They are only a few kilometers apart, but travel from Binh Thanh to Tan Binh and you will feel Saigon change its face. One side is a high-rise riverfront buzzing with students and young office workers; the other is the airport gateway, where the alleys still hold on to old Saigon charm. The two Nhà An branches here have, naturally, two distinct personalities.
Two familiar names, even though the city no longer has districts
Since July 1, 2025, Ho Chi Minh City has reorganized its administrative units and no longer has a district level. Still, Saigonese keep saying "going to Binh Thanh" or "heading home to Tan Binh" to mean a whole stretch of city with its own way of life, and Nhà An names its two branches in that same familiar way.
Each name carries a layer of history. Binh Thanh was created in 1976 by combining two older place names, Binh Hoa and Thanh My Tay. Tan Binh is much older: in 1698, when Gia Dinh Prefecture was established, the Saigon area was made Tan Binh District, far larger than today's Tan Binh.
Binh Thanh: a high-rise riverfront and the rhythm of young people
Mention Binh Thanh and many people think of Landmark 81, the 81-story tower reflected in the Saigon River. At its foot lies a spacious riverside park, where in the late afternoon crowds jog, exercise and sit in the breeze.
Binh Thanh is also student territory. Hutech, Van Lang, UEF and many other universities sit around Dien Bien Phu and Dang Thuy Tram streets, bringing study cafes, print shops and breakfast stalls at the mouth of every alley. At rush hour, commuters pour through the Hang Xanh intersection and across Saigon Bridge, while Metro Line 1, with its Van Thanh and Tan Cang stations, makes getting to the center or Thao Dien much easier.
Amid the new city rhythm, Binh Thanh still keeps traces of old Gia Dinh around Ba Chieu Market and Lang Ong, the temple-tomb of Marshal Le Van Duyet. Market in the early morning, a student cafe at noon, the riverbank at night: that is enough to show Binh Thanh is both young and deep.
Tan Binh: the gateway to the sky and old Saigon charm
Tan Binh is tied to Tan Son Nhat Airport, the busiest air gateway in the country, which gained Terminal T3 for domestic flights in 2025. Life around here turns with the flights: people pulling suitcases, people picking up and dropping off, people squeezing in a little laptop work before boarding.
Right next to the airport is Hoang Van Thu Park, a green space of around 10 hectares for early-morning workouts. Along Cong Hoa and Truong Son streets stand many office buildings and tech companies, so at closing time the roads around the airport are usually packed.
Turn into an alley and Tan Binh shows another side: low townhouses, patterned cement-tile floors, sidewalk cafes and the familiar sticky rice vendor. The area is also home to Giac Lam Pagoda, built in 1744 and one of the oldest pagodas in the city, along with well-known landmarks such as Lang Cha Ca and Bay Hien.
Two Nhà An branches, two personalities
Both branches are being finished and will be open 24/7 once they open, but each is designed around the rhythm of its own neighborhood. Street addresses and opening dates will be announced on the Nhà An website and Zalo.
Nhà An Binh Thanh is a leafy townhouse near Landmark 81, with lotus planted in the front courtyard. It will be the largest deadline hub in the whole system, with a quiet Deadline Room that stays open through the night and a Smooth-Flow Meeting Room seating up to 10 for office teams and project groups. Dishes to try: bạc xỉu ô long (a milky oolong take on the Saigon classic), cloud cream milk oolong, and vegetarian hủ tiếu Nam Vang (Phnom Penh-style noodle soup) for breakfast.
Read moreSee details of Nhà An Binh ThanhNhà An Tan Binh is a patterned-tile tea house with the breath of old Saigon, featuring wooden windows, ceiling fans and a photo corner beside a Vespa. The branch offers luggage storage for people waiting on a flight and a spacious Chatter Courtyard for friends after work. Signature items include cà phê phin muối (salted drip coffee), trà tắc xí muội (kumquat and salted plum tea) and xôi bắp gánh (street-cart sticky rice with corn).
Which branch should you visit?
If you are still undecided, you can choose by what you need to get done:
- Studying for exams, writing a thesis or working through the night in real quiet: Binh Thanh, home to the largest Deadline zone in the system.
- Team meetings or group projects near the universities: Binh Thanh, and remember to book the Smooth-Flow Meeting Room ahead.
- About to fly and need a seat to work and a place to store luggage: Tan Binh.
- A group of friends after work who want board games and nostalgic photos: Tan Binh.
- Want to try both: an oolong bạc xỉu in Binh Thanh in the morning, kumquat and salted plum tea in Tan Binh in the afternoon.
