In a city with two seasons — hot and hotter — cocktails offer a welcome reprieve. As the sun drops and the air shifts from scorching to merely sweltering, Saigon’s bars come alive with inventive drinks, talented bartenders, and a cocktail culture increasingly shaped by local ingredients and ideas.
“For a long time, the cocktail scene leaned heavily on international influence, which is natural,” says Jay Moir, co-founder and managing partner of bars Layla Eatery & Bar, WKND Saigon, and Summer Experiment.
But in recent years, he says, “there’s been a clear shift toward localization, using Vietnamese ingredients, telling local stories, and building something that isn’t just a copy of Tokyo, London, or New York.”
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