Updated October 2026
Nguyen Hue at night is best treated as an evening with one seated anchor, not a long stroll. NOTE – The Scent Lab is a perfume workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and one of its studios is on Floor 2 of the Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyễn Huệ, open until 22:00 every day. A guided session takes 120 minutes, starts from $25.92 for a 10 ml bottle (VAT included), and is booked on the9base.com.
We have written before about the walking street by day and about the Cafe Apartment building itself. This piece is about what comes next: you have walked the boulevard, taken the photo of the tall café-stacked façade, and now it is evening. Where do you go, and what do you do, depending on who you are with?
What is Nguyen Hue at night really like?
After dark, Nguyen Hue becomes the city’s open-air living room: a wide pedestrian boulevard where families, couples, street performers and groups of friends gather, with the lit Cafe Apartment building on one side. It is busiest on weekend evenings. Most visitors walk it once, take photos, and then are not sure what to do next — which is where a plan helps.
The air cools a little after sunset, but not much. It smells of grilled corn and sweet milk tea, of warm stone giving back the day. Children run between the fountains. Somewhere a speaker plays a song everyone around you seems to know except you.
For the history and the daytime route, our Nguyễn Huệ walking street guide covers the boulevard from end to end. Here we focus on the evening, and on how it changes depending on your company.
How should you plan an evening on Nguyen Hue?
Give the evening three parts: a short walk at dusk, one seated activity that lasts long enough to matter, and a slow finish by the river or over dinner. The seated part is what turns “we walked around” into “we did something”. On Nguyen Hue, that anchor can be a long café sit, a show nearby, or two hours making your own perfume on Floor 2 of the Cafe Apartment.
The mistake we see most from our window is people circling. They walk up the boulevard, walk down it, look at their phones, walk up again. Nothing is wrong with that for half an hour. After that, the street starts to feel like a waiting room.
The plans below assume you start around late afternoon. Since our Nguyễn Huệ studio closes at 22:00 and a session lasts 120 minutes, evening seats finish before closing — check the booking page for the times available that day.
What is a good Nguyen Hue evening for a solo traveler?
Solo, the best evening is one where you are not just watching other people’s company. Walk the boulevard at dusk, then sit down for a 120-minute perfume session where conversation happens naturally around the table, then eat somewhere small afterwards. You end the night with a bottle that smells of your trip, not just photos of other people’s.
The Nguyễn Huệ studio is small — up to 8 seats per session — so a solo guest is never lost in a crowd. You share one table, and the instructor talks you through each material in Vietnamese or English. Strangers compare blotters. Somebody always asks, “what did you pick?”
“Great experience! Fun activity for yourself to figure out your scent” — Shu, review platform
Afterwards, the walking street is still busy at nine. You can walk down toward the river and sit for a while, a little more part of the place than you were three hours earlier.
What is a good Nguyen Hue evening for a couple?
For a couple, make something together and then have dinner nearby. Many couples blend side by side and then swap bottles, or each blend a perfume for the other. Booking ahead matters more for two people than one, because the Nguyễn Huệ room holds up to 8 seats per session.
“This is a must do activity for couples on a SEA trip!” — declanmr, review platform
There is something about smelling the same blotter at the same moment. One of you says “too sweet”, the other says “perfect”, and suddenly you are talking about your grandmother’s kitchen or a beach from years ago. The perfume becomes the evening’s souvenir; dinner becomes the conversation about it.
For dinner and drinks ideas, see our date night in Saigon guide. If you are planning the evening around a couple’s session specifically, our studio site has a page on the couples perfume workshop in Saigon.
What is a good Nguyen Hue evening for family or friends?
With family or a group of friends, start earlier and keep the seated activity at the centre: everyone blends their own bottle at the same table, then you eat together while comparing results. For groups larger than one room’s seats, our Lý Tự Trọng studio (up to 12) or Thảo Điền studio (up to 15) can hold more people per session.
“I participated with my mother — a very meaningful time with people who participated together” — Guest, review platform
Groups are where the table gets loud in the best way. Everyone picks a different direction — one person all citrus, one all woods, one trying to recreate the smell of a café they love back home. Our page on group perfume workshops in Vietnam has more on booking for several people.
Where can you go next from the Cafe Apartment?
From 42 Nguyễn Huệ you have three easy directions on foot: down the boulevard toward the Saigon River for a slow end to the night, up the boulevard toward City Hall, or across to Đồng Khởi Street and the Opera House area. Each suits a different mood, and none needs a taxi.
Toward the river — the quiet ending
The boulevard opens out at the riverside. It is the least planned part of the evening and often the one people remember. Sit, spray your new perfume on your wrist, and notice how it has already changed since the first sniff.
Toward City Hall — the photo end
The illuminated colonial façade at the head of the boulevard is the classic night photo. Go there before your session if you want the light at dusk, after it if you want the lit building.
Toward Đồng Khởi and the Opera House — the evening stroll
A few minutes away, Đồng Khởi Street and the Opera House area have their own evening rhythm. Our Opera House area guide covers it. Our third District 1 studio is here too, on the 3rd floor of 26 Lý Tự Trọng, with a 19:00 session for later starters.
Want the night market instead? Bến Thành is a different evening altogether; our Bến Thành market area guide explains how to fit it in.
Can you join a perfume session if you are already in the Cafe Apartment?
Booking ahead on the9base.com is the surest way to get a seat, especially in the evening and at weekends, because the Nguyễn Huệ studio holds up to 8 people per session. If you are already in the building, you can go up to Floor 2 and ask whether the next session has a free seat. Remember: Floor 2, not Floor 4 — the building has many floors and it is easy to climb one flight too far.
“I wandered in — I was actually looking for a different store, but the ambiance was so nice I decided to just do the fragrance workshop.” — Passenger18803900126, review platform
Inside the building, take the lift or the stairs to Floor 2 and look for the 9base studio door; if it is closed, ring the bell. 9base is the name of our custom perfume studios and booking site. The Cafe Apartment floor-by-floor guide shows what else is in the building.
How much does an evening perfume session cost?
The price is per seat, VAT included, and the same at every studio and time of day: 10 ml $25.92, 20 ml $47.52, 30 ml $58.32, 50 ml $69.12 (594,000 / 1,080,000 / 1,458,000 / 1,674,000 VND). You can reschedule free up to 24 hours before, or cancel up to 48 hours before for 80% back.
Every seat includes the 120-minute guided session, one serial-numbered bottle you seal yourself, and a saved formula you can re-order later at 20% off. Travelers rate the workshop 4.9 from more than 2,300 reviews. Choose an evening session and book a seat.
The walking street will be there tomorrow, and the day after, as busy as tonight. What changes is whether you were only passing through it. Somewhere on Floor 2, above the noise, there is a table and a wall of small bottles, and two quiet hours that end with something in your hand. If you want a ready-made fragrance to take home as well, NOTE’s collection is at our online store; you can follow the studio on Instagram at @note.workshop.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do on Nguyen Hue walking street at night?
Walk the boulevard at dusk, then choose one seated activity — for example a 120-minute perfume workshop on Floor 2 of the Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyễn Huệ — and finish by the river or over dinner.
Is the perfume studio in the Cafe Apartment open in the evening?
Yes. The Nguyễn Huệ studio at 42 Nguyễn Huệ, Floor 2, is open 09:00–22:00 every day. Check the booking page for the session times available on your date.
Which floor is the perfume studio on in the Cafe Apartment?
Floor 2. The building has many floors, and it is easy to climb one flight too far — stop at the 2nd floor and look for the 9base studio door.
Do I need to book the perfume workshop in advance?
Booking ahead on the9base.com is the surest way to get a seat, because the Nguyễn Huệ studio holds up to 8 people per session. If you are already in the building, you can ask on Floor 2 whether there is a free seat.
Is a perfume workshop a good date night in Saigon?
Many couples blend side by side or make a perfume for each other, then have dinner nearby. The session lasts 120 minutes and each person takes home their own serial-numbered bottle.
How much does the perfume workshop cost?
Per seat, VAT included: 10 ml $25.92, 20 ml $47.52, 30 ml $58.32 or 50 ml $69.12. The price is the same in the evening as during the day.
Where are NOTE’s studios in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Nguyễn Huệ — 42 Nguyễn Huệ, Floor 2 (Cafe Apartment), District 1 · 09:00–22:00 · studio details and directions
- Lý Tự Trọng — 26 Lý Tự Trọng, Floor 3, District 1 · 09:00–22:00 · studio details and directions
- Thảo Điền — 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền · 08:00–18:00 · studio details and directions
Information in this article was accurate at the time of writing. Opening hours and availability at the places mentioned may change — we recommend double-checking with official sources before your visit.
You can also see prices (VAT included), book a seat and find a studio on 9base.
