In Ho Chi Minh City, there are many entertainment places to come. But, when you dislike crowded streets and luxury shopping centers, you can visit a peaceful spot in the city center, Little Japan Saigon or Little Tokyo Ho Chi Minh. That typical quarter is located at the alleys of Le Thanh Ton and Thai Van Lung Streets, right in the heart of bustling District 1, called Saigon Japanese Street.
Little Tokyo Ho Chi Minh City
The correct location of Little Japan Saigon is on the road less than 2 km in District 1, from alley 15A, 15B Le Thanh Ton through to Thai Van Lung and nearby streets, such as Ngo Van Nam and Thi Sach. Here, you can easily find Japanese restaurants, bars, and cakes with closed wooden doors and bilingual signs. Many Japanese people choose to work and live on these streets.
To get into this town, you can go from many directions besides Le Thanh Ton Street because the alleys are connected with each other. But the most convenient way is to park the car on Thi Sach Street and walk in this area from lanes 15B Le Thanh Ton or alley No. 8 Thai Van Lung Street.
Some people say a Japanese trader was coming to Saigon and fell in love with a local girl. Then, he lived here and established the Little Japan Saigon. That is an untrue story, but the people want to tell a lovely thing about its establishment. Indeed, many Japanese people and tourists have come to Vietnam to work and visit. Some of them have lived in Saigon for a long time. To meet their needs, Japanese business people opened shops. And then, the Japanese town became a part of Ho Chi Minh City.
A town with Japanese culture
As its name is Little Japan Town, visitors feel like they are in a corner of Japan. The whole area has a wood sign, red-white-yellow cloth lanterns, and a typical rolling door. If there are no address lines in Vietnamese, you will surely think you are standing in the heart of a corner in Tokyo.
In addition to business stores and restaurants, it is also home to 300 Japanese households. Therefore, it still retains many typical cultural features, such as being clean, civilized, and not noisy.
The difference between the Japanese Quarter in Saigon and other foreign streets, such as Bui Vien Walking Street, is that this place is not vibrant. Guests will feel warm feelings about Japanese culture.
The closed wooden frames, lanterns, and door curtains clearly show a typical lifestyle at this site. This quiet space makes this place even more attractive, especially at night.
Visit the Japanese restaurants in Saigon
When talking about Japan, people are impressed by the beautiful scenery and the typical cuisine.
Since the establishment of Little Tokyo Ho Chi Minh, popular Japanese dishes, including takoyaki, okonomiyaki, sushi, and ramen, have enriched life in this area.
The food may not taste as perfect as where it originated. However, the cooks still try their best to capture the soul of Japanese cuisine in those dishes, which helps the Japanese living in Ho Chi Minh City ease their homesickness.
The store’s indispensable item is Tkoyak octopus cake, a popular Japanese street food. The takoyaki here is very affordable, only 20,000 VND for three balls. This dish attracts both Japanese and Vietnamese diners.
For cakes in Japanese style, Sakura Takoyaki is one of the highlights. Red-yellow lanterns hang in front of the doors, and curtains flutter in the breeze of restaurants, creating a little Japanese culture for guests entering these alleys.
Opposite Sakura restaurant is a ramen shop with brown painted wooden doors, one of the favorite shops for many young people. Stepping inside to enjoy the bowl of ramen noodles, you will feel as if you have traveled thousands of miles straight to the land of cherry blossoms.
Looking at the restaurant workers, you will see their hands in a hurry, using their skills to make noodles. And when you want to take a picture, they are happy to smile at you, which looks like an invitation to a greeting.
The impressive point of this town is that all the stores are decorated with warm colors, cloth curtains, and Japanese-style lanterns in front of the houses. All activities happen behind the doors, not outside like other streets in Saigon. Thus, the whole town seems quiet and gentle, escaping from the busy life of this bustling city.
A beautiful place to take pictures
Besides enjoying the unique atmosphere, Little Japan Saigon is absolutely a suitable place to take pictures. Every corner here is pretty in a Japanese style, so the town attracts many photographers, both amateurs and professionals.
You can find cool graffiti walls as the background. These walls looked old and dirty for the last few years, but since the graffiti painters created paintings, the streets have become more attractive.
Also, red–yellow round lanterns written in Japanese hang from the beginning to the end of the alleys.
At night, the town lights up, and plenty of guests come in and go out shops, all like a mini corner of Tokyo. That attracts many people to take pictures, and you need a better and more professional camera because it is dark.
Also, be careful when you take photos at night to avoid facing some girls, as some of them work at the spas and massage shops here.
>>> You may like to see the four little foreign towns in Saigon.
The best time to visit Japanese Town in Saigon
For looking at the views and amateur photographers, it is the best time to visit between 8:00 am – 4:00 pm because this is the time for the most beautiful sunlight. The alleys here are quiet, narrow, and quite dark for the rest of the time.
For diners, most restaurants open from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm for lunchtime. They will open it again at 6:00 pm.
For the “night owls” who like to explore the nightlife in Saigon and Japanese towns, you can visit here after 7:00 pm and onwards. It is when the bars, massage places, and other stores light up. Many people come in and out of the stores at night, so you should be careful about your belongings.
Little Japan Saigon is a typical town in Ho Chi Minh City that no other place in Vietnam has. The Japanese community brings a new breeze into the hustle and bustle of HCMC, creating a lovely area for visitors who want to find a tranquil place to come. You come here once to see that Saigon has a diverse culture and a different destination to visit.
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