CNN names Rooftop Garden in best bars

The Rooftop Garden Bar at the five-star Rex Hotel Saigon has been recognized as one of the thirty most beautiful bars in the world by journalist Michelle Woo on CNN.com. The bar had already been voted as one of the most beautiful bars in Asia by Newsweek magazine and selected as one of 1,000 venues that diners should try before they die by renowned U.S. travel journalist Patricia Schultz.
For eight years until 1973, the hotel’s conference room was the venue of the “Five O’clock Follies”, a phrase coined by war reporters in HCMC for the 5 p.m. official press briefing by the U.S. military. The bar was the scene of many memorable drinks between journalists.
The Rooftop Garden Bar is on the fifth floor of the hotel and is ideal for diners to take in the Saigon panorama, over food, drinks and entertainment.
The hotel still has a lot of its old charm. The bar has capacity of 400 guests.
According to CNN.com, “With neon lights, bird cages, bonsai trees, flowers and giant ceramic elephants, the garden bar serving 24/24 at the Rex Hotel Saigon is really attractive as it is. Located in the center of the bustling Saigon City, this is the ideal place for diners to sip cocktails and listen to motorbike horns down the road. You should try a sunset pastis.”
The hotel has reinstated the “Five O’clock Follies” with a promotion offering 15% discount on drinks.