HCMC Japan Street is full of... massage, bar and karaoke
Located on a part of Le Thanh Ton Street and Thai Van Lung Street, the Japanese area is popular with Japanese residents in Vietnam for living and working. Within a short 2km stretch, particularly around small streets like Thi Sach, there are many bilingual signs and a notable presence of Japanese and other foreigners.
Due to these characteristics, local businesses have adapted their services to cater to foreign customers. Numerous discreet bars, massage parlors, and karaoke joints have sprung up, turning Le Thanh Ton Street into a locale known for its sensitive business activities.
Noisy night on a... peaceful street?
Unlike the beautiful, peaceful images often described on travel forums, the real scene at Alley No. 8 Le Thanh Ton in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City is quite different.
As soon as the sun sets and the city lights come on, this alley, which is just over 100 meters long, starts its business activities.
This alley has hundreds of shops that mainly serve foreign tourists, offering a variety of services.
Most of the services here are geared towards entertainment, such as karaoke, bars, and pubs. There are only a few restaurants. The most prominent and unique service in this area is massage.
Walking into this alley, you’ll immediately see young, beautiful women wearing all sorts of eye-catching outfits, from pristine white ao dai to short, revealing black dresses.
You rarely hear the local language here; at most, you might catch a few girls chatting among themselves in Vietnamese. From 6 PM until the early morning, the alley is always bustling with voices speaking English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and more.
People hardly notice the red lanterns hanging in front of the shops, the curtains blowing in the wind, or the brown-painted wooden doors that give the place a Japanese street vibe. Instead, the dominant image is the half-purple, half-pink light from the massage shops with frosted glass windows.
Offering "Entertainment" services...
Just seeing a foreign tourist or even someone who looks like a foreigner, the staff will quickly approach to offer their services.
They offer various services, from karaoke to massages. However, in the end, these attendants will direct potential customers to “happy and enjoyable” services right on the street without any hesitation.
Some establishments even dress their girls in very revealing short skirts. The team of attendants can be up to ten girls, looking very professional at a glance.
The prices here are quite unique. Some places quote prices in Vietnamese dong, but many also deal directly in foreign currency.
“Massage 350,000 VND/hour, with many girls available!” says one female attendant in a graceful traditional dress. If a customer seems hesitant, the surrounding girls quickly approach, pleading, “Get a massage!”
As a customer, a reporter from AN Tours Vietnam visited this street. Very quickly, a “bodyguard” appeared with a very impressive and comprehensive offer in English.
“The girls here are very beautiful! You can go inside and choose the girl you like. You can also choose a combo package with services like karaoke, drinks, and intimate touching with the female attendants for $45.”
Unsurprisingly, after quoting the combo price, this bodyguard quickly mentioned the price for the full “pleasure” service if the customer was interested.
“If you want to have ‘fun and pleasure’ with the girls outside, the price will be $150.”
The female attendants standing in front of the shops quickly approached customers, mentioning that there were many more girls inside.
Posing as tourists, we randomly selected about five shops in this area, and all of them offered a full range of services from A to Z.
At one shop, the owner quickly appeared with a price list in hand, carefully explaining each service and quoting prices immediately. She even brought a calculator to make sure nothing was missed when asked about different services.
“If two attendants give you a massage, it will cost 700,000 VND.”
“If you want a hand job, it will cost 500,000 VND.”
“The price for full service is $100, oral service is $75, plus room charges.”
Japan Town or Red Light District?
Our investigation revealed that the “pleasure” services inside Saigon Japan Town have been around for quite some time. Every evening, these illegal services of the Saigon Red Light District openly operate without hesitation.
Perhaps the most haunting aspect of this street, dubbed a miniature Japan, is the constant echo of “massage, sir” heard everywhere.
This is in stark contrast to the peaceful image of the street, a place where Saigon’s youth used to escape to find a serene and beautiful space. Now, Le Thanh Ton Street is no longer quiet.
Although the street is only 100 meters long, it takes a lot of time to walk through because it’s hard to avoid hundreds of shops with thousands of offers for “fun and pleasure.” The calls of “massage, sir” continue non-stop until sunrise.
Standing at the entrance of the HCMC Japan Street, we couldn’t help but wonder when this situation will be resolved, bringing peace back for tourists.
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