Taking business guests to karaoke in District 1: seven checks and what a VIP table really costs

This comes first. You can't study the menu prices in front of a client, so set a budget before the dinner and give it to the venue when you book: "four of us, around this much" is enough, and the manager fits the drinks and food inside it.

Korean-run venues sell sets with a fixed price; local venues charge the room, bottles, food and tips separately. If you choose a local venue, check that it publishes its prices line by line or will work to a budget. The difference is explained in local vs Korean-run karaoke.

The most common business set-up: four guests (the host plus three clients), four hostesses, a VIP room for three hours, booked ahead.

The drinks line is an average per head; better whisky raises it. Every bottle is priced on the price list, and the calculator on our home page reworks the total for any group size, duration or room.

By numbers alone a standard room (690,000₫/hour) is often enough. Still, VIP is what most business hosts book (890,000₫/hour): the extra 200,000₫ an hour buys a noticeably better room and shows the guest some thought. VIP rooms seat up to 8 guests; room 601 takes 10–12.

VVIP 602 (1,450,000₫/hour, up to 20 guests) is for senior counterparts or a deal that really matters. There is only one, so book it as soon as the date is fixed.

Avoid putting clients in a car for thirty minutes. We are near Ben Thanh market in District 1 (21 Bùi Thị Xuân), within about ten minutes by Grab of most central District 1 hotels and restaurants. Whichever venue you choose, check the distance from the restaurant.

Most venues open only in the evening; we open at 14:30 every day and close at 03:00. That helps when you want to go straight from an afternoon meeting, or when an early flight means the evening can't run late. For evenings, the best rooms go first late at weekends, so book a time.

We are a local Vietnamese venue. Bookings and questions are handled in English, Korean, Chinese or Vietnamese by message, and in the room English works best. For business that is an advantage: settle the budget, room and drinks while booking, and spend the night on the conversation.

We issue red (VAT) invoices. Give the company name, address and tax code (MST) when you book. Tips are never on the invoice: in the example above the invoice is 8,499,240₫, and the 5,500,000₫ in tips is paid separately in cash. Everything except tips can go on a card (3.2% fee on Visa, 4% on Mastercard and AmEx).

· Book with the date, time, number of guests and, ideally, a budget. A booking gets you an assigned manager and the 10% discount.
· Bring enough cash for tips.
· Unfinished bottles are kept, ready for the next time you bring the same client.
· Celebrating something for the client? Tell us ahead and we will arrange a cake.