack of delivery. I will gesture that maybe you meet the right girl and things go good. Then you have her number and you hook up with her later but I think the assumption is the chances of this are low.

That’s it for Hanoi and back to my original premise – there is no point chasing p4p in this town.

Back to HCMC for 2 more nights.

I went back to my sushi joint cause when alone I enjoy places I know with people I know. The owner was there again and we shared some sake. His service girls are all young, cute and shy. I love it. The cool thing was another regular came in and happened to know a lot of the joints. It seems there are small numbered bars all over town with mostly the same deal. He says some are good and some suck. The trick is finding the good ones who are not trying to scam you and want repeat customers. There in lies my premise since in places like Thailand you normally can assume decent service and can weed out the bad places over time. In Vietnam assume most suck and you do your research to find the gems. I am doing that research for you. I take Paypal BTW.

So near ngo duc ke from the Dong Khoi cross street. Look around for bar 29. Fun girls, decent prices and on site service. They keep a bowl of condoms on the counter and you grab a girl and go. Almost like self service lolitas. I guess all sorts of action goes on upstairs and literally guys would walk in, grab a condom and pair off with a girl or two. I did not partake but had fun with a little 18 yo. buying drinks here gets plenty of fondling and joint hands on service. Good value.

Back on Le Than Ton street towards the low numbers you will find places like Bin Bin and Bar 13. Also like 29. Playful girls, take out, on site service and decent prices. Here I was offered to take 2 girls back who promised to be very good at delivering a 3 some. I was tempted but still had plans to cruise around.

I was staying at the Spring Hotel on Le Than Ton and I think as long as you pre pay for double occupancy they let you bring back. Special nod to the hotel. When I checked in the guy who delivered my bags offered to deliver a girl for massage to my room for 15usd or 300kvnd. I took him up on it for the blog’s sake and she arrived 30 mins later. Not a looker but a huge rack and nice. 24 years old. Decent massage and 300k more for the finish. She offered full service but I couldn’t be bothered.

Near Bin Bin there seems to be like 2-3 other small hostess bars so exploring is needed.

One street over and to the right ngay than I think the street is you will find Lush. Or ask for it. Big club full of viets, expats and tons of hot service girls. Not a freelancer scene but a normal club. They had some good tunes and the drinks were around 85k per. I chatted up a waitress and you can buy them drinks. I bought her 2 and bagged a number. Lunch is today. Little cutey with funky hair and good English. Might make HCMC a little more bearable.

There are some massage joints which I will put in the appendix.

Last night ahead…

Having spent some time now all over SEA it is very easy to get used to Thailand. Say what you will, people bitching about scams aside, Thailand is one of the best spots in the world for ease of living. The mongering scene is also the best bar none. About the only thing I can ding Thailand for is the lame duck government, the waning service levels and the terrible internet infrastructure. Cabs are cheap, food is great, girls are plentiful and the p4p scene, although lacking variety, is tops. That’s just the way it is.

However it is always nice to get out and see how the other half lives. Unfortunately Vietnam is part of the nation of horns alliance which means that just being in Vietnam slightly irritates me. They freaking use their horn for no apparent reason whatsoever, they seem to not respect personal space and they throw their trash around. Reminds me too much of China – but the place is fun, the food is great and there are hotties all over the place. However the attitude is tough – they just don’t seem to have that same ease of use one gets used to from Thailand and Indonesia.

For those who travel to Sing and visit the FFOW – you will have noticed many of the freelancer bars are packed with Viets. They tend to be the hottest girls in the place. Not always the best looking faces but great bodies, awesome tits and dress like sophisticated sluts. I love it but ask anyone with experience dealing with them and you mostly hear they have rotten attitudes, demand money upfront and tend to leave you wishing you had not taken them. I would say that sums up my experience with mongering in Vietnam. They are hot, but they tend to mostly let you down.

Unless someone can point me to a great place that would allow me to have an open mind and see something I have yet to see my take is Vietnam is just pretty lame for mongering. The prices are not cheap and with the Dong continuing its freefall they love to quote you in dollars and then pretend that if you do pay in Dong that you get 20k dong to a dollar. A little creative whore math that is just another part of their overall scamming culture. I must have fallen in love with many of the normal girls I saw around town but for the most part I have no interest in them.

For the one night in HCM city I went straight to bar 49 and 51. Everyone knows where they are and seem to be the go to hostess bars but after talking to some plugged in party guys who are from HCMC – they say these are the low end ones. They are right next to each other and the guys outside the door will try to drag you in – I always HATE guys on the door. Just gives you a bad feeling about the place. They are similar bars with pool tables, full of girls and the overbearing mamasans. Drinks set you back 4-5USD for either your drinks or a ladies. They play pool and bet you money they win and if they lose they get naked. Most suck at pool so I had a few of them naked. Which was fun.

I should have just left it at that but once I was drunk and saw this one girl’s perfect breasts I started thinking blowie. I think she quoted 500,000 VND or something. I went for it. She was good but during my blowie, I found her rifling through my pockets and wallet. So I had to grab her hands and keep her focused. I have been to Lolitas maybe 1000 times and I have never had a girl try to steal mid session. To me this is just the core difference between places like VN and Thailand.

Anyway she kept going and when I was about to blow she pulled off and let it go on a towel. Oh well. I zipped up and went to pay my bill. Then I noticed another 250k on the bill apart from my drinks. I was like what is this for and the mamasan said it was some lady charge. The thing I HATE about VN is when they pull this type of shit – you feel little recourse to do anything cause you fear them turning you in. I paid and left but with no plans to return. At the end of the day places like this have this we don’t care if you return attitude and it show.

I was told the better hostess bars are one step up and called 13 and smiley bar. I have yet to check them out. More on that later!

On another night I was coming back from Apocalypse Now, great club btw, and a motorcycle guy took me to some pseudo brothel. I was wound up and went for it. Kind of shady but the girls were nice. Short time was 800k including the room but the girl begged for more. She was fun and I tipped a bit but all in all you feel overcharged at every point.

There are cool places to eat and drink all over town though. One night we at Sushi-bito – 62 ngo duc ke street. A VN guy with a cool little Japanese enclave. Great food, extreme value, super saki and awesome service. This is where places like HCMC really shine in my opinion. Next door is a cool bar called Red Drum, nothing to do with the movie, that has good drinks, fun girls and good value. No take out here but a fun place to drink and hang. I have been chatting with a bartender from here but her english sucks. Cracking body though.

At the end of this series I will put in a bunch of venue notes I have gathered from others just in case people have comments or suggestions.

If people know of better hostess bars or a massage scene that really delivers I am all ears.

Vietnam (VN): HoChiMinh City (HCMC)
This blog contains information gathered during a visit to HCMC May
21-25, 2006. Overall, VN was a great experience. I hope you will find
this information useful if you decide to take a trip yourself. More
information on HCMC can be found at http://www.saigoninsideout.com and
http://www.elephantguide.com/saigon/saigon.htm .

Air
Hotel
Transportation
Beer Bars
Dance Clubs
Bars/Restaurants
Massage
Tours
Traffic
Weather
Convenience
Internet/TV/Mobile Phone
Impressions

Air
- Immigration was slow like most Airports
- Currency Exchange is located inside Airport after you leave Immigration. Rate was $1 US Dollar to 15,890 Dong and 1 Baht to 351 Dong
- Taxi Counter is located next to Currency Exchange. Cost about $5 US to get downtown
- Booked through a friend and great travel agent, Will Heron at DTC Travel www.dtctravel.com. Tickets were around $270 US on Thai Airways. Cheaper tickets can probably be found but I am a FF on Thai Airways.
- DTC Travel also picked up a Visa for Vietnam for around $55 US. You can go to the Vietnam embassy and do this yourself for less

Hotel
- All Asia Hotel
261-263 Le Thahn Ton Street District 1
HCMC, Vietnam
Tel. No. +84(0)88245710
I highly recommend this hotel. A VN expert friend of mine suggested it and it proved to be an invaluable recommendation. It’s not a fancy hotel 2-3 Stars but the staff is extremely friendly and it has one very important feature, you can bring guests back to stay in your room. Doesn’t sound like a big deal but in VN most hotels REQUIRE you to buy a new room for your guest. The location is not bad either. You can walk or taxi to most locations within 10 minutes. Rooms range from $16-22 US and there is an Internet terminal (DSL) for use 24/7.

Transportation
One thing to remember when soliciting the services of the following is that the driver will always tell you that they know where your destination is. This is to ensure the fare. They will most likely not know and end up asking along the way. If you have an address and/or a map location in Vietnamese this will help considerably.
- Taxi
Fantastic value. Make sure they always use their meter. Fare starts at 12,000 (75 cents US) and climbs from there at a modest rate
- 3-Wheeled Bicycle Rickshaw
Passengers sit in front and driver peddles behind. Great views, though scary. Bargain hard. Some drivers demand more money later. They are very aggressive. If you can’t handle this don’t use them. Write the address and agreed price on paper. Same price for two people which is about $1-2/hr US
- Motorbike
Same as 3-Wheeled Bicycle Rickshaw pretty much. One important difference is that the Motorbike guys are on every corner soliciting your business. Very annoying. Also, when the bars close they will prey on foreigners asking them if they want to go to a bar that is open. They get a huge cut from the bars that stay open late, especially the girly bars. The girly bars hate it when you come up in a motorbike because they have to give them around $20 US for the referral. This is why most motorbike guys will take you to these late night destinations for free, but of course they will ask for a few bucks first before saying they will take you there for free. Check the Bars section for bars that stay open late and walk or Taxi there

Beer Bars
These bars consist of women in slutty evening wear and usually a few pool tables. The girls are extremely friendly and very attractive. One will typically latch onto you as you order your drink. Don’t be shy to look around and pick the girl that suites your taste, just be polite about it and they will cater to your needs. The ‒deal” here is simple. You buy the girl five drinks which are about $5 US each and that constitutes the bar fine. I strongly suggest talking to the mamasan to cut a deal right upfront. You may not be sure of the girl or girls you want so ask her to keep a tally on the drinks to use as credit towards the bar fine. Otherwise, they will hit you up later for more than five drinks (they are very shrewd about taking you for every penny they can get). You have great bargaining power upfront to make a good deal so use it. After you reach agreement on the bar then ask the girl(s) what their short and long term rates are. Again, try to do this before buying drinks. They hate this upfront bargaining because it can save you a great deal of cash. The typical short time deal is $50 US plus $20 US for the hotel room, long time is $70 US plus $30 for the hotel room. These are top rates. I’m sure VN expats and experts can get better deals. You can save money on the hotel room if your hotel accepts guests but some girls will not go to a hotel they don’t know. Again, discuss this all upfront to make sure they will. Leaving the bar is done in a very discreet manner. They call a taxi, you get in taxi first, and then the girl comes out a minute later. Closing times vary on these bars. I was there during the APEC convention so most of these bars closed at 12. Normally though they go until 1 or 2.

No. 49
49 Hai Ba Trung Q.1 HCMC 8226282
Friendly and attractive girls. One pool table in front and one in the back. There is a neon 49 sign out front.

No. 51
51 Hai Ba Trung
Friendly and attractive girls. Two pool tables. There is a neon 51 sign out front.

Smiley Bar
(Didn’t get address but it’s around the corner from No. 49 and No. 51, just ask somebody but not a motorbike guy since they will hit the bar up for a take)
A nice and more modern beer bar with a pool table downstairs and two upstairs. The girls are friendly and attractive.

Sus Bar
30 Thai Van Lung St., District 1 (84 8)8251772
A little lower rent but not bad because they stay open until 4. They have one pool table and some attractive and friendly girls.

A Place for Memory Bar
40 Thai Van Lung St., District 1-Tel. 0903637216
I went to this bar after leaving Sus (around 2:30am) because one of the chewing gum selling kids on the street said it was still open. The mamasan woke up a few girls and it was a fun time. Not sure what the bar is normally like but probably like the others listed above.

Dance Clubs
These clubs will have a mix of Vietnamese people going out to party and dance, foreign men and women, and freelance working girls.

Apocolypse Now
A rather large dance club and restaurant with one pool table in the back. This was by far the most happening bar in town. It was packed every night but had to close at 12 each night because of the APEC convention. The music was tolerable. A bit dated but the crowd really enjoyed it. Overall, it was a mixed bag of just about everybody looking to party. Not sure about the prices for the working girls but they were definitely there. Probably the same rates as the Beer Bars. As for the food, I had a Cheeseburger and it was really bad so I wouldn’t recommend eating there.

Q Bar
Opera House 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, D1, HCMC-Tel:(84-8)823 3479
www.qbarsaigon.com
This was by far the nicest bar I visited. A classy joint but both times I went it was pretty empty. I hear it gets crowded on the weekends though. The bar is fully stocked with just about every spirit you could want. They mix a mean Martini.

Bars/Restaurants
Most of the bars in this list are hangouts for expats. They have very attractive female staff that are there to keep the expats entertained and drinking. A bit of a tease but whatever makes your rocks sweat. They don’t appear to be available for anything other than bar talk but I suppose it’s possible if you break them down over time.

Number 5 Bar
5 Ly Tu Trong St., D1, HCMC-Tel:(84-8)8256300
Popular expat bar. Has a pool table and what looks like a decent menu. An okay place to hang with a friendly staff.

Bottom Line Bar/Restaurant
21 Ton Dun Thang, D1, HCMC
Nice bar with great food and friendly staff. Worth a visit.

Gecko Restaurant and Bar
13B Le Thanhn Ton St., Ben Nghe Ward District 1, HCMC-Tel:(84-8)822 1074
While looking for anything open at 2am I stumbled into this friendly little bar. It turned out to be a fun time. I met the owners Ms Thuy and her American husband Frank I believe. Nice folks and apparently they have pretty good international and Vietnamese cuisine.

Ghetto Tavern Bar and Restaurant
17/14 Le Thahn Ton, D1, HCMC
Great little spot with very friendly staff. Drinks were good, Internet Terminal was free, and I ordered a Pizza from Annie’s upstairs. It was quite good. I also hijacked the music selection for the bar because it was playing mp3s off the Internet Terminal so that was cool.

Bourbon Street Restaurant
123 Le Loi, D1, HCMC (84-8)914 2183
I was in the mood for some Cajun and TexMex so headed over to Bourbon Street. I was not disappointed and had an excellent meal. The Gumbo portion was a bit small and lacking meat/seafood for $4 US but the Chicken Fajitas for $5 were excellent. So was the Mango Juice I had. This place carries McIlhenny Co. Tabasco and Gumbo File to add to the authentic taste.

Rex Hotel – Paradise Coffee Shop
141 Nguyen Hue Blvd, HCMC-VIETNAM-Tel: (84-8)829 2185

http://www.rexhotelvietnam.com

Paradise Coffee is a quaint little coffee shop in the Rex Hotel. I ate lunch here one day and enjoyed the peace, comfort, aircon and view. However, the ham and cheese sandwich I ordered was really bad. It was kind of expensive too. The sandwich and coke came to $5.40 US

Street Food
I found the street food to be top notch and indulged almost every day without getting ill.

VietArt Gallery/Restaurant/Internet Café
44 Dong Khoi St., District 1 HCMC-Tel: (84-8)822 2312

http://www.vietnamartgallery.com

VietArt is an interesting little 3-story hybrid art gallery/restaurant/Internet Café. I had a great dinner which included a grilled chicken salad for about $4 US and a big plate of Lasagne for less than $4 US. The service was slow but friendly. I then checked email and made a long distance call upstairs in the comfortable Internet room. They also have a great deal of Art on display and for sale.

Massage
Ngoc Huong Thai Massage
63/201 Dong Du District 1 HCMC-Tel: 0913155557 across from Sheraton
Hours: 10:00am-11:00pm
I was missing Thailand so I decided to visit this Thai Massage place to speak a little Thai and get some kinks worked out in the lower back. Well, none of the girls spoke Thai but they were willing to work out any kinks you may have, and I mean any

Tours
There are many travel agents around the city and you can go to the local Tourist Office and buy cheap ½ and 1 day tours. I opted to use SaigonTourist Travel Services (www.saigontourist.net) because I was close by and it looked pretty legit. SaigonTourist is located at 49 Le Thanh Ton and has very reasonable prices. Check their website for tours and prices. I took the Afternoon City Tour for $13 US. I was fortunately alone and had the Guide to myself. It was very educational and covered:
- A Temple
- The War Museum
- St. Francis
- A 3-wheeler Bicycle Rickshaw Tour of Chinatown
- Normally a tour of an Embroidery Workshop but when the Guide told me we were passing a shopping area that specialized in Army gear and propaganda posters we made a swap and visited those instead

Traffic
Pretty congested and quite mad. Traffic here is much like in India where it flows like a river and you just flow with it or you drown. Be careful crossing streets although most vehicles will avoid hitting you.

Weather
It rained for a few hours each afternoon. Otherwise it was tolerably hot.

Convenience
No 7-11′s here so you have to distribute your shopping over the local pharmacy, convenience store and street vendors.

Internet/TV/Mobile Phone
Internet
E-mail and Internet services (DSL speeds) are available in most hotels and posts in
Vietnam. There are also a number of internet cafes
available. The average rate is $1-$2 US/hour.
Mobile phone
In Vietnam you will be able to use your mobile phone as long as it is
programmed for roaming internationally. You may also rent a mobile
phone, which may be easier, or buy a pre-paid phone card. This service
is available at your hotel or at a Mobile Phone Service Center on the
street.
TV
TV is pretty weak. Many local Vietnamese channels and somewhat censored in the day. In the late evening you can get the usual HBO and Star Movies selections. Internet shops are springing up as they did 5 years ago in most other places.

Impressions
I definitely felt a strong government/police presence hanging over the Entertainment industry here but that may have been because it was my first time. Certainly, the expats living here seem to feel more at home. The more time I spent here though the more at ease I was, and the more fun I had. I met many expats and Vietnamese people in the 5 days I was here with all experiences being very rich. The only real annoyances were the constant peddling of motorbike and street vendor services and also the ‒underground” feel to the more risqué bars but then again the danger sometimes adds to the experience. If you decide to go I hope this writeup will be useful. It’s a relatively clean and safe city doing it’s best to become a top tourist destination in SE Asia.

-pmmp