From intimate cocktail rooms to rooftop escapes, Vietnam’s bar scene has found a rhythm of its own. The Best Bar of the Year nominees celebrate places where inspired drinks, character and genuine hospitality come together, reminding us that sometimes the most memorable evenings begin with simply choosing the right bar.
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There are bars we visit for a drink, and there are bars that make us want to stay. It might be the first cocktail arriving at exactly the right moment. The music, the mood, the glow of the room after dark. A bartender who remembers what we like, or introduces us to something completely unexpected.
This is the pleasure of a great bar. Following a successful first season, Gourmet Vietnam Awards returns in 2026 for Season 2, continuing its celebration of the people and places shaping Vietnam’s culinary and hospitality scene.
Barson
And nowhere is that energy more evident than behind the bar. Across Vietnam, bartenders are bringing greater imagination and personality to the glass. Local herbs, fruits, teas and spices meet classic techniques and global influences, while wine, whisky and spirits are being explored with a new sense of curiosity.
The result is a bar culture that feels confident, creative and increasingly its own. Some bars take us high above the city. Others hide behind discreet doors. There are intimate cocktail rooms, sophisticated lounges, wine bars made for lingering and places where music and conversation carry the evening long beyond the first drink.
The Enigma Mansion
The Best Bar of the Year 2026 nominees are:
Barson · CoCo Bar · HỢP合 Skybar · Bee’Znees · Luna Folk · The Alley Cocktail Bar & Kitchen · The ATM Cocktail & Kitchen · Horizon Restaurant & Bar · Boudoir Lounge · Somme Wine Bar · Firkin Bar · Dram Bar · Song Bar · 2 Lam Son · The Enigma Mansion · Layla Saigon Eatery & Bar · Summer Experiment · The Keepsake Bar · Ink 360
Ink 360
Nineteen bars, each with its own personality and its own way of making a night memorable. For us at Epicure Vietnam, a great bar has never been only about what is in the glass. It is about atmosphere, conversation and the people behind the bar who bring it all together. Because sometimes a memorable night begins very simply. One drink. One place. And no particular reason to leave.
GOURMET VIETNAM AWARDS 2026 SEASON 2
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