Meet the minds behind the latest late-night lounge in Saigon
Ngo Van Nam alley, which was once famous for its karaoke clubs designed for Japanese businessmen, has gradually redefined itself as a trendy destination with the addition of a French bistro, a rustic Vietnamese restaurant, a fusion eatery and, new to the scene, Lit Lounge (16 Ngo Van Nam, D1). With its vivid red interior, artsy decor and sleek style, Lit adds another dimension to this burgeoning nightlife spot.
Lit is the brainchild of an accountant, a banker and a gaming development/finance consultant - all expats. “This is basically a finance person’s idea of a lounge,” says investor and co-owner Vincent Petrancosta. “Just looking at how it turned out, you wouldn’t believe it, but this ground floor, right here, you know how Travis designed the layout for this floor? He did it on an Excel spreadsheet. Because he’s an accountant and that’s the one program he knew how to work with.”
“The concept of Lit is a space where people can easily have conversations,” adds Travis Miller, investor, co-owner and aforementioned Excel spreadsheet designer. “The investors are all working professionals so when we get off work, we want a nice place where we can sit down, have a drink, have nice conversations with some friends without having to yell over the loud music.”
Travis also cites the classic bar experience he grew up with as the inspiration and goal of Lit. “A bar or a lounge is a place where you can share space with absolute strangers, strike up conversations and perhaps make a friend. It’s not really like this here in Vietnam where people tend to sit at a table and close their group off to outsiders. We want Lit to be something similar to that classic bar experience. We want it to be open enough so that strangers would feel comfortable enough to talk to each other, but also closed enough that people don’t have to feel like their privacy is being invaded.”
Luxurious but still cozy, Lit has two floors, each with its own distinct vibe. The bar and plush seating on the ground floor provide plenty of space for lounge goers who prefer ample conversations with friends and a quieter atmosphere. The first floor, on the other hand, is a much more vibrant space with a designated dance floor, DJs and club style seating.
What does the name lit mean?
Travis: I’ve always thought a bar or lounge name should be simple, a one syllable word that you can pronounce and remember easily. Lit is a name that I’ve been thinking about for 10 years. Here, it means ‘lit up’ but not like neon lights or electric bulbs, more like ‘candlelit.’
It must have been difficult for a team of finance people with zero experience in catering to open a lounge?
Travis: It has been a learning experience, yes. We had a beach bar down in Vung Tau named Haven but, of course, it doesn’t compare to an upscale lounge in downtown Saigon. Recently we had an addition to our team. His name is Truc. He’s Vietnamese, a veteran in the catering industry and he has been an invaluable help to us.
Did you have any problems setting up the bar and opening it?
Travis: The paperwork was actually the easiest part. It’s the perk of an almost all finance professional team. We know our paperwork. The difficult part is our lack of experience and contacts in the catering industry, like where to find amazing mixers, bartenders or DJs who can rile the crowd. Little things like that are a lot more difficult than people realize.
You put the open time from 5pm to late. how late are we talking about here?
Travis: Late. It differs on days. We have opened as late as five or six in the morning without problem. If we still have guests in house, we remain open.
Have you run into problems staying open so late?
Travis: Amazingly enough, no. As to the reason why we haven’t had problems, I think it has to do with how we run this place. We are on the mindset that we don’t want to make any trouble and we hope no trouble finds us. We don’t make loud music that disturbs the neighbors. We don’t let our waitresses run around the neighborhood. We don’t create disturbances, period. When we were running construction in here we gave free drinks to our neighbors as an apology for the noise and dust we caused. We have basically been the nice guys around the neighborhood.
How and why did you decide on the different vibes upstairs and downstairs for lit?
Travis: One of the initial concerns we had regarding Lit is that we’d focus too much on what works for us to the expense of other things. The different vibes we had for the two floors is our solution to that. Downstairs is what works for us and people who like the same atmosphere we do. Upstairs is more rowdy, probably more fun, and more like the mainstream of the lounge scene in Saigon without detracting too much from the Lit identity. If you want music and dancing you go upstairs. If you want relax time and conversation, you go downstairs.
Do you have anything interesting planned for lit in the near future?
Travis: Of course! The idea with Lit is that we want to try out many different things. Vincent has been talking forever about having a neighborhood event and build up the ‘Ngo Van Nam’ street brand, kind of like Pham Ngu Lao. Everybody knows Pham Ngu Lao and what to expect when they go there. We want to make Ngo Van Nam into the street people go to when they don’t want to go to Pham Ngu Lao, like a prettier, cleaner, classier cousin. This street has many great places. There are a couple of wine bars at the beginning of the street, a couple of restaurants. We can cordon this part of the block off and make it a fun event. You can walk in, pick up your wine at Le Rendezvous, have your dinner at Urban Kitchen, and when you’re down for some late night dancing or conversation, head to Lit.
