Promotions and News in HCMC…
Pamper Yourself
Nestled in a quiet residential area hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city is the recently opened Maison Mikio Boutique Salon (8 Ton Dat Tien Street in the Garden Plaza 2 Complex, Phu My Hung). The salon and spa offers clients a spacious yet intimate setting for salon and beauty services such as hair styling, coloring, manicures, pedicures, skincare, and waxing.
In honor of its opening, the salon is offering a 50 percent discount for all first-time clients. Those who become VIP members will receive 30 percent off on services throughout the year.
Call 5412 4773, email maisonmikio@gmail.com or visit www.facebook.com/maisonmikio for more info
Modern Sushi
“I want to combine the new with the old. I don’t want my restaurant to be the same as anyone else’s,” says Van, one of the partners and sushi chef at Ichiban Sushi (204 Le Lai, D1). Newly opened, the restaurant is a combination of a modern sushi bar with a lounge-like ambiance featuring house music in a multi-level space.
Van, together with his brother Daniel Phan, bring with them over 20 years of food and beverage experience in the US and aims to redefine sushi dining complete with a live DJ station on the ground floor and a lounge area on the second.
Van brings his own unique take on Japanese cuisine with dishes such as Rock and Roll maki (unagi, white tuna and sweet sauce roll, VND138,000), Kobe cheese (filet mignon wrapped around French cream cheese, VND168,000), and his special Mr Van maki (sake, ebi (shrimp tempura), and tobiko (flying fish roll)), which earned him third place in a sushi competition in San Francisco, CA. He has also added a Californian twist to the traditional pancake with the Mr. Van Okonomiyaki – Japanese grilled pancake with bonito flakes, grilled and then baked, smothered in mozzarella cheese and mushrooms with house BBQ sauce (VND78,000) – the crust has the same texture and thickness as a pizza.
“I want to create modern Japanese food to establish a new vibe. This is the first modern Japanese dining experience here, like the Japanese pizza. And when people taste my food, they’ll come back, because they won’t find it anywhere else. I don’t want to be a copycat, I want to be me. For sure, it won’t please everyone, but the majority will like it,” he adds.
For further information, visit www.ichibansushi.vn
Image is Everything
Saigon School of Imaging on Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 offers courses in Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography led by professional photographer Quinn Ryan Mattingly. It promises to help you to learn the best way to shoot and edit stunning images. Courses typically run on weekends every two months, starting on January 18 with Lightroom 101 and Photography 101 on January 19. The following weekend sees the second level courses – Lightroom 201 is on January 25, and Photography 201 is on January 26. All courses are eight hours in duration, with a one-hour lunch break catered by Scott & Binh’s. One-on-one courses are also available.
For more information, email quinn@quinnmattingly.com or call 0128 569 8144
Early Childhood Center
The Australian International School (AIS) has recently unveiled its under 2s childcare program to support busy working parents. Situated in the heart of Thao Dien at XI Riverview Palace compound, the Early Childhood Centre now offers a stimulating and nurturing environment for infants as young as three-months-old, toddlers, and pre-school children up to five.
The center offers specialist facilities for the under 2s, an indoor soft play adventure playground, a splash pool, and two age-appropriate soft turf playgrounds. Teachers are qualified expat Early Years professionals who are supported by a team of dedicated teaching assistants, providing a desirably low staff to pupil ratio.
For more information, contact Thanh Do at thanh.do@aisvietnam.com or call 3519 2727
Revving Into Vietnam
Peugeot and the Vietnamese THACO (Truong Hai Auto Corporation) Group have celebrated the launch of the Peugeot brand in Vietnam with the Peugeot 408, produced locally at THACO’s Chulai plant in the Danang region. With the start of production of the Peugeot 408, of which 261,000 units have already been produced and sold across three continents. Peugeot and its partner THACO, the local market leader, are attacking a strategic segment that represents 22 percent of sales in the Vietnamese car market. The 408 project team foresees production and sales of 10,000 cars during the period 2014-2017.
Dog Day Afternoon & Evening
Hair of the Dog bar has opened at 194 Bui Vien, D1, their second location modeled after their original one in Hanoi. The owner has renovated a large space creating an interesting bar with an alfresco sidewalk area downstairs, and an upper lounge area overlooking the lower bar that allows for a great view of the DJ station. If it follows its Hanoi theme, it will be a DJ music-focused nightclub.
For more information, call 094 789 3232
The Golden Arches
American fast food chain McDonald’s is opening its first restaurant in Vietnam at 2-6bis Dien Bien Phu, D1. The outlet will include a 24- hour drive-through lane, a first for Vietnam, its 38th Asian market. There is also another outlet that’s scheduled to be open soon at the triangle section of Tran Hung Dao and Pham Ngu Lao, near the Ben Thanh Market and bus station.
McDonald’s in Vietnam is represented by Henry Nguyen of Good Day Hospitality, the Prime Minister’s son-in-law. Nguyen Huy Thinh, GM of McDonald’s Vietnam, said most of its ingredients will be imported to ensure quality and safety of the food.
Multicultural Dining
Opened several months ago, Indaba Café & Restaurant (35 Ly Tu Trong, D1) ambitiously combines Japanese sushi, Western style steak, and Italian coffee under one roof. It boasts homemade ingredients such as udon noodles, soy sauce for the sushi, and matcha ice cream. The quaint and cozy restaurant is decorated in soft hues of red and black, complemented with soft jazz music. A German Viet Kieu with experience in restaurants in Germany helms the kitchen.
Contact them at 3824 8280 or visit www.facebook.com/indabacafe
Piano & Coffee
Gemmi Coffee’s spacious and colonial style café recently opened at 193 D3 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3. They have an office lunch menu delivery service with inexpensive dishes like morning glory with garlic (VND20,000), stir fried seafood noodles (VND45,000), and sautéed squid (VND45,000), among others. In the evenings at 8pm a live solo piano performance provides entertainment for guests.
Call 090 651 0008 or visit www.facebook.com/GemmiCoffee for more info
24 Hour Convenience
Japanese convenience chain 7-Eleven plans to open its first location in Vietnam within the next two months. Thai CP All, who bought the rights to franchise the brand, will open seven companyowned stores in Vietnam in the first two to three years before allowing a local partner to administer the chain. The stores will stock 40 percent Vietnamese products and 60 percent Thai and other imported products.
New & Beautiful
The start of 2014 saw Xuan Truong Center debut a new cosmetic surgery clinic called Xuan Truong Paradise (12 Ky Dong, D3). The clinic is equipped with the latest advanced technology in beauty treatments available today.
“Being beautiful and preserving beauty is a hard job, and in this day and age it’s even more difficult. I am happy for those who are truly beautiful, who do not need go to beauty salons and are satisfied with their appearances,” says Do Xuan Truong, Director of Xuan Truong Center. “However, for those who wish to make a few changes, I can tell them that cosmetic surgery can compensate for the shortcomings nature gave you. And for those who want to preserve their beauty, thank god, today skin rejuvenation technology has improved a lot.”
The center also has branches in Dong Nai, Long An, Ca Mau and Da Nang.
Feb Promo at GRAND MERCURE DANANG
All you can eat Dim Sum at VND400,000 net/person with over 40 dim sum varieties to choose from throughout the week (except Mondays).
Every Friday, savour a sumptuous buffet with delectable Chinese and local seafood Specialties along with a free flow of draught beer/soft drink at VND500,000 net/person. For additional free flow of house wine, the surcharge is VND190,000 net/person.
This Valentine’s Day, impress the one you love with a private and gourmet dining experience with their All-you-can-eat Dim Sum at VND400,000/person. For romance, join their Chinese and Seafood buffet with free flow of draught beers and soft drinks at VND 500,000/person.
A spring spa package that includes a special blend of uplifting body oils and oriental massage technique, head massage and foot reflexology is priced at VND1,200,000/person for 100 min. Any couple package will enjoy a 20 percent discount for Valentine’s Day.
Visit www.mercure.com for more info
Dance & Yoga For Kids
New Kindermusik dance and yoga educator Nattamon Puangkaew has over 10 years of experience teaching children singing and dancing in numerous musical schools and music camps in Thailand. She has also taught body jam, body balance, body step, funk jazz, pilates and yoga at California Wow Experience Thailand. Recently trained as a Rainbow yoga instructor, she created her own yoga playgroup class at Viva Yoga Thailand.
Visit www.kindermusik-vietnam for details
Join the Club
Cold Beer Club (64 Ton That Thiep, D1) is another bar alongside Ginger 60, Drunken Duck and Phattys on Ton That Thiep. Large-tabled bar downstairs with a well-designed and laid out upstairs lounge with a balcony overlooking the street below. Expect loud music, plenty of waitresses hovering around and imported and local beers.
24/7
Universal Bar on 90 Bui Vien is now opening 24/7 for food, sports on TV & music. The upstairs bar and lounge is scheduled to reopen soon and will feature DJ music & dancing.
Emmmm…
December saw the opening of the first property of the brand new 3-star chain EMM Hotels and Resorts, operated by the same group that manages the upscale Victoria Hotels & Resorts. The 56 room property (157 Pasteur, D3) features 18 hotel rooms and 38 1- and 2-bedroom apartments with kitchen, dining room, and spacious living room for those looking to stay a bit longer. EMM is derived from em in Vietnamese, meaning comfort or well-being, and the chain guarantees guests “a fantastic night’s sleep, coupled with a nutritional and tasty daily buffet breakfast.”
The property’s signature colors are vibrant pink and lime green, giving it a funky fresh vibe, coupled with custom art work by Vietnamese artists. The property’s most spectacular feature, though, is its gorgeous 11th floor restaurant / bar / terrace with 180 degree views of central Saigon, a chill spot to watch the sun set over the city. Until the website is operational, queries can be emailed to minh.le@victoriahotels.asia
Marriott Hotel
Marriott International marks a milestone in its expansion into Southeast Asia with the unveiling of JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi. The property is the JW Marriott brand’s third to open in Asia within the past two months (others in Bengaluru and New Delhi), reflective of a significant investment in the region by the rapidly growing luxury hotel brand.
The 450-room JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi is a ‘reverse skyscraper’ designed by acclaimed architecture practice Carlos Zapata Studio.
The impressive structure was inspired by the country’s magnificent coastline and evokes characteristics of a dragon – a modern
interpretation of a symbol from Vietnam’s past.
With over 3,600 square meters of meeting space built for large corporate and association events, JW Marriott Hanoi is well placed to cater to the flourishing market for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) in Vietnam. The hotel has a total of 17 meeting rooms including two Ballrooms. All meeting facilities are conveniently located on the ground floor with a dedicated entrance and parking.
Chipping Away
Saigon Fish & Chips Vietnam has opened on 237 Pham Ngu Lau (upstairs, use the hotel reception lobby) just around the corner from the popular Hem 241 alleyway. One piece of Atlantic whitefish with chips is VND79,000, or the Fish Basket with two large lightly crumbed fish fillets & chips for VND99,000. Fish & shrimp or deep fried shrimp meals are also available.
Aeon Influx
Japanese retail and shopping center operator Aeon has opened its first mall in Vietnam. The mall is the first stage of a mixed residential development called Celadon City, in the outlying Ho Chi Minh City suburb of Tan Phu.
A large Aeon supermarket and department store anchors one end of the center, which extends four stories. Retailers trading from day one include Malaysian listed jeweler Tomei, The Body Shop, Face Shop, local book retailer Fahasa, discount apparel chain Fashion Outlet Store (FOS) and Birkenstock. Levis, Samsonite and a raft of other brands are expected to open soon, with the mall reportedly 90 percent leased.
Aeon has a second Vietnam mall under construction already with at least two more planned.
Working Together
Work Saigon on 267/2 Dien Bien Phu, D3 is a shared working space, creativity school, and café in Saigon. It is home to a community of people
who are trying make a meaningful living. The space can host events or workshops as small as 30 all the way up to 250 people. It can also be booked for private meetings and is open from 10am to 9pm.
For more information, visit www.worksaigon.com