As Vietnam reopened international tourism, readers of American magazine Travel + Leisure have voted for the 10 best bars in the country where tourists shake up the night with loud music, blinking lights and cheers.
Located on the third floor of a building on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in Da Nang, Tê Bar topped the list of 10 best bars in Vietnam as part of the first ever Asia’s Best Awards 2022.
It was named after the distilled beverage tequila made from the blue agave plant, primarily in Tequila City to the northwest of Guadalajara in the central western Mexican state of Jalisco.
The bar is also the only in Da Nang to serve a pho cocktail inspired by Vietnam’s signature beef noodle soup that contains many of the herbs and spices found in pho like cinnamon, star anise, cilantro and cardamom.
It is open from 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. with prices ranging from VND80,000-200,000 ($3.42-8.56).
Nestled between a street noodle stall and a local coffee shop on Pham Viet Chanh Street in Binh Thanh District, Birdy bar came in second.
At only 16 square meters, Birdy is probably the smallest bar in town and can be easily overlooked without a tip off.
With only eight seats at the counter, most guests choose to sit outside to enjoy Saigon’s nightlife vibe.
It is open from 3 p.m. until late night with prices from VND80,000-200,000.
Just a few steps from Hanoi Train Street, Nê Cocktail Bar on Tong Duy Tan Street in Hanoi was third on the list.
The bar opened in 2017 and has caught global attention for its signature pho cocktail developed by owner Pham Tien Tiep, who was dubbed Hanoi’s leading hipster bartender.
The cocktail has been featured by 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 VND100,000-200,000.
Headquartered on Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street in District 3, Pasteur Street Brewing Co, which has at least four branches in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Hanoi secured fourth position on the list.
Pasteur Street is famous for its craft beer, which combines American craft brewing techniques and fresh Vietnamese ingredients, with prices between VND100,000-500,000.
Nhau Nhau cocktail bar on the second floor of Anan Saigon Restaurant on Ton That Dam Street in HCMC stood at fifth.
The name of the bar means ‘drinking’, symbolic of Vietnam’s after-work drinking culture.
The bar features a large mural and a sign reading “don’t go home ’til you’re drunk” while Sixties vinyls are framed on the curvaceous background.
Guests will be served Hue sake, local beer or inventive cocktails along with street foods like banh mi.
It is open from Tuesday until Sunday and the average price per cocktail is $5.
Sailing Club Phu Quoc was sixth on the list.
The bar along Long Beach in the southern Phu Quoc Island has an outdoor swimming pool and a lounge bar along the beach, with prices from VND120,000-995,000.
It also serves Asian dishes from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Covering an area of 1.4 hectares in Ha Quang Bac Village, Dien Ban Town of Quang Nam Province, Blush Beach Club came in seventh.
Surrounded by green trees, the bar overlooks Non Nuoc Beach and is just a few steps from Hoi An.
It has an outdoor swimming pool, private area to serve guests Asian and Western cuisine as well as a nightclub.
Prices start from VND150,000.
Angelina Bar at Hanoi’s famed Metropole Hotel was eighth.
Set in a peaceful space inside one of the most luxurious hotels in Hanoi, the bar serves a menu from cocktails, mocktails, beer to 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 VND340,000 to VND2.3 million.
The next name was Bamboo Bar inside the Hanoi Metropole Hotel characterized by its thatched roof and wooden floor.
It serves light meals, gourmet ice cream, desserts, fruit juices, coffees, teas and refreshing cocktails with prices ranging from VND460,000-580,000.
This is always the busiest spot in the hotel as its upgrade in 2011 helped to discover a two-meter-high wartime bomb shelter underneath.
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.
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 rounded out the top 10 list.
It is decorated with trunks, opera costumes and antiques reminiscent of those lavish spaces where artists would gather to apply makeup or relax in preparation for their performances during the 19th century’s golden age of opera.
Prices start from VND180,000.
Photos courtesy of the bars
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