Ho Chi Minh City - General Info

[Pokochin]

Hello, guys, I'm new here and went to HCMC in the beginning of Feb. Went to a lof of disco so let me tell you some my experiences.

About disco: I recommend you 3 discos in HCMC. The traits are followings.

1. Apocalxpse Now: Needless to say, this disco is popular among tourists and expats, so quite a lot chicks speak or communicate in English although very easy chatting something like what's your name? Where are you from? How old are you? Somes have more skills. Here, almost all girls are Working Ladies I think. If some pussycats who try to catch eye contact, are definetely WL. I could see some eye-catching chicks. But price is quite high, and the sad thing is they don't compromise the price, some ask US$100.

2. Liquid club: This disco is i think especially for local compared to AN. Because I couldn't come across foreigners when I visited there. But i think there are some freelance ladies, so tried to communicate with some chicks. The result was no one could understand English. The good thing was they welcomed donce with me with smile.
If you guys can speak Vietnamuse, I recommend this place rather than AN because the quality of chicks is hotter in Liquid.

3. Cau Lac Bo So 1: There are so many sexy chicks here although they are waitress, blooming with health and youth. I strongly reckon to be employed here as this waitress is very difficult and competitive because these chicks are tremendous beautiful. I think this disco is a bit exclusive one ad customers are high income vietnamese or expats. Every customer except us ordered bottle of whiskey and having a drink it with waitress. For a person who is on a budget! no need to worry about it, you can order your beer and ladys drink, so waitress come to your seat and can chat. But there is one big problem, every babes only can speak vietnamese. So I didn't know what happened after having a drink with waitress.

In conclusion, if you are seeking for feast your eyes, Do go to Cau Lac Bo so 1 without hesitation!

If you wanna bonk, go to Liquid in case you have a weapon of language.

The rest, go to AN!

Enjoy your hunting.

Pokochin

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[Member #1627]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend me some safe/secure hotels which are also "girl-friendly", in HCMC (Saigon). I'm going to spend 2 nites there.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

[Templar]

Priceless

Thanks, Asiaphile.

[Asiaphile]

Common mistakes & lessons to be learned by horny foreigners traversing nightlife in Viet Nam:

1.) Incorrectly assuming the scene is user-friendly like Thailand or most other S.E. Asia venues is a BIG newbie mistake.
2.) Not realizing that The Socialist Republic is STILL a totalitarian police state with lots of undercover police, informants and other political/corrupt BS than can degenerate very badly at the mafia street level.
3.) Not knowing the REAL price, not bargaining, becoming another ruinious fool and rip-off victim in the local scene.
4.) FLASHING big cash, wearing expensive clothes, jewelry, etc. - especially a problem with way too many naive, foolish, arrogant Viet Kieu.
5.) NEVER fall for a VNese local who speaks English so well he can find, 'the best hotel deal, the best transportation, the best bar, the best girls, etc.' A VNese who intros any foreigner or local person for a service gets a minimum 20% cut from the service provider. In other words, avoid such everyday institutional rip-offs or scams!
6.) ST private mini hotels in VN are $3-$10 max. There are many tourist class private hotels in the $15-$25 range that are more likely decent LT choices. If a girl takes you to "her" ST mini hotel at $15-$20 you are simply paying her an add-on commission. Plus, in a worst case senerio it could be a staged robbery or shakedown since she may be in total control, not you.
7.) LUXURY hotels (4-5 star), similar STATE owned or JV hotels are NOT guest friendly. Again, there are many decent guest friendly options but they are always PRIVATELY owned accomodations.
8.) STUPID SEX: Falling victim to "hundred dollah" or even "fifty dollah" nonsense and not realizing that the standard "get laid" price all across VN is routinely VND100000-300000 ST. Certainly an average higher rate in HCM City - but anyone paying VND700000+ is simply ruining the scene for everyone else. The national GDP annual income is less than $500 to around $1000-1200 annual in HCM City. Punters should always engage in friendly negotiation and seek a variety of nightlife venues in Viet Nam.
9.) Because selling sex is highly illegal and stigmitized learning a bit of the VNese language, culture, customs, can go a long way to unlocking many inside secrets. Plenty of lovely young women are available for free or virtually free as eager love/sex companions for foreigners on holiday. Most local VNese young males are not seen as suitable partners because of their lack of income and economic upward mobility. A large number are street thugs and criminal scum.
10.) DO NOT put pics of girls or vital secret info on the internet as that poor Viet Nam individual or specific intity could be fined, imprisioned, sent off to reducation work camp, or worse, as such unwanted publicity can turn them into potential state or personal targets.

Copyright. The Erotic Traveler (TET) w/permission.

[Dog Day]

Was in HCMC last year November.

I always stay at the New World Hotel. Nice , in the center of the city. SW are there wnen you walk out. They normally ask for $100 USD. Did not mind them instead went to Catwalk. A High-end Disco with more than 100 mouth watering beautiful women. None for the taking, though. SW with a friend approach me and and asked for $100. I was not interested. She had a 9 look, 20 years old, but she was just an inch taller than a hobbit when she takes off her 6 inch heels. To turn her off I said $20 and she said, OK. High end Hotels in HCMC are very strict so we went short time and paid an additional $20 in a local hotel beside New World. OK sex but just tasting Viet meat. Viet girls being short have really small and tight pussy so its fun.

Will tell more later.

[Poon Searcher]

Temp,

Yes I am . Have lived in the States since I was 6 years old.

For the last couple of years whenever I'm in Saigon I normally go to Maxim everynight after a message session. God, those girls at some of the hotels give killer messages especially when they walk on your back and you can hear your spine crack from top to bottom. If you haven't tried that yet,I suggest you do. A full hour message plus a hand job for about 20-25 usd and that's including tip. And if you want more you can always ask for the girl's cell number. Some will ,and some would just stick with the messages. Ask the guys on the motorbikes to take you to the ones that is away from the tourist area. The girls in those hotels tend to do a better job than the ones in the tourist area.

I have been going to Vietnam every year since 96 normally for the month of March . Usually the first week is in Thailand,second week in Saigon,and the rest way down south of the country for the rest of the time (this is where you get the non-pros and semi pros with no deceases). This year I have some business to take care of at the beginning of March. Also this last March when I was there,the weather was really beginning to bother me. Too damn hot and too damn humid! Also the scenery is starting to get old for me. So I'm thinking of heading to Brazil or Argentina, or Costa Rica this time. Latin women, doesn't matter where I've been but I just have to crawl back to them.

[Templar]

Poon,

Thanks for the tip on Thang Long Hotel. I'll check it out.

As for the women having connection to the communists. Very true. My friend's family was. And as for the rich guys, once again you hit the nail on its head, bro. Filthy is an understatement.

And yeah, my Viet-Kieu friends are having a difficult time breaking through. If you don't mind me saying this, you sound like a Viet Kieu yourself 'cos foreigners don't usually know these things unless....

Did you check LIQUID (club) out? How is it doing? I was last there in July and my friend turns out to be the manager. Hadn't seen this guy in over 20 years. There were loads of beauties around then.

BTW, are you in VN right now?

[Poon Searcher]

Mag,

I'm not too good with street names but I believe it is next to the Majestic Hotel but I'm not exactly sure. If the Majestic Hotel is right across the street from "Bach Dang" harbor then it is right next to it. Ask any cab drivers they will tell you. That club has been there since the glorious days of the South.

Go in and go upstairs to the second floor. The first floor is the restaurant. The second floor is the club. There is a cover charge of if I remember correctly 50,000 vd which is approximately 4 usd. I never pay that because the waiters know me and I tip them all at the end of the night which amount to alot more than what the cover charge is.

[Poon Searcher]

Templar,

Your incident in 99 does happen occasionally. Very rare . Every once in awhile the cops will do a sweep. The best solution to that is stay in a smaller hotel. Those hotels do payoff the cops a hefty sum every month. That's not including gifts for Chinese New Year,Christmas, and etc. Or the owner has very close ties with top government officials.

If a sweep ever come up,the cops will notify them and they will notify you. That is why some hotels on the day of the sweep will ask you to have 2 rooms just in case there is a sweep in the middle of the night. One for you and one so the girl can run over to during a sweep. When it's over she can come back into your room. I usually stay at "Thang Long Hotel" whenever I'm in Saigon. I never had a problem. Get a suite for only $40 a night. It's not luxurious but comfortable enough. The staff and the owner(Kim) are very nice and pleasant to deal with. They also speak some English. And if you ever get into trouble with the cops,the almighty $50 or $100 will get you out of it.

As for sussessful women wanting foreingers. It's true . Most of those women belongs to a class(family) that has ties with the communists. There are lots of locals guys that are very successful. And I mean filthy rich in terms of USD mostly in the millions and a few in the 100s of millions and billions.

Most of those women have studied abroad and came back to run the family business. Why not a male in the family? Because it is alot easier for a woman to con a foreinger to marry her or the family will pay for her sort of marriage. Once she has legal status in another country which has a stable economy they will try to sponsor other family members and eventually move some of their assets away from the eyes of greedy government officials. It is not easy to be successful in Vietnam without any connections. Not just the industry you're in but the government itself. Not knowing the right people in the government and having deep pockets ,you'll never get the proper license(s) for the type of establishment you pursue. If your family had ties with the former South Vietnamese government,then forget about success. It's almost impossible. H..l,my cousins have been trying to get jobs with the govenment for years and they have been denied every time because their father was a General for the South Vietnamese government. Alot of American-Vietnamese have returned in search of fortune but the vast mojority have failed miserably due to lack of proper connections.

[Templar]

Poon,

Your description of Maxim sounds too tempting. I gotta check it out when I'm there next month.

Kinda sad but I've been in and out of HCMC for the last 5 years and never took the chance of getting some side action. An incident that occurred in '99 got the worse of me and I never thought about it since then.

I got to HCMC for the first in December of '99 and was really looking forward to my stay, girls et all. Stayed with a buddy of mine who rented a "townhouse'' on Le Than Ton (more like off to the side streets). Anyway, the house next door was also a bunch of foreigners and suffice to say, on the 2nd night I was there, we had just gotten back from a club when we noticed our neighbors hanging outside. It's almost 4 a.m. and they're having a smoke looking a tad nervous about something. It turns out that two of the guys had brought back pros from some club and for some reason, the beat cops (that's what I call the buggers walking the beat swinging their clubs back and forth) 'raided' their place. Cut a long story short, the 2 guys had to pay their way out of it. Anyway, that freaked me out 'cos I'd been told that it has happened in the past but usually at some motel.

Opportunities arised on several occasions but I didn't have the f--cking balls for it. For one reason or another, I felt like we were being watched almost every evening there.

Anyway, I promised to pamper myself to death when I got back to Bangkok but instead got curios about Hanoi so we headed up there for my last 3 days. Oi, what a brilliant move that was. On the first day there, we met up with some friends of friends who offered to play guides during our short stay. The one female is a foreigner but she had already made a name for herself in Hanoi. Seeing that there's these desperate tourists, she offered to take us clubbing with some friends at Apocalypse. I was introduced to this petite Hanoi beauty who spoke brilliant English and who turned out to be one of the new upcoming young female entreprenuers in Hanoi. We hit it off from the get-go and suffice to say, I woke up with a smile on my face. She was caliente and take my word when I say I lucked out big time. I am comparing her to the women I know from the 13 years I've spent in the fashion industry in NYC. Stuff like this happens only once in my lifetime.

The thing is I ain't no stud but I noticed that the women there (the ones we were introduced to anyway) took a liking to foreigners. I asked her about it and she replied stating that there is a large number of very successful young female entreprenuers in Hanoi those days and that most are not a tad bit interested in the local VN guys. So, whenever they get a chance to hook up with a foreigner, they'll jumped at it. Ask my buddy; he got screwed once too many times. By the time we got back to HCMC for my flight out, he needed a vacation just to recover from that vacation.

Anyway, fast forward years later. I still keep in touch with her and she's doing far better than she ever did. Thing is I got married last year and she's re-acting to that. I guess it's time to 'look' elsewhere for my next trip next month. That's why I'm back on this board snooping around for the first time since I did years ago.

I've been so focused with spending time with her in mostly HCMC the last few trips that I never noticed changes around me. I work during the days and see her in the evenings. Simple and pleasant with no worries.

That said, I'm enjoying reading the threads here and 'listening' to your experiences. Picked up a few good points so I'm looking forward to this upcoming trip in a different light.

If anyone's gonna be in town at the same time, feel free to drop me a line. Beers on me. I'll be in HCMC from the 10th to 19th March.

T.-

[Magnet45]

Hey Poon Searcher,

Great report, thanks. Is Maxim's on Dong Khoi, next to the Majestic?

[Turbo Carl]

BlueWolf,

Is it possible to bring in my wife to the "kissing bars" and "U2"?

What kind of bar are this, like bars in Thailand?

Were can we go with a bar girl, have they rooms in the bars, or a nearby short-time hotel?

Could you send me the adresses of the locations?

Thank you in advance,

TurboCarl

[Blue Wolf]

Hi all,

My 10 days in Saigon is finished, so I will post what I found out abouth the town.

It is easy to find girls if you know where to look, it's not so open as other asien countries.

The best place I found was in the kissing bar's, and U2 is very good.

Do not and I know some already told me that but DO NOT sai yes to the girls on a moterbike at night time who ask you to go for massage!! it's very dangerus, I am a big man who can take care of my self so I only wasted some time.

I met the most beautifuld girl ever in asia, and I have been in asia more or less for 7 years and she was not a SW so no info on her, she is only my.

Enjoy Vietnam, maybe the best country in asia and the most beautifuld girls.

BlueWolf

[Poon Searcher]

Buzz,

Try the Maxim Club in 1st district. The club is owned by a Vietnamese-American musician. He plays there everynight. All the girls there are top notch. Hand picked by him. I'm very picky and I have to say that I haven't seen a bad looking one yet and I have been there many occasions. They all wear cocktail dresses or miniskirts. They don't get pay to work there. All their earnings come from tips and bang sessions. Hang out there for a night or two and tip them nicely. Once they get to know you and feel comfortable they will leave the club with you afterward. Be patient,the reward will indeed be very nice. All these girls are top quality. They can be models.

If you can't wait,go down a couple of blocks. On your right hand side there is a big hotel. Make a right on Mac Thi Buoi Street to Thang Long Hotel. Thang Long Hotel is on your left hand side as you're walking down. There's a guy there infront of the hotel with a sanwich cart. He's normally there between 7pm-4 am. Ask him discreetly. He doesn't want to get into trouble. He's been selling there for over 30 years so nothing that's going on in that area can pass him. Or have a translator ask him where to find girls. He'll ask one of the taxis or bikes to go get them for you. But tell him I sent you so he won't feel so awkward. Tell him you know me. He calls me "Cong Tu Bac Lieu" . And if you're hungry,have some of the sanchiches he sells, the best that I've ever eaten in Vietnam and the States. Also, if you get sanwiches make sure to tip him so he will put more meat in there and fresh not day old. Do not pay more than $30 (approx. 450,000 vd ) for an all nighter . Thang Long Hotel is guest friendly with a $5 charge and she must have an ID. It is for your protection. Don't go to the girl's place. You might get set up and robbed. I have seen it happened to tourists who don't speak the language.

Next to Thang Long Hotel is a bar. You can get those girls to leave too but they charge $100 plus bar fine. Don't ever pay those prices. Those girls mainly target unsuspecting Russians, French, and Americans(White boys). That is too much in Vietnam. For a 100 bucks, you can get the girls from Maxim Club with top quality. Trust me, once you go to that club you do not want any other girls. They deserve every penny of it. Along that street and around the corner there are also other bars with girls in them. The majority of them will want $100 because you're not Vietnamese.

Note: Do not pick up any girls on the streets nor any girls under 21. Most of them are strung out on heroine. Big cities, lots of drugs and deseases. And always use condoms unless you're way down south of the country where there are no tourists and the girls are not exposed to foreingers with deadly deseases such as HIV.

Be safe and have fun!

[Buzz]

i am in hcmc and this place doenst seem to be as blatant about its sextrade as other asian countries. if i were to just have time for one experience in vietnam, can anyone recommend something?