General Info

The old apartment block on Ton That Dam Street, in Saigon’s downtown District 1, has been colonized by excellent cafes, hipster bars, fashion boutiques, and places to eat. What’s more, gritty and intriguing architectural vestiges lurk in every nook & cranny of this enigmatic French colonial-era complex. In the midst of rapid urban development, Saigon is losing many of its characterful, old apartments. The irony is that many of these apartment blocks are either vibrant street food zones or have become hip icons of modern, youthful Saigon. Almost nothing else in the city says ‘young, hipster, trendy, and so Saigon’ more than an old apartment complex with cafes, co-working spaces, boutiques, bars, and restaurants. Saigon’s most famous ‘apartment cafe’ is at N°42 Nguyen Hue Street. But the apartment at N°14 Ton That Dam Street (just a 10-minute stroll from its more famous sister) has long been a hip hangout. In fact, the Ton That Dam apartment was part of Saigon’s ‘cool scene’ way before the one on Nguyen Hue.