Job Discussion Forums

[ragazzo gallese]

I'm arriving in HCMC next week to start a new job. My friend, who works in financial services, is already in District 1. We want to find a reasonably priced, no-frills gym in the area. My friend has done a little recce, but all he could find were top-class hotel gyms which cost $100 a month. I'd like to at least halve that, maybe even quarter it. Any advice?

[deadlift]

Mach's Gym is at #1 Huyen Tran Cong Chua, which is the street behind the Reunification Palace. It has a range of machines, plenty of free weights, a power rack, and some cardio. It's a little small and gets crowded, but it's also only 40,000 per visit or 400,000 for the month. It's owned by Pham Van Mach, a world champion bodybuilder in the 55kg class.

There's a men only bodybuilding gym on the corner of Pasteur and Nguyen Dinh Chieu. It's very basic with some old machines and a bunch of miscellaneous weights. Dirt cheap at 20,000 per visit.

There's another bodybuilding gym on Hai ba Trung, opposite the side wall of the French Embassy. I haven't been inside but I imagine it's like the Pasteur gym.

The Lanh Anh sports club is on CMT8, past the train station. It's expensive at 75,000 per visit, but it's the biggest I've seen with lots of space and a lot of cardio machines. The free weight plates are in terrible shape, with so much rubber peeling off that it affects the actual weight. It also has a sauna.

Da Kao Gym is another very basic bodybuilding gym and it's on the corner of Nguyen Binh Kiem and Nguyen Van Thu, which is a little bit distant. I haven't been inside and don't know the price, but it will be cheap.

In my opinion, the bare bones gyms are far superior to the shiny hotel gyms and the likes of California Wow.

If you want machines, shininess, and snobbery (and ear-splitting techno-pop), go to the expensive places. If you want free weights, don't care too much about a little rust, and don't mind hanging out with ordinary dudes, go to the bodybuilding gyms.

I've heard there's a crossfit gym in D2, and there's a few kickboxing/MMA gyms around too.

[ragazzo gallese]

That's all fantastic advice, thanks! I'm sent you a private message.

[Marmaduke]

There's a small, basic gym with a good range of free weights and benches on Nguyen Khac Ngu, between Tran Hang Dao and Co Bac. It can get really busy at nights and on weekends, and it attracts some Slim Shadies, but it's great early in the morning, like about 6 - 8 am (and with no AC, you probably wouldn't want to train much later).

180k D/ $9 a month. I think they do one off visits for 20k D.