Introduction
If your new to the city then your definition of a great date spot might be taking your date to a fancy overpriced restaurant catering to clueless tourist in district one. But, then you’d be missing out on so much more that the city has to offer.
There are countless hidden treasures spread all throughout the city that foreigners and even locals don’t even know about. If your looking to make a damn good impression on your date then you’ve come to the right place.
If this is your first time taking a girl out on a date here, then read this article to find out more on where to take a girl on a first date in Vietnam.
In today’s article, I’m going to be giving you a list of some of the best date spots here in Ho Chi Minh City.
The best date spots in Ho Chi Minh city include the following places:
- Crescent Lake
- Nguyen Hue Street
- Turtle lake
- Vinhomes Central Park
- Coffee shops
- Milk tea shops
- Bitexco Tower
- Morico
- Landmark 81
Let’s have a closer look at each one, shall we?
Free
Crescent Lake
This stripe of sidewalk is situated right beside Crescent Mall in Phu My Hung, one of the affluent neighborhoods here in Vietnam that is home to a gazillion Koreans. During Tet, expect to see beautiful Vietnamese girls all decked out in Áo dài’s (traditional Vietnamese dresses) by the boatloads while they take pictures around the area. A sight not be missed.
At nightfall, as your strolling around the sidewalk, expect to see the starlight bridge light up like a rainbow as the water pours down like a waterfall.
This is a great peaceful place to take a date on that isn’t overly noisy unlike most of Ho Chi Minh City. Your date will be deeply impressed that you even know such a place exists. Grab a few drinks and have a seat right beside the bridge as your date’s heart begins to melt at her surroundings.
If your feeling hungry, just head on inside to Crescent mall and enjoy the vast variety of delectable food options at your finger tips.
Address: 101 Tôn Dật Tiên, Tân Phú, Quận 7, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
Nguyen Hue Street
If your looking for a nice quiet place to take a girl on a romantic evening together then you won’t find it here.
This busy and bustling walking street located right dead center in Vietnam is quite famous among foreigners and locals alike.
Come here during the daytime and it looks quite deserted but come here at night, and it takes on a whole new life of its own, with decorative lights and flowers, the sizzling sound of street food being prepared, and crowds of people gathering around performers.
Also be on the lookout for the hidden water fountain as water sprays unsuspecting visitors in the evening. Try not to get your date wet ok?
You will occasionally find your typical beg packer loser here looking to leech off of sympathetic locals who don’t know any better then getting scammed by these lazy good for nothing vermin. Remember to bring some spare change folks.
On the sides of the street, you will found countless restaurants and cafes to satisfy your taste buds. Go for a walk here and then grab a drink with your date at one of the nearby cafes or visit the cafe apartments, where you’ll find a huge selection of different cafe’s overlooking the entire walking street. The perfect date spot in district 1.
Sidenote: They charge a ridiculous 3000 vnd per a person just to use the elevator in this building. Stairs are free.
Address: 22 Nguyễn Huệ, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
Turtle Lake
Although the name implies that there are turtles in the lake here, in actuality there are no turtles here.
Instead, you’ll find many young couples coming here in the evening to relax and hangout. And while the lake leaves much to be desired in terms of looks, it more than makes up for it by the calm tranquil evening atmosphere and variety of street foods available. You will find street food vendors and motorbikes littered all throughout the tiny lake. Snacks such as bánh tráng nướng (BBQ rice paper with dried shrimp, sausage, and quail egg) and bắp xào (stir fried corn) are readily available or if your thirsty, then just walk over to the dozens of coffee shops encircling the lake.
Foreigners rarely come here, so you’ll get extra brownie points for discovering this locals only hangout.
Address: Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
Vinhomes Central Park
Another affluent area in Ho Chi Minh City that is sprawling with expats and overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu).
At this large park, you’ll be surrounded by lush palm trees, the smell of fresh cut grass, and the relaxing sound of the saigon river overlooking the park. Couples often come here in the evenings to spend some alone time together. The park is clean and prestige and quite peaceful and will make you question whether or not your still in Vietnam.
If your a hopeless romantic then you can climb up one of those round red structures and re-enact a scene from Titantic while facing the Saigon river. I am sure your date will feel like a million bucks.
On the other side of the park is the tallest building in Vietnam, Landmark 81 and the surrounding vinhomes apartments that engulf it. It doesn’t get anymore romantic then this in Bình Thạnh district.
Address: Phường 22, Bình Thạnh, Ho Chi Minh City
Budget Friendly
This sections for all of you out that aren’t millionaires or trying to fake it as a 30k millionaire to get with those gold diggers here in Vietnam.
Coffee Shops
The city of Ho Chi Minh City is littered with thousands of coffee shops as coffee culture is huge here. If you think people in America drink a lot of coffee, wait until you come to Vietnam. The Vietnamese run circles around Americans when it comes to coffee consumption.
Here is a list of well known coffee shops that serve delicious coffee at affordable prices.
Highlands Coffee
This coffee chain is like the Starbucks of Vietnam. You will find at least one of them on practically every major intersection here in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to serving coffee and milk tea, they also serve deserts and sandwiches, making it a one stop shop for relaxing on a brisk evening out.
Address: Practically everywhere in Vietnam but here’s a few locations to get you started.
District 1: (Inside the Takashimaya mall) 92-94 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
Bình thạnh District: (inside Landmark 81) 208 Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, Phường 22, Bình Thạnh, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
Phúc Long Coffee & Tea
A personal favorite of mine. Their teas are very aromatic and tasty, however selection is kind of limited.
Address: All over Ho Chi Minh City but here’s a few to start you off.
District 1:
(Inside the Takashimaya mall) 92-94 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000 39 – 41, Nguyễn Huệ, Quận 1, Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh
District 7: Crescent Mall, GF-21B Tầng Trệt Khu, 101 Tôn Dật Tiên, Tân Phú, Quận 7, Hồ Chí Minh
Xô Bồ Trà & Cafe
This small coffee chain has recently been making a big buzz here in the city with their frothy egg coffee and savory banh mi bread with creamy egg milk dipping sauce. Lots of locals are flocking to both of their locations in doves, ready to sample their delicious offerings.
The cafe’s have a nice rustic charm to it that make it a great place to bring a date to. Sip on a hot cup of coffee while sharing a plate of banh mi dipped in a milky white glazed sauce while gazing into each others eyes like something out of a romance novel. Your date won’t stand a chance!
Address:
Phú Nhuận district: 11 Phan Đình Phùng, Phường 17, Phú Nhuận, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
District 3: 243 Đường Lê Văn Sỹ, Phường 13, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
Milk Tea
This is another very popular choice for locals that prefer an alternative drink to coffee. Ever since milk tea was introduced into the country, it’s popularity has rapidly increased to rival that of coffee drinking. You will find thousands of places all serving milk tea around the city. Here is a few well known milk tea shops that serve delicious milk tea.
Koi Thé
Ice cold frothy smooth aromatic tea coursing down your throat as you gulp it slowly. That’s the feeling you get when you buy a milk tea at Koi Thé.
This tea shop chain has taken the country by storm and is arguable one of the best tasting milk tea shops around. They have exploded onto the scene and are rapidly expanding. It seems everyone here in Ho Chi Minh City has tried this place at least once. With their rapid expansion, you can expect to find a shop near you anywhere you go in the near future.
I tried it once at Aeon mall and became hooked ever since.
Gong Cha
This is another favorite among the locals that is quickly expanding here in Vietnam as well. Gong Cha locations tend to have great seating and decor but that’s not what helped build their reputation here. Gong Cha brings their own unique spin on milk tea as you will find many unique flavors available only at Gong Cha. If you mention either one of Koi Thé or Gong Cha to your date, she’s bound to have visited at least one of these places.
High end
Bitexco Tower
This used to be one of the tallest buildings here in Ho Chi MInh City back in 2010, but since then several other buildings have overtaken it including the Landmark 81 building, the tallest in Vietnam. But it doesn’t really matter because at the skydeck, you will dazzle your date with a beautiful view of the city and the Saigon river that will leave her breathless.
But before that happens, be prepared to fork out 200,000 vnd per a ticket to reach the top.
Alternatively, you can head on over to the EON Heli Bar instead and save yourself 400,000 vnd but don’t expect drinks to be cheap. Your looking at around at least 210,000 vnd per a cocktail and at least 140,000 vnd for a beer. Then tack on service fees and the VAT tax and your looking at a bill of at least 400,000 vnd. Ouch!
Address: Bitexco Financial Tower, 7, 2 Hải Triều, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
Morico – Contemporary Japanese Lifestyle
These overpriced upscale cafe chains have popped up all over Ho Chi Minh City. If your date suggests that you guys come here, then you will know for sure she’s a gold digger or just one of those gals that enjoy the finer things in life.
Find out how to tell if she’s a gold digger in this article here.
Unless your looking at drinking mineral water here, (even that’s a whopping 48,000 vnd), be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for some beverages and deserts here. Most drinks will run you close to 100k vnd. And if you thought the prices of drinks and deserts were’t outrageous enough, I’m here to tell you that they also serve Japanese food like sushi which will run you around 200k vnd.
Pray your date doesn’t order one of those sashimi sets that cost around 400k vnd and upwards or you’ll soon find your wallet feeling a lot lighter.
On the bright side of things, the atmosphere at Morico’s is nice, and you don’t have to be seated near beg packers. That’s got to be a plus right?
Plus your date’s gonna be deeply impressed by your sophistication and good taste in posh scenes.
Address:
District 1: 30 Lê Lợi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Bình thạnh district: 92 Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, Phường 22, Bình Thạnh, Hồ Chí Minh
District 7: Crescent Mall – 2F-101 Ton Dat Tien, Dist.7, Ho Chi Minh, Hồ Chí Minh
Rich Guy Game Places
This one is a bonus for all you ballers out there who are looking to impress the girl with the size of your wallet.
Landmark 81
Meet Landmark 81, the tallest building in all of Vietnam and southeast Asia as of 2019. It took them a while, but they finally managed to complete the observation deck and restaurant up top. The tower is 81 stories hence the 81 in the name and features a shopping mall downstairs, hotel, overpriced restaurant and bar, pool, and spa.
For the incredible low price of only 810,000 vnd, you too can purchase a ticket to take your date to the tallest wonder in all of Vietnam. If you want to impress your date further, then why not take her to the restaurant and bar where you can purchase a delicious bowl of pho for the jaw-dropping price of only 920k vnd. By the end of the date, she should be head over heels in love with you, after all you did spend a fortune on her.
Places to Avoid
Bui Vien Street
This long stretch of street is known as the red light district here in Ho Chi Minh City. This is where foreigners go to partake in debauchery activities. The neighborhood is loud, crass, and sketchy as hell. If your looking to get drunk, high, or have a happy ending then head on down here. Otherwise taking your date here will be seen as being low class and uninformed.
Clubs or Beer Clubs
The clubs in Vietnam do not know the definition of loud as you will soon find out after shortly entering one of the clubs or beer clubs scattered throughout the city. Expect the DJ to blast music well past 120 decibels and causing irreversible hearing damage. Not only will you not be able to hear your date talk, you won’t even get a chance to dance with her on the dance floor as most clubs in Vietnam are solely focused on table service only.
Expect to pay over the roof prices for alcohol and fruit plates that cost no more than a buck or two. If your looking to impress your date, taking her to one of these places is a sure fire way of her not answering any of your future calls.
How could she? She’s now suffering from hearing loss.
Conclusion
Finding the perfect spot to take a date on could be the difference between having a remarkable evening together where sparks could fly or the end of the road for your love life with this particular girl.
That’s why it’s crucial that you don’t mess things up by taking her to some shady run down old loud bar on Bui Vien street.
In this article, we looked at some of the best date spots in Ho Chi Minh City that caters to budgets of all sorts.
Hopefully with this list of places at your fingertips, you can now focus more of your energy on spending time with your date instead of worrying about where to go next.
What are your favorite dating spots here in Ho Chi Minh City?
Let me know in the comments!
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