Inspired Travels

Saigon Nightlife

The warm night forces many tourists to retreat to the noisy bars and cafes in Le Loi St in the Pham Ngu Lao district. Motorbikes whiz past the befuddled tourist as they attempt to cross the two metre wide road strip. A lady walks past pushing a trolley with a weighing machine, a coin operated machine commonly found in a shopping centre or a local chemist. Hoping that the tourist will want to see how much they weigh, but no one takes up her offer.

A street performer, a boy no older than eleven, dressed in red shorts and t-shirt stops abruptly in front of the café. He shouts “Oi Oi” to catch the attention of the customers. Lighting two sticks, he slowly lifts up the flaming metal skewers for dramatic effect. Bringing the skewer closer and closer to his mouth, he extinguishes it by closing his mouth around the burning stick. A small fee is necessary to collect for his street performance, as the tourists half heartedly reach into their pockets and give him a few thousand dong.

Upstairs in the Refinery, locals and expatriates gather together to listen to the latest tunes spun by an English DJ from his iMac laptop and Denton turntables. American hip hop music fills the air, as a group of local Vietnamese girls take a long drag of their Café Crème cigarettes in one hand and drink cans of Saigon beer in the other. Wearing headbands, jeans, cardigans, and colourful dresses they look no different to American or Australian women. Overpriced alcohol continues to flow at the bar as people mingle on the dancefloor. Suddenly, a noticeably large group of young American English teachers overtake the area.

Inside a cafe on De Tham St, Pham Ngo Lau district

Over at Apocalypse Now, affectionately known as “Apo” by the locals, is a popular nightspot. At the doors stand several security guards and a dozen more inside. It has the appearance of a sleazy bar/nightclub, with eye gouging alcohol prices. By midnight the place is overflowing with expats, local women prostitutes and openly gay men. The entire club is overcrowded, barely enough room to even stand on the dancefloor. As the club goers attempt to dance, it is a sea of people that sways and compresses as more people enter the room. A group of rowdy Australian men hug each other, bumping all in their wake. It would not surprise many to see a fight or riot break out given how many people are in such a small space.

I’m out like carting weigh machines,

Matthew