A jazz performance at the Montana Jazz Club in District 1.

Jazz clubs are rare in Vietnam. The Sax N’ Art Jazz Club and the Montana Jazz Club, both in District 1, are the best known places to hear jazz in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sax N’ Art Jazz Club, owned and operated by Vietnam’s most famous saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan, was selected as the “Best Jazz Club in HCMC” in 2004 and 2005 by readers of the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper and The Guide magazine.

The five-year-old club boast a central stage which customers can sit around to enjoy music while sipping a drink. Jazz fans should not sit at the bar because it’s difficult to see the stage from there.

The Sax N’ Art Jazz Club is open every night. The Hanoi Jazz Band, musician Hoang Tuan and veteran jazz singer Tuyet Loan are three of the club’s most popular acts.

For the first part of the night, the band plays both famous and lesser known jazz tunes, including some Vietnamese originals on some nights. But after 9 p.m., the artists dive into a jam session and improvise for the rest of the night.

On “special” nights, Tran Manh Tuan performs.

On busy nights, you have to book seats by telephone or come at least 15-30 minutes before the performance.

The club offers a wide range of wines and cocktails. German, French, Mexican and Italian cooking is also available.

The new Montana Jazz Club, just opened last June, is a fresh face on the Vietnamese jazz scene. Located in the Kinh Bac Restaurant’s garden, the club is not easy to spot from the street. The club is cosy with Western European architecture and a quieter repertoire of jazz favorites. It’s a good place for couples to enjoy a little privacy when out on the town.

“The Montana Jazz Club band is good and very professional. They captivate any audience,” says Tuyet Loan.

Sax N’ Art Jazz Club
28 Le Loi Boulevard, District 1
Average drinks prices from VND100,000 (US$6)

Montana Jazz Club
30 Dong Khoi Street, District 1
Average drinks prices about VND80,000 ($4.80)

Reported by Diem Thu