Gay Guide
Listing and event details can change quickly. Please verify with the venue directly before visiting. Lavender Atlas is not responsible for third-party accuracy.
About LGBTQ+ Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam has never criminalised same-sex relationships. In 2015 it lifted its ban on same-sex wedding ceremonies, although the state still does not recognise those marriages, and in 2022 the Ministry of Health told medical workers that being LGBTQ+ is not an illness and cannot be "cured".
Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, has the country's biggest scene, centred in District 1 around Đề Thám and Bùi Viện, the streets of the backpacker quarter. Thi Bar at 224 Đề Thám, run by a French-Vietnamese couple since 2010, is the fixture, with live music most nights. Frolic, further along the same street, does drag and themed party nights, and ChinChin on Hồ Tùng Mậu pulls a young crowd for pop, EDM and drag.
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The city's saunas and men's spas are spread out. Sauna69 in Tân Định and De.soi9, set around a garden off Đinh Tiên Hoàng, are run by the same team, while NaDam, out on the northern edge of the city in Thủ Đức, is known for its wooden walkways over a koi pond. 3 Some Spa is closer in, on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm in District 1.
Parties come and go quickly here. Full Disclosure throws a monthly night of drag, live music and DJs in Thảo Điền, the expat neighbourhood across the Saigon River.
VietPride began in 2012 and grew into parades in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but in September 2025 organisers cancelled the Saigon parade on Nguyễn Huệ walking street two days before it was due, citing external reasons. Check the organisers' own channels before planning a trip around it.
A compact, high-energy bar heavy on pop and EDM, with drag shows on weekends. It pulls a lively young crowd in the heart of District 1.
A large, airy gay sauna close to the center with a sauna, steam room, and Jacuzzi, drawing one of the most mixed crowds in town.
A hidden rooftop restaurant serving home-style Vietnamese cooking across a leafy, lantern-lit terrace, and a longtime local gathering spot.
A cozy neighborhood cafe for cakes, cupcakes, and coffee, run as a welcoming, laid-back hangout.
A men-only spa with essential-oil massage, a steam sauna, and a pool in a French-designed space.
A long-running favorite run by a French-Vietnamese couple, with live music most nights, a generous happy hour, and a crowd that mixes locals and travelers. Open late into the early hours.
A gay men's spa offering four-hand, hot-stone, and Thai massage with steam and sauna.
A smaller, local-leaning gay sauna in a converted house down a back alley, grittier and lower-key than the bigger spots.
A newer LGBTQ+ hangout built around an outdoor pool, with hot tubs, sauna, and steam rooms. As much a daytime lounge as a night out, with free entry.
One of the city's best-known gay saunas, set in a striking space with wooden walkways over a koi pond, plus steam, sauna, and plenty of relaxed lounging.
Gay sauna down a quiet alley, built around a leafy garden that feels more like a beer garden, with a steam room, dry sauna, jacuzzi, cinema, private cabins and a rooftop. Open daily from early afternoon, run by the team behind Sauna69.