The market, located on District 1's Thu Khoa Huan Street, is decorated with brightly colored murals and a retractable awning overhead, which can be opened or closed to suit the weather. Geared toward foreign tourists, its cluster of vendors sell everything from snacks and desserts to barbecue, Vietnamese dishes and other Asian favorites. Just behind the larger Ben Thanh Market, the street food center serves as an outdoor food court to its traditional counterpart, reminiscent of hawker stalls in other Southeast Asian nations. Picnic-style benches and tables occupy both the front and back of the space, interrupted by a tight-knit maze of clean, modern food stalls. Despite its recent debut, the market is already packed with diners on most evenings and and gets a steady stream of passersby during the day. Prices are a little higher than your average street food fare but the extra cash goes toward better ambiance and a cleaner environment. The market is now open from...

The Acoustic Bar in Ho Chi Minh is the venue of choice for Vietnam’s up and coming rock musicians. This is the place where legends never die and you can hear amazing renditions of – amongst others – Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and John Lennon. But it’s not limited to the classics; the international roster of musicians is free to rock on with anthems from any era. The place itself is part bar, part cafe, with plenty of sofas for chilling with a coffee in the early evening and standing room for when it heats up at night – there is no food served at The Acoustic Bar though so be sure to fill up beforehand. This place is packed practically every night with a pleasant mix of Vietnamese and foreigners so if you only have one night for live music in Ho Chi Minh we recommend The Acoustic Bar. You’ll have no trouble finding the bar, just look out for an artistically upturned VW Beetle to guide the way. Opening Hours: 18:00 – 24:00 (live music from 21:00, except on Sunday) Address: 6E1 Ð Ngo...

Hard Rock Cafe is a bar that needs no introduction – creative cocktails, huge portions of tex-mex favourites, memorabilia on the walls and a kick ass live band to entertain you after dinner. It’s a formula that has won plaudits from New York to New Deli and keeps tourists returning again and again. The live bands at Hard Rock Cafe in Ho Chi Minh are technically excellent and play a varied and middle-of-the-road selection of rock ballads and a few anthems to get people out of their chairs and singing along. Hard Rock Cafe Ho Chi Minh is tourist and family-friendly with a bar menu of Western classics that could quell the hunger of a wildebeest. Particular favourites include the intimidating barbeque rack of ribs and their legendary burgers. The bar is easy to find in Kumho Asiana Plaza, a sparklingly new lifestyle mall with several other restaurants and shops, close to the Botanical Gardens. Opening Hours: Weekdays 11:00 – 24:00, Weekends 11:00 – 02:00 (Live music from...