1) HOTEL:

http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/metropole/ http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/saigonriverside/
http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/dainam/
http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/chancery/
http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/oscar/

2) RESTAURANT:

Com Nieu Sai Gon
6C Tu Xuong
District 3
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 8932 6388 

The walls are blank and only a few plants hang, so the most notable parts of the decor of this restaurant are the broken clay pots that pile up on the floor as the night goes on. Order the Com Dap, "smashed rice," for the entertaining bowl-breaking, rice-throwing spectacle. Other highlights of the long, southern Vietnamese menu include thit kho nuoc dun (long simmering pork with coconut milk) and ca keo kho to (fish cooked in a clay pot). A decent list of beers, juices and liquors is also available.

Nam An  
22-36 Nguyen Hue
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 8822 0246

Stepping onto the terrace of the Nam An restaurant you feel as if you have stepped back in time. Everything in this open-air  restaurant from the manicured gardens to the wooden structure itself was designed in the style of old Vietnam. The dining area is surprisingly quiet considering that it is outside and located in the center of town. The menu focuses on traditional Vietnamese food, offering spring rolls, eel, Vietnamese pancakes and more. Mixed drinks are available and the lotus tea comes highly recommended.

Banh Xeo
46a Dinh Cong Trang
off Hai Ba Trung Street, District 3
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 4824 1110

If you want to eat what the locals eat, come here for everyday Vietnamese food. Decor is basic and functional, but the food is sensational. The house speciality is banh xeo. These are rich Vietnamese pancakes, filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts. They come served with a basket of salad leaves and herbs, which you wrap around pieces of the pancake before dipping it all in a bowl of fish sauce. A selection of beer and soft drinks will help you wash down the meal.

Huong Dong
236 Pasteur
District 3
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 8853 8236

Finally there is a place where you can satisfy that craving for field mouse. Specializing in Vietnamese countryside food, this restaurant has a decor that follows suit including a thatched ceiling with hanging cucumbers. The restaurant's menu offers many animals for consumption--chicken, pig, sheep, python, worm, snail, mouse and more--but vegetarian dishes are harder to come by. Specialties include ca loc nuong dat set (wrapped mudfish in clay) and bo nuong la chuoi (grilled wrapped beef in banana leaves). Beer is served by the bowl and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available.

3) NIGHT LIFE:

Vasco's Bar 
16 Cao Ba Quat
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Phone: +84 8825 1901

Located on the entire first floor of Camargue Restaurant, Vasco’s is a popular setting for expatriates on Friday nights. When the restaurant closes, Vasco's opens up. Live music is featured every weekend from 11.30pm to 1am. Several air-conditioned rooms full of couches provide plenty of room for sitting and talking. The pleasantly lit outside garden courtyard and bar surrounded by a high wall gives a nice setting for cocktails on a clear evening. Beer and mixed drinks are a couple of the beverage possibilities.

Wild Horse Saloon
8A1/D1 Thai Van Lung
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 8825 1901

In the Wild West 100 years ago, a bar like this would have fit right in. However, in 21st century Vietnam it is a real attention-getter. Every part of the decor in this bar from the swinging saloon doors and trophy heads on the walls and the long wooden bar reflects its cowboy theme. Here customers can enjoy live music nightly and American food, with the steaks (made from imported beef) as a highlight. A wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is available at the bar from the friendly English-speaking bartenders.

Paloma Cafe
26 Dong Khoi
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 8829 5813

The soft acoustic music played every night creates the perfect mood in which to cuddle with your loved one. If cuddling does not fit into your sports schedule, though, do not worry--the numerous television screens squeezed into the most intimate of corners will keep you entertained. The menu features a variety of Western dishes including imported steaks (USD9) and a Hawaiian Pork Chop (USD4) as well as a few Asian dishes. The long drink menu offers espresso beverages, fruit juices, beers and a list of pre- and post-meal liquors.

Carmen
8 Ly Tu Trong
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City,
Phone: +84 8829 7699

Carmen is like few bars in Ho Chi Minh City. For tall people, stepping into the bar is made difficult by an entrance that is only about one meter high. After surviving this obstacle you enter a quite awkward space in the style of a broken down house. The light is dim, but very pleasant. Low tables are scattered about for small groups to chat or couples to cuddle. Every night there is live Latin music played by the house band with a rotation of singers. A variety of cocktails (USD3) and beers (USD1.50) are available. It is certainly different!