Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue: The most unique check-in and entertainment spot in District 1

1The story of the apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue

1.1 Unique features of Nguyen Hue apartment building

– Address: No. 42 Nguyen Hue Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1.

It can be seen that, located next to Nguyen Hue walking street, in the distance are the city’s major commercial centers, 42 Nguyen Hue apartment building is located in the most expensive and busiest location in Saigon. Although the fever of “drinking coffee at Nguyen Hue apartment building” has passed, the hotness has never subsided.

Until today, this apartment building is still a hot virtual check-in and sightseeing spot for anyone coming to this beautiful city. Outside, this building looks like a 9-storey Rubik’s cube with many colorful boxes, so whether day or night, this place always stands out in its own way.

There are also many cafes, restaurants and fashion stores here. Therefore, when you come here, you can indulge in shopping or relax with a cup of fragrant milk coffee while looking at the panoramic view of Saigon from above. In addition, coming to the apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue, you can also take great photos with extremely sharp images.

Not only Vietnamese tourists, but the apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue also captivates foreign visitors. Typically, the photo of the Nguyen Hue apartment building shimmering under the night lights was admired and praised by National Geographic.

1.2 History of a symbol of Saigon

With a long history of more than 60 years, 42 Nguyen Hue apartment complex combines classic looks with modern looks, creating a unique and different style. With 9 floors, a modest height compared to the neighboring Bitexco, but the attractive beauty of this apartment building is truly not inferior.

The entire facade of the building overlooks the vibrant and bustling Nguyen Hue walking street. You would never expect that this was once the residence of high-ranking officials such as Mr. Truong Buu Khanh – interpreter for the President of the Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Ngo Dinh Diem.

After Saigon was liberated, the building became the residence of Ba Son shipyard workers, who were mostly poor. With the changes of the times and when Nguyen Hue walking street was officially born in 2015, until now, land prices in this area have increased rapidly. Therefore, Nguyen Hue apartment complex also enjoys this opportunity, real estate prices here must be among the most expensive in Saigon.

The main apartments in the apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue have been rented by people to operate cafes with bright colors and unique design styles. But when you step inside, you will feel a classic space, reminiscent of the past, completely different from the hustle and bustle of the world out there.

2How to get to Nguyen Hue apartment building?

If you intend to take the bus to get to Nguyen Hue apartment building, below are some bus routes with stops near where you want to go:

– Car number 123: Stop right opposite number 34 – 36 Dong Khoi, about 180m from Nguyen Hue apartment building.

– Vehicle numbers 01, 03, 19, 45, 53, 56, 88 and D1: Stop at 21 Ton Duc Thang, about 400m from apartment building 42 Nguyen Hue.

If you ride a motorbike, when you reach the apartment, park your bike at one of the following two locations:

– Ground floor of the apartment: Opening hours are from 8:00 to 22:00, capacity for about 60 motorbikes with 3,000 VND/ticket.

– Parking lot Nguyen Hue – Ton That Thiep: Open 24/7, can accommodate up to 2,000 motorbikes.

3Check-in at the coffee shop at Nguyen Hue apartment building

Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue is famous for being home to many cafes, restaurants, fashion stores, and handmade gift shops. A special point that perhaps very few people notice is that all the cafes located in this unique apartment building were created by young Vietnamese people, from decoration, style building, menu design, processing…

Besides discovering the beauty of old Saigon in the heart of the city, Vietnamtravelio would like to share with homonyms extremely hot coffee and dining spots, attracting hundreds of young people and foreign tourists to come. With residence 42 Nguyen Hue, please save it in your travel guide right away.

3.1 Saigon Oi Cafe

– Address: 5th Floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Business hours: 8:30 – 21:0 (Usually crowded at 20:00).

– Price: 40,000 – 100,000 VND.

Saigon Oi Cafe is located on the 5th floor of apartment building 42 Nguyen Hue. Although this place has a relatively narrow space, the shop has space to enjoy drinks, a clothing shop, a lipstick counter and lovely handmade items. This place has a very harmonious and sophisticated arrangement of tables and chairs, potted plants, lights, bookshelves, etc. to create a cozy enjoying space.

3.2 Buihaus

– Address: 7th Floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Opening hours: 8:30 – 22:30.

– Price: 40,000 – 100,000 VND.

Buihaus is truly unique with its small space, but thanks to its very delicate design down to every detail such as skillfully arranged books and records, it creates a peaceful and cozy atmosphere. This space is really ideal for you to visit to meet deadlines in a luxurious place to get motivated.

3.3 % Arabica

– Address: 4th floor, apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Opening hours: 7:00 – 23:00.

– Price: >100,000.

Have you seen the shocking price yet? However, there’s nothing wrong with getting what you pay for. All raw materials and mixing machines at % Arabica are imported from abroad. In particular, each coffee bean you drink here is grown, harvested and processed into delicious coffee beans by the owner himself on that beautiful island of Hawaii.

After that, each cup of coffee you enjoy at % Arabica is prepared according to an exclusive formula that is difficult for anyone to imitate. Coming to % Arabica on the 4th floor of Nguyen Hue apartment building, you can enjoy a cup of coffee Latte, or Kyoto Latte, Spanish Latte, Dark Latte, Matcha Latte which are the best sellers here.

3.4 The Letter Cafe

– Address: 6th Floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Opening hours: 8:00 – 22:00.

– Price: 30,000 – 80,000 VND.

The Letter Cafe has an Indochine style with three main colors of orange, yellow, and white that look extremely eye-catching. Coming to the shop, you can enjoy a cup of coffee, or juice, fruit tea with cakes and watch the cityscape below from the balcony.

4What to eat in apartment 42 Nguyen Hue

4.1 Downtown Steakhouse

– Address: 3rd Floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Opening hours: 10:00 – 22:00 all week.

– Price: 25,000 – 610,000 VND.

The restaurant space is quite large so you can come here to gather and eat with your friends or family. The restaurant specializes in serving European dishes with quite delicious flavors. The most popular dishes that many people order are steak with succulent pieces of meat, or dishes like pasta, mussels in wine sauce, which are also very delicious. In addition, the staff here are a bit enthusiastic, so those who are too introverted will feel overwhelmed.

4.2 Michi Sushi

– Address: 7th Floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Business hours: 10:00 – 14:00 and 16:00 – 22:00 from Tuesday – Sunday every week (closed on Monday).

– Price: 39,000 – 559,000 VND.

If you are a fan of Japanese sushi, you can try Michi Sushi on the 7th floor of apartment building 42 Nguyen Hue. Talking about sushi, here is delicious, delicious but still so fresh, your mouth will be blown away when you eat it. The space here is also quite spacious and airy with a very chill view overlooking the streets below.

4.3 Singapore Jurong Frog Porridge

– Address: 6th Floor, Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue.

– Business hours: 15:00 – 22:30.

– Price: 55,000 – 95,000 VND.

The Jurong frog porridge shop’s space is a bit small, but sitting and enjoying a hot bowl of porridge with a rich bowl of braised frog meat, the meat is chewy and sweet, it’s really great. There are three main porridge flavors here: frog satay, lemongrass braised and dried. If you like spicy or tongue-tingling spicy food, feel free to tell the staff.

5Interesting story about using the paid elevator at apartment building 42 Nguyen Hue

Have you ever heard the story of having to… pay to ride the elevator? If not, let Vietnamtravelio share a few anecdotes from Western friends when they come to the apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue to visit and experience this unique story.

This apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue has an elevator at the entrance that always has a long line of young people and Westerners. Next to that line of people is a security guard standing… collecting a fee to “hitchhike” the elevator to go to the upper floors to visit the apartment.

Instead of the usual free elevator ride, here they charge 5,000 VND/person. So the Westerners were a bit… confused because they never took the elevator without having to pay. Many of you felt a bit uncomfortable because you thought you were being “robbed” or “made money”… 5,000 VND so you had a bad impression of the apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue.

However, slow down a bit so you can know that the elevator fee will be reimbursed by the restaurants and cafes here. So just rest assured and come here to visit.

Long story short, Nguyen Hue apartment building is still a “notorious” place that attracts a large number of young people and foreign tourists to visit, experience and live virtually. If you are a person who loves to explore the combination of modern beauty and nostalgic features of May, then what are you waiting for? Come here right away with Vietnamtravelio Travel Guide.