Gay activities in Vietnam Feb/Mar 2020
Details about the following venues: Hanoi Ami
Spa (massage), B Spa (sauna), Spa Adam (sauna), Nudist Beach, Polar Spar
(massage and sauna), Titan (sauna); Danang Aqua (sauna); Saigon 69zone (sauna).
At time of writing 1 EUR = 25,500 VND, 1 USD = 23,200 VND, 1 GBP =
28,500 VND, 1 THB = 723 VND.
Time of travel was at the beginning of Coronavirus pandemic, with some
hotels already closed for low number of customers, but other than many people
wearing face masks no apparent changes.
Wed26feb2020
Flight Bangkok Don Mueang to Hanoi. I have never seen DMK that empty.
Both at immigration and security, no queues or only 1 or 2 people (low number of travellers due to coronavirus).
Thu27feb2020 Hanoi
Ami Spa (massage) closed for good. Ask at pizza delivery (#107
D3) next to empty Ami Spa: closed one month ago.
Ami Spa, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hanoi, Vietnam (address from google maps)
B Spa (sauna) entry 60 kVND, stay
18:40-21:06.
B Spa & Lounge, 134 Đốc Ngữ, Vĩnh Phúc, Ba Đình,
Hanoi, Vietnam
1st floor = ground floor mocy parking (from number of mocy
you can guess how busy it is), reception, 84 lockers (small), group shower for 5
with okay light, lounge, karaoke, Jacuzzi for 10 is dry, free cold drinking
water.
2nd floor group room with 6 sunbeds, 4 private rooms. There
is step in the floor (about 5 cm) near the wall (about 10 cm away) where I hit
my ankle. Level of maintenance and cleanliness similar to Farose 2 in Bangkok.
3rd floor 5 private rooms, sauna with Himalaya stone salt
backlit wall is cold can lie 5; dry sauna can sit 10, window in door is
blinding; steam room can sit 15 and stand 10, light through glass door okay.
(Bahtrooms omitted in this and following. But you can assume there is
one bathroom on each floor.)
Over 20 customers when I arrive, some smoking. The place is busy, two
clear hits but not interested. Some bordercases, go to room with one of them
and have a good time. Afterwards it turns out he is 35 years old and smoker, no
repeat. When I leave emptying, 3 mocy left.
Fri28feb2020 Hanoi
Spa Adam (sauna) entry 60 kVND, stay 16:35-19:18.
Spa Adam, ngách 4 Ng. 61 Phố Lạc Trung, Vĩnh Tuy, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội,
Vietnam
1st floor = ground floor reception, locker room (96
lockers), one bottle of water per customer, two towels of okay quality, group
shower for 5 with hot water and okay light, Jacuzzi is dry. Flip-flops, comb,
hairdryer, but nothing more (cotton buds, mouthwash would be nice).
2nd floor Himalaya stone salt sauna well lit, can sit 10.
2 Mezzanine private rooms too dark.
3rd floor group room with window.
4th floor (or 3 Mezzanine?) steam room can sit 20.
5th floor empty.
Smoking in locker room. Count 10 customers when I enter, later over 20
customers. One bordercase friendly but not interested (that’s why I stayed so
long). Another chatty (good English) friendly but not my type. Says Thu was
naked day and is busy.
Sat29feb2020 Hanoi
Hanoi Nudist Beach. Not a gay venue, but as all-male nudity of
interest. I knew of this place from here:
But no exact location on internet or google maps. But when I cross Long
Bien bridge, I spot this (center of picture, people in water and they seem to be nude):
And on google maps this spot is marked as Hanoi Beach and easily
accessible from Long Bien bridge (there is a ramp for mocy and stairs for
pedestrians from the bridge, and gardens and a path on the insula). Spend about
12:50-55 at the nude beach (get nude and up to knees in water, but I didn’t
bring a towel, so no swimming). There are four more nude and one in swimwear.
Weather is 25 C and cloudy.
In the rest area (gym and field for ballgames as well) two more nude
invite me for tea. One of them used to work in Germany and speaks German and
tells me of his time in Berlin, witnessing the wall came down.
Polar Spar (massage and sauna) is gone from Tran Vu (near #168
from memory when I went in 2016, but another business has taken oven and I don’t
remember where exactly Polar Spa was). Moved elsewhere, but no time to
visit new venue.
Titan (sauna) entry 100 kVND, stay 18:45-20:12.
Sauna Titan, Ngõ 310/50 Nghi Tàm, Tứ Liên, Tây Hồ, Hà
Nội, Vietnam
1st floor = ground floor reception (both
cute), 60 lockers, size okay; group shower for 4 with hot water; big cold not
bubbling Jacuzzi. I want to shave, but there is nowhere with good light and a
mirror and a sink. Finally go in toilet, but can’t find the light switch.
Another customer shows me there is a motion sensor (and a note on the wall,
however the note is in the dark).
2nd floor big sauna with salt wall, light
okay. Big steam room light okay.
3rd floor group rooms and private rooms.
One bottle of water for each customer. Hairdryer and
comb (no cotton buds or mouthwash).
About 20 customers when I arrive, good turnover. Play
around with a 30-year-old, good activities and basic English. When I leave,
place is emptying, 8 motorbikes at parking.
Mon2mar2020 Danang
For gay dating in Danang, see here as well:
Aqua (sauna) entry 70 kVND, stay 19:04-52.
AQua Sauna, 16 Trần Quang Diệu, An Hải Tây, Sơn Trà,
Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam
1st floor = ground floor 51 lockers (3x10+3x7 locker), get a big locker. Group shower for 4 with hot water and good shower heads.
Dry Jacuzzi can sit 10.
2nd floor rooms.
3rd floor steam room can sit 10 luke-warm and
good light, sauna can sit 10 hot and good light.
Big and small tower of good quality. Bottle of water.
Between 5 and 10 customers during my stay.
Staff says open 16:30-22:00 every day, Sat and Sun
more customers.
A boy from blued was eager to meet and comes to my
room 20:45. Average face and body, soso English, but good activities. Goodbye starts
23:30 in my room. There are tears! The first time a boy shed tears over
goodbye. A wipe them off his cheek with a tissue and keep the tissue; tears
shed by a gay Vietnamese boy in sincerity can cure cancer! More tears and hugs
and kisses 00:38 in front of hotel, only his mocy left.
He is 25 years old, and this whole episode is rather a
case of emotional insecurity than true love. And now I have the problem of
chatting every day (which is not my style, waste of time by my standards).
Wed4mar2020 Saigon
Go to meet a boy from
blued in his room (near my hotel). A bit on the fat side and a bit
pale, but good activities, so play along and make him happy.
Thu5mar2020 Saigon
69zone (sauna) entry 120 kVND, stay
18:35-20:19.
69 Sauna, 5 Đặng Tất, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ
Chí Minh, Vietnam
NOT AT Thé SixtyNine Zone Pham Ngoc Thach
1st floor = ground floor reception
and locker. Loud music in locker room (92 lockers). Group shower with hot
water. Hot sauna can sit 10, 2 lights and glass window and glass door. Jacuzzi
cold but bubbling, can sit 10.
2nd and 3rd floor the
usual.
Unlimited small towels. Unlimited cold water
(single use plastic cups). Cotton buds. Bonus points: plasma ball at reception.
About 30 customers. Still busy when I leave.
At night a boy nearby wants to meet. Asks for money, but I decline: if he has money for drinking and partying with friends in Bui Vien, then he should put aside some for taxi trip home. If he looking for someone to pay, then it's not me. Go to meet him at a bar, positive impression and he would come with me, but I'm tired and have to pack my stuff for departure tomorrow morning. But will surely meet him when I go to Saigon again!
General observations
Misleading names, Spa can be a massage place or a sauna. No condom and
lube provided. But flip-flops in every venue. Vietnamese are not shy in the saunas. Some are pushy, bordering
on impolite. Online dating many profiles that do not show the owner. Ask for
face picture and often get one that deletes after 5 seconds. Small or medium cocks.
Average or poor English (contrary to what a friend who was in Vietnam for
work said: no need to study Vietnamese, Vietnamese gay boys speak English and
are eager to use it). The gay online dating situation was poor in Hanoi,
better in Danang and Saigon.
Picture of business cards (front and back) of some venues mentioned above (the A with two dots in Spa Adam is two people doggy!):
Overall, I like Vietnam and could spend more time there. Sauna and online dating scene promising.
Copyright 2020 ChristianPFC
Great report. Hanoi seems more active than Saigon (in terms of sauna). BTW, do you have any updates on sauna in Khon Kaen and Udon Thani? I searched your posts but they all been 'round several years ago. Some names you mentioned even not exist. TIA, guy.
ReplyDeleteThat's just because I spent more time in Hanoi than Saigon.
DeleteThe gay sauna in Khon Kaen is closed for good.
In Udon Thani there is UD Sauna, active judging by their updates on Line. Currently closed for Coronavirus.