10 best bars in Vietnam as voted by Travel + Leisure readers
(VOVWORLD) - As Vietnam reopens to international tourism, readers of American magazine Travel + Leisure have voted to decide the 10 greatest bars in the country where tourists can shake up the night time with loud music, blinking lights, and a good time.
Te Bar
Located on the third flooring of a building on Nguyen Thai Hoc street in the central city of Da Nang, Te Bar tops the list of the 10 greatest bars in Vietnam and was recognised during the first ever Asia’s Finest Awards 2022.
According to Travel + Leisure, the bar was named after the distilled beverage tequila created from the blue agave plant, primarily in Tequila Metropolis to the northwest of Guadalajara within the central western Mexican state of Jalisco.
The bar is notable for being the only one in the central city to serve a pho cocktail that draws inspiration from the nation’s signature beef noodle soup that consists of many of the herbs and spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cilantro, and cardamom.
The venue is open from 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., with prices ranging from 80,000 VND to 200,000 VND, equal to 3.42 USD to 8.56 USD.
Birdy Bar
Nestled between a street noodle stall and a café on Pham Viet Chanh street in Binh Thanh district of Ho Chi Minh City, Birdy Bar is in second place.
Covering a tiny space of 16 square metres, Birdy is the smallest bar in town and tourists might not notice it without a tip off.
With just eight seats on the counter, most guests choose to take a seat outdoors to enjoy the southern city’s nightlife. The bar is open from 3 p.m. until late with costs from 80,000 VND to 200,000 VND.
Ne Cocktail Bar
Just a few steps from Hanoi Train Street, Ne Cocktail Bar on Tong Duy Tan street in Hanoi is third on the list.
According to Travel + Leisure, the bar opened back in 2017 and reached global fame for its signature pho cocktail developed by owner Pham Tien Tiep, who was dubbed Hanoi's leading hipster bartender.
The cocktail has since been featured on CNN and AFP, promoting Vietnamese cuisine around the world. It is open from 7:30 p.m. until 2 a.m., with prices ranging from 100,000 VND to 200,000 VND.
Pasteur Avenue
With its headquarters on Ngo Thoi Nhiem street in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Pasteur Avenue Brewing Co, which has a minimum of four branches in the city and one in Hanoi, secured fourth place on the list.
Pasteur Avenue is famous for its craft beer, which mixes American craft brewing strategies and recent Vietnamese substances, with prices between 100,000 VND and 500,000 VND.
Nhau Nhau cocktail bar
Nhau Nhau cocktail bar can be found on the second flooring of Anan Saigon Restaurant on Ton That Dam street in Ho Chi Minh City and ranks in fifth.
Travel + Leisure said that the name of the bar means ‘consuming’, symbolic of the nation’s after-work consuming tradition.
The bar features a large mural and a sign saying “do not go dwelling ’til you are drunk”, with Sixties vinyls framed as background decoration.
Guests can enjoy Hue sake, local beer, or creative cocktails together with street foods such as banh mi. It is open from Tuesday until Sunday and the typical price of a cocktail is 5 USD.
Sailing Club Phu Quoc
Sailing Club Phu Quoc is sixth on the list. The bar is situated along Long Beach in Phu Quoc Island and boasts has an outdoor swimming pool and a lounge bar along the beach, with prices from 120,000 VND to 995,000 VND. It also serves Asian dishes from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Blush Beach Club
Covering a total of 1.4 hectares in Ha Quang Bac village in Dien Ban city of the central province of Quang Nam, Blush Beach Club comes in seventh position.
Surrounded by bushes, the bar overlooks Non Nuoc beach and is only a few steps from Hoi An.
It features an outdoor swimming pool and personal space to serve visitors Asian and Western cuisine, in addition to a nightclub. Costs begin from 150,000 VND.
Angelina Bar
Angelina Bar can be found at Hanoi's famed Metropole Hotel and is ranked in eighth place.
According to Travel + Leisure, set in a peaceful space inside one of the most luxurious hotels in the capital, the bar serves a menu including cocktails, mocktails, beer and fine wines, as well as European-style dishes like Australian Wagyu beef tenderloin, French oysters, Scottish cod, and pan-fried fatty liver. Prices range from 340,000 VND to 2.3 million VND.
Bamboo Bar
Bamboo Bar is located in the Hanoi Metropole Hotel and is characterised by its thatched roof and wood flooring. It serves mild meals, gourmand ice cream, desserts, fruit juices, coffees, teas, and refreshing cocktails with costs ranging from 460,000 VND to 580,000.
It is always the busiest spot within the hotel after its upgrade in 2011 helped to find a two-metre high wartime bomb shelter located beneath the site.
The bomb shelter was where many famous figures of the Vietnam War, including actress Jane Fonda and author Tom Hayden, both anti-war activists, took refugee as bombs rained down on Hanoi.
Divas Lounge
Designed by American landscape architect and interior designer Bill Bensley, Divas Lounge in Capella Hanoi Hotel on Le Phung Hieu street in Hanoi's Old Quarter rounds off the list.
Travel + Leisure said that the bar is decorated with trunks, opera costumes, and antiques reminiscent of those lavish spaces where artists would gather to apply makeup or to relax in preparation for their performances during the 19th century's golden age of opera.
Prices start from 180,000 VND.