HCMC. Not mongering destination. Lot of scammers.
HCMC is not an easy mongering place for bachelors. The attitude of prostitutes and sexual massage girls is worst with reference to sex service. They just want your money. The Viet women attitude sucks big time when comparing to other popular Asian countries.
There lot of scammers in the tourist District 1. You have to be very careful and don't respond to strangers on the street.
The social mobile apps (wechat, beetalk) too have lot of scammers with fake profile picture. Never book anyone using online apps.
Very Poor Experience at Zeus Massage on Pham Ngu Lao.
This place got a lot of attention when it opened. A flurry of posts from new accounts especially on another forum. The publicity from the early police raid probably didn't do any harm either.
However, it really is a low value tourist trap and not IMO a hotspot.
The women aren't cute, even in the photos they show you for selection. My pick could have been another woman. She was maybe 4 years older than stated (that's standard practice of course) dumpy and had a kid so her breasts were like balloons five days after a party. She was friendly. I'll give her that.
The standard rooms are 1 m vnd. Cramped plinths and steam and sauna if you want them, the baths are awkward to get in and out of, not comfortable.
Basic routine is bath then oil massage (hot stones if requested) then topless pretend BJ, then HJ relief. Then they wash you and help you button your shirt. I really mean pretend BJ: they hold your cock as far from their mouths as a karaoke microphone. Some of the women might perform better than others, but the whole point of Zeus is that you pay a fixed rate and should get a standardised service.
Right now you can do much better with the massage girls on Bui Vien. They ask 200 k but most accept 100 k for one hour oil massage. Always better to be firm on the ticket price as this gives you more control with the tip. Not all are attractive by any means, many just Zeus quality, but there are some real cuties to be had, 18 and up.
I tip 200 k for happy ending, 300 for topless and kissing etc. If for some reason I don't want relief and they give a decent massage I tip 100 k. In some shops they offer private rooms for 200 k ticket. Otherwise, both in the afternoon and in low season you often get a room to yourself anyway.
So if you just want a cute girl, oil massage and HJ the BV shops are a better deal, 400 k versus 1 m.
Some of the girls will provide BJs (negotiable) and some will not. One or two shops do FS and ask 1 m vnd plus 200 k ticket: better than the China-type places as at least you also get a decent massage. But much better quality on kynu and similar for 500 k plus 50-150 for room.
If you want a professional BJ use the hot tocs. Rushed and no massage, but 300 k /400 k versus 1 m. Cheaper but more crucially better quality.
With the BV girls you get to see and chat with the girl before you commit.
Perhaps it's not a coincidence that you have to pay Zeus up front. Always a bad sign. If that had not been the case on my visit I wouldn't have paid, would just have walked. With the hot tocs and BV MPs you pay tip and ticket when you leave.
Finally, if you want a girl to take you around, eat with etc. Then talk to the language students in the park. They will buy you a cheap lunch or a coffee, then accept an invitation to a more upmarket place for dinner. They are more educated, speak English, are presentable and not embarrassing to be seen with like the hostess bar girl types. I think they are probably a better bet than hooking-up online.
Just my thoughts.