What about your hotel (joiner policy etc.) ?

Sounds like a very pleasant trip. Vietnam may have to be added to my list.

Keith. Yes definitley worth a visit. A combination of Asian charm and fast life style, still at budget prices. (A steaming bowl of Pho noodles $1 , 30 min taxi ride to airport $7)

HCM city has been described as being like BKK 30 years ago (without the "Boy-bars") and some are forecasting VN will overtake Thailand as the newest Asian Dragon.

Curiouser The last time I visited HCM, I stayed at the Continental Hotel (.. no, not Intercontinetal.) and had big problems getting my friend in during day time, let alone overnight.

This time I checked the Purple Dragon list of Gay Friendly hotels and chose the venerable old Caravelle, across the square from the Continental . The hotel policy states no guests in room after 23.00 and during the day any VN guests must be registered with the hotel. I walked in through the front door with my 21 y.o. friend at 6 pm and although security definitely saw him they let us pass.

There's actually a side entrance with access to elevators that dont pass the front desk . It takes you to the 9th floor from where non residents can enter the famous "Saigon Saigon " bar. There's access from there to other floors, but from about 9pm a security card is in place so that would be out.

This hotel is on the edge of the red light (straight) sauna/massage bar scene and during my 2 night stay I saw plenty of female call girls around, some at the hotel reception getting their id cards back.

The official line in VN is that there's no need for special rules for gays, as homosexulity does not exist in this socialist utopia. Ha! Unofficially I think most hotels turn a blind eye during the day, but control overnight entry (gay and straight) due to communist laws requiring all guests to be registered and security concerns.

In HCM, as elsewhere in the world, I rely on the probability that most of the reception staff are gay - my problem at the Continental was that it was staffed by Gestapo trained bitches ! Elsewhere (like the big department stores) you still come across communist era staff who completely lack a service mentality , but with 70% of the VN population below 30 y .o. that's now the exception.

Just go and have a great time!

-- When I was last in HCMC., maybe 15+yrs. ago., such outdoor & evening cruising as there was was near to the Zoo. and to the dockyard/port area - both AYOR., I thought!
- I visited NHA TRANG,too. Plenty of evening & female prostitutes on the beach-front nr. to the War Mem'l.. But also gangs of young vigilantes patrolling the wooded area at the southern end of the beach and along the beach itself on the look-out for any & even remote signs of hanky-panky, even between ortho-sexual couples.

A lot has changed in 15 years. The internet, mobile phones, opening up of the economy, huge tourist inflows. I'd still be wary of public cruising, but there are some nite spots I'd like to check out next time. Still need to be selective on Romeo and read all the visitor postings.

I have lived in NT for several months and I highly recommend to avoid the beach area at night. The discot. at Nha Trang Lodge hotel is a well known pick up place with "normal" gays and of c. MBs as well. Besides police in NT is well known for being a bunch of scum bags. There is a pattern: Prostitute (m/F) picks up customer on the beach and takes him to a quiet place where soon police will show up and catches customer "in the act", police takes at least 50 USD and shares it later with the prostitute. I was told this story by taxi drivers and some close (straight) Vietnamese friends. Besides it is forbidden...by law.. that a Vietnamese person shares a room overnight with a foreigner unless they are married. Of course there are hotels everywhere with a special relationship to police but raids in hotelrooms at night DO happen. I have a good friend who has been married to a V. lady for 20 years. When travelling Vietnam they have to show their marriage certification in order to avoid booking 2 rooms. I never could find out if this law refers to same sex couples,too but I think so.

My long term "thii -rak" is a Vietnamese born Australian. We have travelled extensively in VN from Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, NT and HCM and never had the slightest problem with hotels. Of course we are both on Aussie passports, but he looks and speaks Viet.

Hcmc. - 'san ouva.' hotel ...
 

-- Moderator,
- Would you transfer the flg. entry to the thread entitled: 'HCMC. - Gay-friendly hotel.', where it belongs!
- Thank you.

Today, 31 jan., a mature & much-travelled Englishman joined our coffee-gp.;
- He was in HO CHI MINH CITY recently and stayed in the gay-friendly SAN OUVA HOTEL.:
- addr.: n/a.;
- tel.: n/a.;
- loc'n.: Q1.; approx. 10 mins. walk from the REUNI. PALACE;
- price: approx. USD.43.oo.nett daily, to incl. a so-so buffet-type b'fast.;
- He reported that he had no problem in bringing-back his student companion with him, (in fact the male receptionist commented that his companion was handsome!), but a companion will leave his ID. at Recept'n. and there's an add'n. charge of USD.05.oo..
- He made his booking through Agoda Travel.

-- E&OE. as reported speech.