Please Note!!
This page is 8 years old and out of date. Most of the clubs no longer exist. The Louisiane and Sailing club still exist. Please be assured that there is a lot of nightlife and you will have no problem finding it.
Nightclubs in Nha Trang. There are quite a few of them and the photos in this post are of the entrances to some of the late night places. Most bars in Nha Trang close at 10pm. There are a few that have made some kind of arrangement with the authorities and can remain open until 3am. I have had guests stay with us that spent every night in places like the Sailing club. They would return every night at 4 am. For the life of me, I could not understand why they wanted to stay in my hotel when they could have been in one much closer.
I am not a night life person and prefer quiet places if I am off to have a drink
with friends. There are many though that like the booming of electronica discos and loud classic rock tunes. Many of there places owe their success to the Lonely planet and other publications that have them as the best places to go, even though they are not. (In my opinion) On the weekends, a couple of places may have a live band, or in one instance that I know of, female impersonators.
Almost all of them (I said almost), use people on the sidewalk trying different methods to lure the customer in. Some have girls dressed in provocative clothing oozing sexuality, others offer a free drink or happy hour prices. These kinds of tactics irritate me, but seem to work, otherwise they would not do it. I do not care for a young man running across the street to try to give me a piece of paper offering me a fake 2 for 1 drink. Many of the girls running around the streets trying to lure in customers I know, and I wonder how long before their hearts get broken by some false promises from the very customers they attract.
Anyway….. There are some things that are constant with all of these places. The drink prices are two to ten times the price of places
elsewhere, and they are also places where the tourist has to be wary. There a few things you should be aware of when going to these places. The high number of drunken tourists with money will attract all sorts of opportunistic people like a bee to honey. At 10 pm when the Karaoke bars and Vietnamese bars close. The clubs will then get busy with people. Some of them are there to just dance and have fun, but many have other things on their mind.
There are groups of very attractive girls that will go every night to try and land a temporary boyfriend. They will dance and just try to appeal to him but
if she sees she does not have the magic, she will text another girl and then fades out to let another try. The end game is to catch the fellow as a boyfriend for a couple of months and be his companion for the promise of motorcycles, jewelry, and cash. The man leaves for home thinking he has an overseas girlfriend, but the day he leaves, she is back at the club looking for another.
The late clubs are also where many of the prostitutes go to find a customer if
they had not been successful in the Vietnamese establishments earlier. Of course there are also pick pockets, and other opportunists watching and waiting to get at your wallet. The worst I have heard is that someone buys you a drink that is drugged. As you get sleepy in your chair, the cell phone, camera, and maybe purse or wallet disappears. If a person can see that money belt under the shirt, or a bulging wallet, it is guaranteed that you will asked to do some very close up dancing.
The final hurrah, is when you leave the establishment drunk, 2-4 women will press up against you offering massage and other delights. After they have relieved you of your valuables, they will hop on a motorcycle and be gone before you can react. If for some reason they are discovered or identified as a thief, the gang that controls them will have the person on a bus the same day to another town. These groups of girls move from destination to destination depending where the tourists are.
If you are going to have fun a night club, leave your passport and wallet with the hotel. Only take with you what you think you need to have a good time. I am not saying do not go to these clubs, but be very aware. And walk directly into a taxi to go back to your hotel. A staggering tourist is the ultimate target. This applies to all the late night clubs in Vietnam that tourists go to.
Tomorrow I am off on another Adventure to a coastal city named Tuy Hoa for a couple of days. I will tell you about it when I return.
Hi,
Well said Brian, there are good and bad in every country. It really comes down to common sense.
Owee, unfortunate for you to have been pick pocket. I don’t know you or have met you, but this may have happen to you, due to the fact that you may have a baby face look about you. lol
Those who don’t come from a third world country or recovering war countries, have a lot to learn about common sense, as you have all been spoon feed.
I myself have travelled abroad many times, the best way to ensure your trip is fun and memorable without incident is to RESPECT the country your in, and the people in it.
101 guide line
Drunk not Stupid
Fun not Crazy
Apply Las Vegas Rule ” What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ”
Condom not Hepatitis.
If applicable, Cash only not Charge.. lol
Baby face? Huh……. Long time since I wrote this blog. There has been more attempts to pickpocket me and some successful against my guests…. The scumbags criminals are very good at it and even those on guard get caught from time to time. Just avoid wandering tourist areas with loud bars after 10 pm and no problems…… All Vietnam sleeps at 10pm anyway
Hi,
You seem very down on shall we say ”girlie bars” and people who might frequent them, and offer advice on the dangers, and also say you do not want VN to go the way of Thailand. If you have been to any of the main towns in VN you must know it has already gone that way.
There are many quieter places of course and you can if you wish avoid these places in Thailand and in Cambodia etc. not just VN.
Personally I am not prudish about these things and look on it as part of the fun and excitement.
As for the dangers, you exaggerate them, all you need to do is use common sense just as you would anywhere in the world, in over 25 years visiting and living in SE Asia I have never had my pocket picked, never been drugged, and the only 2 occasions in all that time I had any problems where with someone on a motorbike trying to snatch some money as they went past and one occasion when I was walking alone up a dark street 3 Thai men came out of the shadows and followed me, but I was sober and when I turned to face them and challenged them they backed off, obviously wanting easier prey. If you get rolling drunk anywhere in the world you are asking for trouble, and I have seen more problems and danger in the UK and Europe than in SE Asia.
I have been in Girlie Bars and had a good time and the beer is not any more expensive than most other bars, and as for go-go bars yes it is more expensive as you would expect and most Guys would say it is worth it, but 10 times more expensive ! Where on earth have you been going ? As for breaking a bar girls heart, I will say it is more likely to be the other way round! These girls do the job they do because it is better and easier money than working in the fields and they can take care of their families, they are not forced into it as in Europe etc. Many of them are very nice, some are out and out gold diggers, just use common sense and have a good time would be my advice.
I personally like the contrasts and some days like a quiet evening and a cold beer by the beach, and sometimes I like to hit the bars, listen to some rock music and maybe have a game of pool with the bar girls, and I know I can do this in Thailand, Cambodia, and VN. There is not that much difference, the beer is a little dearer in Thailand, but in general accommodation is cheaper, though if you shop around and speak to the locals bargains can always be found anywhere.
I would advise people to see and try everything, for themselves, just use common sense and make their own opinions without being judgemental, on others who have different ideas on how to have a good time.
Good Luck and Enjoy.
Actually….. I am not down on “Girlie Bars, and actually know some of the gals that work in Saigon getting commission from the drinks bought them. You have been in Asia for 25 years so you are aware aware of what can happen. I myself “being aware” have been pickpocketed by aggressive ladyboys in Saigon and one year ago had a sleeping agent introduced into my beer at one of the bars in Nha Trang tourist area in an attempt to snatch my new phone. It can happen even to us who live here. I wrote this article 5 years ago based on the experience I was having with my hotel guests returning with stories of their bar adventures. Running a hotel saw my many who have encountered problems. I have a guest right now who is distraught because only last week a boy dressed like a woman stopped and smothered him with attention relieving his of his wallet. It happens daily and my police nephew deals with the mentioned issues constantly. Currently a 10000 dong beer in a “Girlie Bar is 30-40000 (not too bad is you are into that kind of entertainment) and a disco up to 140000 dong….. YIKES! Even if some consider this post exaggerated…. that is fine as long as people are aware. Thanks for your input. Your opinion is appreciated.