A Night of Laughs: Vietnamese Comedy
The first thing you think of when you think of Vietnam might not be stand up comedy.
But here and across South East Asia there is a burgeoning scene of expats, locals and international headliners coming to the region to audiences starved of a type of entertainment that hasn’t truly taken hold of in this part of the world. We are going to look at the comedy scene in Vietnam, so if your a fan of laughing read on and find out what is happening in the country today.
So when it comes to comedy in Vietnam you have look at the two main cities. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Both have a thriving scene with nights for international headliners and nights for new acts called “open mic” nights. Don’t be put off by the idea of new acts some of these people will be great comics in their own right and you can often see them in a more relaxed and cheaper environment for much less! Stand-Up Comedy is performed almost always in English which is great for the expat or the tourist passing through.
So let us look at the two cities and see what they have to offer.
The North
The biggest promoter in Hanoi has to be Stand Up Hanoi. Who host regular monthly shows, both inviting international comics to perform in Hanoi & featuring the local Hanoi stand-up comedy scene. All the gigs take place in the Standing Bar(170 Trấn Vũ, Trúc Bạch). Which is a great spot for a drink when you are in Hanoi anyway, I can’t recommend the place enough it has the biggest craft beer selection in all of Hanoi. The caliber of the act that comes through here is absolutely astonishing, recently hosting Tom Rhodes from the US and Yina Gashere from the UK!
New acts and up and coming comedians can be found at regular nights under the “Brown and Yellow” banner. Hosted by Minkus Nguyen of course from Vietnam and a regular performer in Hanoi and Soham Dave two very funny gentleman. The room is a beautiful space in the heart of the city at the Mojito Bar. (19 Nguyen Quang Bich) If you are a traveling comedian or just want to give comedy a try give them a message and give it a shot. Shows are once a month so check the dates on their Facebook and get laughing!
The South
Now to HCMC where the comedy scene is absolutely thriving. Whether you are an audience member or a performing there are many more venues in HCMC.
The Heart of Darkness bar (31D LY Tu Trong, D1) Is one of the homes of Saigon Comedy, located in D1 the heart of the city and a great venue to watch comedy. Serving craft beer from all over the world it hosts a weekly and relaxed open mic night for the city’s performers.
The Yoko Bar(22A Nguyen Thi Dieu, D3) has some of the best comedy bills in Vietnam. With its large seating area and classy venue, it attracts some of the biggest crowds and best comedians from the local and international scenes. Shows are on a monthly basis so check there Facebook regularly to see whats going on.
Comedy Saigon is the biggest promoter in the city with gigs all over the city so it is worth keeping up with their social media. Recently Doug Stanhope came through as part of a tour of South East Asia and Australia. Any comedy fan can tell you to see Doug Stanhope in a city such as Saigon is not something to be missed!
So when you are in Vietnam living or passing through don’t just do the usual tourist stuff experience some great live entertainment in a burgeoning artform in this part of the world. It’s exciting, watching local Vietnamese performers create a scene and world-class headliners from all around the world get loose in a theatre in Saigon! Everyone loves to laugh to get out to a show!
Visa information
Depending on how and why you are traveling to Vietnam, whether it is your sole destination or as part of a larger trip across many countries, there are many different visa options for you depending on your particular circumstance. But don’t fret! Here at visa-vietnam.org, we are here to help you navigate the process, making it as stress-free as possible so all you have to do is arrive and get eating!
