How To Spend New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Although the Vietnam’s biggest New Year’s party is reserved for the Tết holiday in the first lunar month, Ho Chi Minh City still puts on a pretty good party for its Gregorian cousin. Let’s have a look at how you should say xin chào (hello) to a healthy and prosperous new year in style.

Fireworks

There’s insane traffic, massive crowds and horns constantly blaring, but spirits are high and everyone still has a lot of fun. New Year’s Eve in Saigon is an unforgettable atmosphere every year – hundreds of thousands of people enjoying time with their friends and families. The midnight fireworks shoot off near the Bitexco tower, which is the tallest building in District 1. Most people watch the show from the streets around the tower, or from District 2 across the Saigon River, but there are better options.

District 2, Mai Chí Thọ, Quận 2, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Nguyen Hue Walking Street

This new addition to Ho Chi Minh City stretches from the beautiful People’s Committee Building all the way to the Saigon river. And the best part? Motorbikes aren’t allowed. It’s crazy busy on New Year’s Eve, but it’s also a great spot for snacks and street performers and a decent view of the fireworks.

Nguyễn Huệ, District 1

One end of Nguyen Hue walking street

Rooftop bars

The best way to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Ho Chi Minh City is to party at a rooftop bar. It’s the perfect combination –fancy drinks, good service and a great view of the fireworks. There are places for different budgets, but here are some of the better places to ring in the new year. Keep in mind that you will probably need to make a reservation for most of these places, so call early. Some offer dinner packages as well.

Chill Sky Bar, AB Tower, 76A Lê Lai, District 1 +84 93 882 28 38

Air 360 sky Lounge, 136-138, Lê Thị Hồng Gấm +84 97 458 77 88

Eon51, Level 50/51/52, Bitexco Financial Tower, 2 Hải Triều +84 28 6291 8751

Liquid Sky Bar, 8-15 Tôn Đức Thắng, District 1 +84 838220033

Rex Hotel Rooftop Bar, 141 Nguyễn Huệ, District 1 +84 838292185

Level 23 Wine Bar & Nightstop, 80 Dong Du, District 1 +84 28 3827 2828

Glow Sky Bar, 93 Nguyễn Du, District 1 +84 93 887 45 69

The View Rooftop Bar, 195 Bùi Viện, District 1 +84 28 3838 6708

Shri Restaurant & Lounge, 72 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, District 3 +84 838279631

Breeze Sky Bar, Hotel Majestic, 1 Đồng Khởi, District 1 +84 28 3829 5514

Broma Not a Bar, 41 Nguyễn Huệ, District 1 +84 28 3823 6838

Bars

If you don’t care about seeing the fireworks, here are some of our favorite bars. Prefer to drink in a hotel bar? Here are some of the best. You could risk it and simply wander around on the night of until you find a place, but the massive crowds will make changing locations difficult and you might just find yourself out of luck. Our advice is to have a location in mind and get there early.

Happy New Year, Saigon

River Boat Cruises

For both a unique view of the fireworks and a memorable experience, go for a river boat cruise on the Saigon River. Again, book these early as they’re popular and tend to fill up.

Les Rives Authentic River Experience, Me Linh Point Tower, 2 Ngô Đức Kế, District 1 +84 128 592 0018

Bonsai Cruise, 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4 +84 836206265

Saigon Boat Company, 15B/24 Le Thanh Ton, District 1 +84 90 984 48 13

Ho Chi Minh City at night

Hotels

You really should book a room somewhere downtown, near the river, even if just for the one night. The traffic is wild on New Year’s Eve, so unless you want to spend two hours in gridlock, book a room in District 1 as near to the Tran Hung Dao Statue as you can find for your price range. Happy partying!