A bar with the shadow of home
Opened in May, Hai To Bar is neatly located on Huynh Man Dat Street, in the heart of bustling Saigon, but still maintains a very different atmosphere. Not the Korean style with sparkling lights, not the usual elegant European-Japanese style, the bar chooses for itself a distinct Western spirit. The owner, Mr. Lam Huu Tho, from Soc Trang, said that he wants to send his love for his homeland into every little corner, every glass of fruit wine, every note of vọng cổ in the middle of the city.
Hai To Bar has a typical Western-style interface right from the front door.
“In Saigon, there are many foreign-style bars. But Vietnamese style, specifically Western style, is almost absent,” Tho shared. “I want to create a place where customers, whether Southerners or Westerners, can feel the simplicity, generosity and beauty of our culture.”
Passing the small grocery store right in front of the door - where snacks reminiscent of rural childhood are sold, customers will see a space with a thatched roof, bamboo walls, wooden tables, soft yellow lights, where unconventional paintings depict Western girls and boys skateboarding or wearing conical hats holding skateboards like a visual joke that is both strange and familiar. The restaurant's menu is also a charming "play on words": from Don Ca Tai Tu cocktails, braised fish in clay pots, to Pia cakes, all are made from typical Western ingredients such as gourd wine, Giac fruit, fish sauce, combining sour - sweet - salty flavors according to the taste of the homeland.
The owner, Mr. Lam Huu Tho (red shirt) stands at the bar counter.
But what makes the bar even more special are the nights of traditional music performed right in the middle of the small bar.
Music and singing in the bar
Right from the moment he came up with the idea for the restaurant, Mr. Tho wanted to bring in a part of the Southern soul - things that are not just for display but must be able to live and resonate, so that customers can not only see but also hear, feel and remember. And the first idea that came to his mind was a heritage of the Southwest region that is not only recognized by Vietnam but also the world, and that is none other than Don Ca Tai Tu.
Don ca tai tu was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 2013.
This traditional music genre was born in the late 19th century, crystallizing from Hue royal court music, Hue folk songs and Southern folk music. No stage, no backdrop, just a corner of the house, a boat, a summer afternoon... is enough for sweet melodies to resound from the zither, the sen, the singing full of simplicity and improvisation. It is this unconstrained, closeness that makes Don Ca Tai Tu the first choice for the space that Mr. Tho is creating.
Through social networks, Tho found the Don Ca Do Day Band - a group of amateur artists, starting from small gatherings in the park, posting clips of their performances online as a way to maintain their passion. At the invitation of the restaurant, the group came to perform 1-2 times a month. They brought along the zither, the kim, the monochord, the guitar and even the violin, a combination that was unconventional but did not deviate from the spirit of the amateurs.
Members of the Don Ca Do Day band and performing instruments
The group leader, Mr. Do Thanh Phong, said: “My group started from sitting and playing guitar in the park, without thinking much. When we were invited to perform in a space like Hai To Bar, we saw this as an opportunity that was both in line with the spirit of intimate and close amateur music and also an opportunity to connect with many people who had never been exposed to this type of music before.”
The group often performs on a small mat spread out in the middle of the restaurant, wearing simple Vietnamese traditional costumes and scarves. In addition to classic songs such as “Da Co Hoai Lang” and “Ly Con Sao”, they also create modern-style performances: improvised monologues, small dramatic segments with witty, rhyming lyrics, typical of the South. The group members take turns playing the roles of father, mother, older sister, younger brother, leading the performance in a lively and natural way. Sometimes, the group also invites the audience to interact, some come up to sing a line, some play the guitar, creating an open and friendly atmosphere.
Audience interact with the band
Drunk in song, tipsy on wine
The applause and laughter resounded endlessly, making the traditional music performance in Hai To no longer a "standard art appreciation" but an emotional meeting between performers and audiences, intimate, joyful and very Western.
In the soft yellow light of the bar, cocktails in hand, many guests let themselves drift to the sound of the music pouring like flowing water, the singing melodiously like the wind blowing through the rice fields in the afternoon countryside. The warm taste of wine spreads to the tip of the tongue, the vọng cổ song is cool in the heart.
The space seemed to slow down: no more traffic noise, no more daily worries, just the small mat, the sound of the guitar, and the love of the West through each key, each song. For many, it was not just a relaxing evening, but a rare slice of leisure - where art and life blend naturally.
Every night the bar is full, many guests come to enjoy cocktails and listen to traditional music.
Night falls, the lights in the shop gradually dim, a cocktail of braised fish with fruit is brought out with a little sourness, a little sweetness, a little strong flavor of yeast. The sound of the zither suddenly begins, followed by the monochord, violin and a voice humming a familiar vọng cổ song. There, in the heart of the city, there is a "chieu đàn" that truly exists in a simple yet charming way, quietly but deeply, making people suddenly want to sit a little longer, listen to another song, drink another glass, let their hearts drift to the rivers of the West.
