The Best of The Bureau is a year end series of posts that reveal the most viewed stories featured on The Bureau in 2019.
Over the coming weeks we’ll post the most popular content from our three main categories: Eat & Drink, Travel & Lifestyle.
Our followers will already know that we’re not huge fans of subjective lists that rank one bar or restaurant or venue ahead of another. We’re here to support the community, not to destroy it.
So that’s why we’ve decided to roll up our sleeves, dig into our backend and deep dive into the data to give you our ‘Best of’ based on the volume of traffic our stories attracted throughout the year.
And in case you were wondering, these aren’t sponsored posts. You voted with your eyes.
We hope you find our Best of The Bureau series useful.
Here’s our list of the sharpest barbershops for 2019.
Barbershop Vu Tri
Since 1992, Barbershop Vu Tri has led the way in men’s grooming in Saigon.
Brothers Vu and Tri learnt their trade from their father who still chooses to barber on the sidewalk 100m down the street from their original shop.
Together, Vu and Tri brought the family business in off the street, and as they say, the rest is history.
There are now more than 13 Barbershop Vu Tri across the city offering amazing experiences like no other that start as soon as you set foot inside the door.
They also have their own brand of signature oil and water-based pomade for sale.
For more information about Barbershop Vu Tri, visit https://www.facebook.com/barbershopvutrioriginal/
Barbershop Vu Tri’s original store is at 306/8 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., District 3, HCMC
[Google_Maps_WD id=”44″]4RAU Barbershop
A barbershop concept inspired by 1920s and 1930s American culture, 4RAU Barbershop has multiple shops in Saigon and was founded by acclaimed local actor, Ha Hien.
4RAU (rau means beard in Vietnamese) is extremely popular among the young hipsters of the city, so expect their outlets to be packed, especially on Sundays.
The staff are uber-friendly here and take great pride in the styles they craft, while the atmosphere and decor finds a happy medium somewhere between other well-respected brands in the city like Brothers and Liem.
4RAU Barbershop also has a more upmarket deluxe brand of barbershops for the more discerning gentleman who wants more time and care spent on grooming his look.
For more information about 4RAU Barbershop, visit https://www.facebook.com/4raushop/
One of the 4RAU Barbershops is at 77 Yersin St., District 1, HCMC
[Google_Maps_WD id=102 map=100]Tony Barber House
Tony Barber House has five barber’s chairs and as many barbers, so the lads can knock out plenty of cuts and shaves in a day.
With no fuss they will have in and out and on your way.
Tony Barber House stocks one of the largest collections of pomade we’ve seen in Saigon.
All the international labels are here, including Reuzel and Ti Gi, among others, while three locally-made pomade brands – Saigon Hustlers, The Gents Bay and Go Vintage – sit proudly alongside their more well-known brothers in wax.
No whiskey, cigars, craft beers or gentlemen’s suits here, just a friendly bunch of blokes whose sole purpose is to make you look a damn sight better than when you walked in.
For more information about Tony Barber House, visit https://www.facebook.com/vnbarbershop/
Tony Barber House is at 205/7 Nguyen Trai St., District 1, HCMC
[Google_Maps_WD id=”23″]House of Barbaard
What started out as a quest to sell a small box of pomade, quickly turned into a gentlemen’s lifestyle company for two friends from Holland with a passion for men’s grooming.
House of Barbaard (Barbaard is a portmanteau of ‘bar’ and the Dutch word for beard) launched in Hanoi a few years back satisfying the need for men who wanted more than just a quick, short-back-and-sides and perhaps a hair wash.
House of Barbaard is more than simply a place to go and get your hair cleaned up a bit.
It’s a destination for men that also holds alcohol tastings, jazz and themed nights, and many other events.
House of Barbaard has also recently launched their own men’s clothing line.
For more information about House of Barbaard, visit https://www.facebook.com/housebarbaard/
House of Barbaard is at 12/4B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., District 1, HCMC
[Google_Maps_WD id=”47″]Brothers Boutique Men’s Salon
Here gents can get a great haircut, traditional wet shave, facial treatments, hair and face washes followed by a head and shoulder massage for a reasonable price.
Located in the centre of town on the second floor of the building as L’Usine, Brothers is accessed through the gallery of acclaimed French photographer Rehahn.
Brothers is a shop that’s great for a quick trim on the run, but if you’ve got time, it’s even better for somewhere the ‘bros’ can partake in some heavy bromance over a craft beer or single malt whisky and a choof on an imported Cuban cigar while taking in the sights from the balcony overlooking historic Dong Khoi Street.
For more information about Brothers Boutique Men’s Salon, visit https://www.facebook.com/brothersmensalon/
Brothers Boutique Men’s Salon is at 157 Dong Khoi St., District 1, HCMC
[Google_Maps_WD id=”46″]Liem Barbershop
Liem Barber Shop in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 is one place that has to be seen to be believed.
No less than 10 tattooed barbers dressed right out of the 1920s complete with vintage tweed caps shape a new Chicano-style cut on their 20-something clientele from 11am to 7pm daily.
Sundays the shop is packed and humming, and not just to the sound of hair clippers.
The walls and benches are covered in photos, memorabilia, caps, boxing gloves, bulls horns, and traffic cones among other blokey barbershop paraphernalia.
If only to see the place, Liem’s is well worth a visit.
For more information about Liem Barbershop, visit https://www.facebook.com/liembarbershop/
Liem Barbershop has a shop at 79 Nguyen Son Ha St., District 3, HCMC
[Google_Maps_WD id=”49″]Words & Liem Barbershop photo by Matt Cowan. Follow Matt on Instagram at @mattcowansaigon
All other photos by Mike Palumbo. Follow Mike on Instagram at @mikepalumbo_
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