K1 Fitness and Fight Factory - Saigon (Highly Recommended)

Owned and run by MMA / Kickboxing / Hardnut Frenchman David 'Serial Striker' Minetti, the K1 Fight Factory combines cardio classes with kickboxing to make a well rounded workout. Whether you are looking mainly to stay fit while travelling or improving your skills in martial arts, the K1 Fight Factory offers everything from Circuit Traininig, Kickboxing, MMA, the deadly Krav Maga and even the Vietnamese martial art Vovinam.

You can do either group or private sessions at various times. I think it is also somewhere that you can quite easily stay for a long term stint.

During my time there I trained mainly with Fx (pictured), who is David's younger brother and only other trainer. A charismatic, handsome guy - he might be a hit with the ladies but taking a hit from him is not such a pleasant experience. He is a black belt in Vovinam.

What to expect -

The headquarters is in District 4, in front of the river that is nicely located just outside the main part of the city. The equipment is new and well maintained and they have some weight equipment upstairs. It has a feel like you are going over to a asian friend's place to train, due in part to the older Vietnamese ladies who live there and do cooking in the kitchen next to the weights room.

Training times -

Group Sessions

9am - 10am Monday, Wednesday and Friday

6.45pm - 8.15pm Monday to Friday (Kick Boxing)

Speak to David or Fx to set up private sessions Monday - Friday between 7am and 6.30pm

Cost -

$20 USD for a casual group class

$40 USD for a casual private class

Again, speak to David to work out how many times you are coming during your stay in Saigon and a price for training.

Look here to convert into your own currency http://www.xe.com/

Address -

346 Ben Van Don, P1,

District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

There is also a gym in District 2 offering Kickboxing classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Website -

http://www.teamminetti.com/

Pure Gym - Saigon

Located on a street perpendicular to D Pastuer, Pure Gym is a cool little upstairs gym with surprisingly new, modern equipment. Being a 20,000 VND motorcycle ride from the centre of town, I think it is a great excuse to get out of the heart of the city for a workout here.

The price is also much more pleasant than the price for casual entry at California Wow Xperience

Also around the corner is the famous Pho restaurant 'Pho Hoa', a suitable gastronomic reward for a session of sweat and labour.

What to expect -

A smallish gym with yoga sessions running twice a day from Monday to Saturday.

Cost -

60,000 VND for a causal use of the gym.
They have different rates for the Month, 3 / 6 Month and also for the Year depending on how often you use the facility.

Look here to convert into your own currency http://www.xe.com/

Address -

168cde Vo Thi Sau,
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

California Wow Xperience (District 1) - Saigon

Across from the main backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao lies California 'Wow' Fitness on Le Lai Street (Street Number 28-32).

It is the same chain of California 'Wow' Fitness chains currently assaulting Thailand.

It boasts excellent equipment for weight training and the air conditioning helps your muscles fatigue less than if you were to work out in the equatorial heat. They also have an impressive list of yoga and dance classes that pretty much run all day long.
I found the yoga classes were run largely for beginners. There were only a few that were intended solely for intermediates.

What to expect -

A modern, chic exercise centre catering for expatriates and the higher end Vietnamese market.
Excellent if you are travelling and needing a work out to reenergize the mind and body for another day of sightseeing.
Also, quite funny to see are well toned Vietnamese guys making no attempt to hide their narcissistic tendencies in front of the mirror and the middle aged ladies taking their high heels off to run on the treadmill bare-foot.

Cost -

If you are staying for the short-term, you should be able to get a free 7-day pass that includes all classes.
Casual prices, including yoga and dance classes are $20USD. These last for 24 hours, so you can make the best of this by coming in late on the first day and early the next morning.
Long term prices are quite expensive (up to $650USD for the year) although the prices are subject to the bargaining solidarity of you and the employee that you are talking to.

Look here to convert into your own currency http://www.xe.com/

Address -
28-32 Le Lai Street, Queen Ann Building,
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Website -

http://www.californiawowx.com.vn/en/

California Wow Xperience (District 5) - Saigon

Slightly further out from the city centre of Saigon is the original California 'Wow' Fitness in District 5. Where the club in District 1 feels rather cramped due to the way it is spread over 5 levels, the District 5 club spans over an entire level of Hung Vuong Plaza and even contains a fun-size boxing ring.

What to expect -

Very much the same feel as the gym in District 1.

Cost -

If you are staying for the short-term, you should be able to get a free 7-day pass that includes all classes.

Casual prices, including yoga and dance classes are $20USD. These last for 24 hours, so you can make the best of this by coming in late on the first day and early the next morning.

Long term prices are quite expensive (up to $650USD for the year) although the prices are subject to the bargaining solidarity of you and the employee that you are talking to.

Look here to convert into your own currency http://www.xe.com/

Address -

Hung Vuong Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong,

District 5, Ho Chi Minh City

Website -

http://www.californiawowx.com.vn/en/

Vovinam - Saigon

A traditional martial art of Vietnam, Vovinam literally stand for 'Martial Arts' 'Vietnam'. I was previously oblivious to the style until my Google searches enlightened me.

I spent two days on a motorbike taxi zig-zagging through Saigon's notoriously anarchic traffic trying to find schools in which I could train and whose teachers could also speak a reasonable amount of English. Eventually I was brought to a class run out of gymnasium on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in District 3 of Saigon.

To the untrained eye, it is similar to Taekwando, but I'm sure exponents of both of martial arts would disagree. The training uniform is in blue and they bow to greet each other with their hand on heart. I found this endearing and respectful.

The gymnasium was not the cleanest gym I have ever been to, and pads they used for kicking and punching were primitive, but I did see very dedicated guys and girls training. Perhaps you might get better luck finding schools for beginners if you spoke Vietnamese, I found that trying to find the schools and finding people that would be willing to help me quite an exhausting experience.

In my travels I did come across a Wushu Kung Fu School in Saigon. They was no training for beginners - they were training for competition only.
Now this was impressive!!!
I was impressed by the overall talent but more specifically by the females training at this Kung Fu School.

Vietnam is a country known for Wushu Kung Fu and is one of the leading countries in training Wushu Kung Fu, behind China.

What to expect -

Unless you have trained Vovinam before I suspect that you have difficulty finding places that will train you up from a beginner status in a serious way. Of the classes that I did see most consisted largely of evening, after-work sessions.
There would be very few foreigners looking to train Vovinam. Due to it's lack of popularity and knowledge at this point in time, I suspect it might be a while until this changes.

Webiste for Vovinam Training Centres -

http://vovinamworld.com/Vovinam_Training_Centers_Worldwide.aspx

Dangers and Annoyances

Like the sections within the Lonely Planet books, which caution against the pitfalls of certain aspects of a location, I feel that it is worth noting a tried and true shortcoming of what is an otherwise pleasant existence in Vietnam.

In contrast to expectations, this is not to do with dangers of training, nor is it to do with precautions you should be taking whilst navigating through the realm of oppurtunistic locals.
It is a diatribe about a cultural oddity of Vietnam, more specifically to do with social interactions with members of the opposite gender.

Having been raised largely in Australia, I feel that my values are predominantly Western. Then in astonishment was I to realize that in Vietnam it is the norm that within any gathering involving males and females, that the males (or male) of the group are expected to be solely responsible for monetary exchanges as a result of the event.

Not only has this been true in my experience, but also of close friends who have lived in Vietnam for years.

With anticipation of a amenable disposition for the large percentage of females in Vietnam, it was to great alarm when on one particular occasion, I literally had notes ripped out of my hand by a Vietnamese girl to pay for the her and her friend; including meals they had consumed before I had joined them.

What to expect -

When meeting a girl, do not be surprised if she shows up with one, or even multiple friends who are more than happy to saviour the main courses and have no reservations about sitting demurely when the bill arrives.
Especially in finer institutions, it is a matter of 'saving face' that an adequate tip be left. Be prepared for a look of disdain from both your present company and the staff if you leave with all your notes and coins.

Cost -

Haha : ) You have been warned!
Stick to places where seating requires you to squat uncomfortably and your hip pocket will come out much heavier.