As a travel writer who focuses on Vietnam, I visit Ho Chi Minh City regularly and have checked out most of the top hotels. In September, on my most recent visit, I decided to switch things up and stay at an apartment in one of the city's vertical villages instead.
Many of these legendary former apartment buildings now house trendy bars and restaurants. The Café Apartment on 42 Nguyen Hue Street, a spot often included on a first-timer's guide to the city, is a lattice of coffee houses and dessert bars.
Those seeking out a more underground scene, tend to wander a few blocks south into the building at 14 Tan That Dam Street, and find concealed speakeasies and tattoo parlors. Many of my go-to establishments in the city — from the cocktail bar Summer Experiment to the artisanal coffee shop Manki — also occupy what were once homes.
But the apartment building at 47-57 Nguyen Thai Binh, built during the 1960s and close to Ben Thanh Market and the Museum of Fine Arts, is still overwhelmingly residential. There are only a handful of apartments available for short-term rent, one of which I managed to book for three nights. I soon discovered that there were plenty of enterprising residents who had set up businesses catering to neighbors and visitors here too — offering plenty to explore during my stay.