Bui Vien Street, Entertainment street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
This 1,640-foot pedestrian corridor features several hundred bars, restaurants and cafes lining both sides of the thoroughfare. Most establishments have open-air facades and terrace seating that extends onto the sidewalk, creating a continuous row of dining and drinking spots where patrons sit facing the passing crowds.
Originally a narrow alley with basic lodgings for travelers in the nineteenth century, the area gradually attracted journalists and writers who established offices nearby during the mid-twentieth century. The first bars and international restaurants appeared in the 1990s as tourism expanded in the city. The pedestrian zone designation came in 2017 following neighborhood petitions.
This pedestrian zone serves as a meeting point where local residents and international visitors converge each evening, creating an environment that reflects both Vietnamese hospitality traditions and global influences. Many business owners here belong to families who have operated in this district for multiple generations.
The pedestrianized section operates from 7 PM to midnight on weekdays and until 2 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, with vehicle access prohibited during these hours. The nearest metro connections are at Ben Thanh Market and the Opera House, both roughly half a mile away. ATMs and currency exchange services are available throughout the corridor.
Several microbreweries along the corridor use Vietnamese coffee beans, lotus flowers and ginger in their brewing processes, producing flavors developed specifically for this neighborhood. Some breweries offer tasting sessions where visitors can sample these experimental varieties alongside explanations of the ingredient combinations used in production.
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