Beer Street Saigon

The closest thing Saigon has to Hanoi's Beer Corner, is Bui Vien St - becoming known as Beer St.

It started with the opening of a few popular bars, Go2 and Crazy Buffalo. Then some local vendors decided to get on the act offering beers on the street - as the locals have always enjoyed it.

Nowadays, hundreds of backpackers and young locals squeeze into these packed little street stalls on tiny plastic stools to chat, drink and watch Saigon rush by at close range.

In a well worn ritual, local authorities regularly sweep through prompting the bars to pack up and retreat off the street for a few minutes before returning to business as usual after they have passed.

Bui Vien St is busy and many of the motorbikes and cars moving through the crowds of revellers and dried squid sellers show little regard for the crowds - it's another Saigon accident waiting to happen.

The backpacker area is a hotbed of petty crime so watch your things carefully.

If you want to move off the street, The Universal a real bar (not a street stall) at the centre of the strip, regularly features live music.