I was a personal trainer at LA Fitness and Retro Fitness (both popular chains in the US) in college, and I’ve been working out for close to 20 years, so I know the difference between a gym that’s fully equipped, one that’s just serviceable enough, and one that’s lacking.
Gyms in Vietnam can be hit or miss. There are some nice gyms by Western standards, some rusty hole-in-the-walls, and places in between. Thankfully, most Ho Chi Minh City gyms offer day passes, perfect for travelers just in town for a few days.
While living in Ho Chi Minh City, I checked out numerous gyms. If you need a place to exercise while traveling, these are some of the best gyms in Ho Chi Minh City.
I wrote a separate article on my favorite gyms in Da Nang, if that’s part of your Vietnam itinerary, too.
Gyms, Day Pass Costs & Locations
| Gym | District | Pass Cost* |
|---|---|---|
| Ly Dyc Gym | District 4 | 50.000 VND |
| C’Gym | District 1 | 80.000 VND |
| The New Gym | Binh Thanh | No Day Passes |
| The New Gym | District 3 | No Day Passes |
| Gym One | District 3 | 200.000 VND |
| Body Fix | District 2 | 100.000 VND |
| Saigon Sports Club | District 7 | 700.000 VND |
| Advance Fitness & Gym | District 7 | 200.000 VND |
| 99 Fitness | District 2 | 60.000 VND |
| The New Gym | Tan Binh | No Day Passes |
Lý Đức Gym (District 4)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Day Pass: 50.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Huge amount of gym equipment and machines | No water fountain |
| Far away from the touristy area (pro for some) | No AC (plenty of fans; be prepared to sweat) |
| Great price for a day pass and monthly membership | |
| Easy parking |
One of my favorite gyms in Vietnam was in District 7, owned by Vietnamese bodybuilder Ly Duc. Unfortunately, that location closed during COVID-19.
This is his other location. And just like the one in D7, it has tons of machines and equipment—multiple benches and plenty of free weights. The variety and amount of equipment here far exceeds that of Saigon’s more popular chain gyms. (And it’s not even close.)
If you don’t have your own motorbike, you’ll likely need to take a taxi or moto-taxi to get here (unless you stay in District 4). I recommend downloading the Grab App; it’s very convenient for getting around Ho Chi Minh City.
You can read my Ly Duc’s Gym review on Google Maps here.
I filmed this video inside the back area of Ly Duc’s Gym. There is a lot more equipment than in this area.
Click the photos to expand. There is a lot of equipment.
There’s a motorbike parking garage right in front with a security guard. It’s free. (Some gyms are part of a bigger complex or share a lot and have parking fees.)
There is no AC, but there are plenty of fans. There is also no free water fountain—bring your own water bottle or buy a cold one here. They do sell cold drinks.
It’s worth mentioning that I have been the only foreigner whenever I’ve been here. I’m only pointing this out because it might make you feel uncomfortable, but I like it.
If you want to get out of the touristy areas and get a great, sweaty workout, this is the place.
The day pass is 50,000 VND, and the monthly membership fee is 400,000 VND, both great prices.
C’Gym (Mach’s Gym) (District 1)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Day Pass: 80.000 VND / Weekly Pass: 300.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy access from District 1 | No water fountain |
| Good price for a day pass (offers a great weekly option as well) | On the smaller side |
| Clean | |
| Air-conditioned | |
| Protein shake/smoothie bar |
This gym was called Mach’s Gym but was rebranded into C’Gym. I went here a few times to check it out. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, considering its prime location in District 1.
You can read my review of C’Gym on Google Maps here.
It’s located on the street behind Independence Palace and within easy walking distance of several places to eat, hostels, and hotels.
Although it’s on the smaller side, the gym offers pretty much everything you’ll need for a workout while traveling. The bathrooms are clean, and the common gym area has lockers. There is also air conditioning and fans.
This gym does not have a water fountain, so you’ll need to bring your own water bottle or purchase one there. They also have a protein shake and smoothie bar.
If you want to stay in the city for a while and need supplements, check my guide on buying gym supplements in Ho Chi Minh City.
At the time of publishing, these are C’Gym’s membership and pass fees.
The day pass is 80,000 VND. The one-week pass is 300,000 VND. And the one-month membership is 650,000 VND. The gym is part of a bigger sports complex, and parking costs 5,000 VND. There is a security guard.
The New Gym (Binh Thanh)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Website • Day Pass: No Day Passes!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good membership prices | No day passes |
| Classes included in all memberships | No membership option allows access to multiple branches |
| Free filtered water fountain | Not the widest variety in equipment |
| Clean gym, bathrooms, and showers | Not the best or easiest-to-access area |
| Big, open space | |
| Air-conditioned | |
| Open 24 hours |
The New Gym is a popular gym chain in Vietnam. Its branches are open 24/7. They have air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and filtered water fountains.
Note: Joining one New Gym location does not give you access to the others. There is currently no membership option that allows this.
All New Gyms offer group training classes like Zumba and other dance classes, as well as combat classes and yoga. All memberships get free access to fitness classes. They also offer separate personal training programs if you’re in the market for a trainer.
This gym was renovated while I was a member. The first floor has been turned into a parking garage (the bathrooms and locker rooms remain). Half of the second floor now has cardio machines, while the other half and the third floor have all the weight machines, benches, and free weights. It’s more cramped than it was before the remodeling.
This New Gym branch is still a bit better than the other one on this list, but its biggest problem is its location. This area of Binh Thanh is a bit out of the way. You’ll need to have your own motorbike, take a moto-taxi (Grab or Gojek), or a regular taxi to get here.
Even though they don’t offer day passes, if you stay in Ho Chi Minh City for a while, their membership prices are good, and their gyms are fully equipped. Any of their branches are worth consideration.
I was a member of this branch on The New Gym’s 3+1 Package (pay for three months, get one month free). This cost 1,999,000 VND total for all four months. Their one-month membership is 599.000 VND (with an additional joining fee of 300.000 VND). These are good prices for what’s offered and compared to elsewhere in HCMC.
The New Gym (District 3)
Address: Google Maps • Website • Day Pass: No Day Passes!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good membership prices | No day passes |
| Classes included in all memberships | No membership option allows access to multiple branches |
| Great location | Smaller compared to other New Gyms |
| Free filtered water fountain | |
| Clean gym, bathrooms, and showers | |
| Air-conditioned | |
| Open 24 hours |
This New Gym is in a central area of District 3 on Dien Bien Phu Street. This road is a one-way street, so keep that in mind if you’re driving your own motorbike.
However, you won’t have issues taking a GrabTaxi, GrabCar, or GrabBike. And if you’re coming from District 1 or elsewhere in District 3, the trip shouldn’t be more than 20,000 – 30,000 VND. (I just did a test. Coming from the Ho Chi Minh Statue in downtown District 1, it’s 19,000 VND for GrabBike Economy and 24,000 VND for GrabBike Plus.)
If you have your own motorbike, this New Gym has a private (and free) parking lot with a security guard right next to the gym.
As I said above, I find the branch in Binh Thanh to be a bit better, though the equipment and facilities here are just as nice. The first floor of this location tends to get a bit cramped. The space is smaller, and it’s where the machines are, as well as a smaller functional training space and the locker rooms.
Everything else is on the second floor of this gym. You’ll find the cardio equipment, free weights, and benches here.
Gym One (District 3)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Website • Day Pass: 200.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Air-conditioned | Not a ton of machines or equipment |
| Clean gym, bathrooms, and showers | More expensive day passes and monthly memberships |
| Showers have shampoo and shower gel | |
| Free clean towel and locker key | |
| Comfortable lounge area | |
| Filtered water fountain | |
| Can pay with cash or card for a day pass |
Gym One is located just up the street from the previous New Gym in a great area of District 3. This is one of my favorite areas of Ho Chi Minh City and a great place to stay.
Click the photos to expand. The gym is very sparkly.
It’s on the corner of Dien Bien Phu and Le Quy Don streets. This entire area is very walkable. Southeast down Lu Quy Don Street leads to plenty of places to eat before or after your workout.
A private motorbike parking lot with a security guard is only steps from the gym’s entrance. It has a full canopy. (Sometimes, it starts raining when you’re in the gym. If there’s a parking canopy, and it’s near the gym’s entrance, you can easily get outside and throw on your poncho. Get one at Family Mart or 7-11.)
The entrance area of this gym has many comfortable chairs and couches for hanging out before or after your workout. There’s a filtered water fountain if you choose to bring your own bottle, and they also have drinks for sale.
At the time of writing, a single-use visit (or day pass) is 200,000 VND. This includes a clean towel and a locker key. This is on the more expensive side of a gym day pass in Vietnam.
A one-month membership is 2,000,000 VND. Three months is 3,500,000 VND. And six months is 5,600,000 VND. They have options for up to 36 months. (But as you can see, you can get four months at any New Gym location for the price of one month here.)
However, this is a very nice and shiny gym, with air-conditioning and a lot of modern equipment on the first floor. The second floor has an additional lounge area, ab machines, cardio machines, and a boxing ring.
Both locker rooms have a sauna, steam room, and showers with shampoo and shower gel. This gym also offers several different yoga classes.
Body Fix (District 2)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Day Pass: 100.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy access from inside Thao Dien | Not a lot of equipment |
| Clean gym, bathrooms, and showers | Smaller space |
| Free filtered water fountain | |
| Air-conditioned | |
| Offers group classes | |
| Good membership prices |
I went to this gym when I lived in Thao Dien. It was called PT8 Gym Fitness & Yoga but was rebranded into Body Fix.
It’s in District 2 but not in Thao Dien, so you’ll have to leave the area and cross under the Vo Nguyen Giap Highway. The gym is near the Mega Market on the other side, so it’s easy to incorporate a grocery store run into your workout.
A moto-taxi trip with GrabBike or Gojek shouldn’t be more than 20,000 – 30,000 VND each way from the back of Thao Dien. If you have your own motorbike, parking is very easy as well. There is plenty of sidewalk and street space out front. Parking is free.
For long-term training, this gym ended up being a bit too small for me. The variety of weight training equipment and machines wasn’t the best. I felt the same way about Body Shape inside Thao Dien. It’s a fine, modern gym with enough to meet most fitness goals, but it didn’t fit my personal taste.
I chose to include Body Fix on this list because I found the gym very clean and quiet during the day. It has air conditioning and enough fans to keep you cool. When I visited in the afternoons, sometimes it was just me and another person or two.
Thao Dien itself doesn’t have the greatest selection of big gyms. They are mainly fitness studios and boutique (smaller) gyms. Fitness enthusiasts and those looking for a bigger place to train may want to venture outside the area for a better selection. (It’s how I discovered the New Gym chain outside Thao Dien.)
However, if you don’t want to leave Thao Dien and are in the market for a high-end gym with all the fancy amenities and don’t mind signing a long-term contract to get the best price, then California Fitness and Yoga and Elite Fitness are here.
A day pass at Body Fix is 100,000 VND. The one-month membership is 900,000 VND. The three-month membership is 2,400,000 VND. Six months is 3,500,000 VND, and 12 months is 6,000,000 VND.
Overall, these are good prices, especially considering it’s easy access from Thao Dien.
Saigon Sports Club (District 7)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Website • Day Pass: 700.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very clean and high-end gym | One of the more expensive gyms in the city |
| Several different membership and package options | |
| Tons of martial arts classes | |
| Outdoor swimming pool | |
| Good-sized weight area |
Saigon Sports Club is probably the nicest overall fitness club in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s tucked away down a side street in District 7 and is very clean and high-end.
Several different things are going on here. There’s a weight room, an outdoor swimming pool, and probably the biggest area for group fitness I have ever seen.
I will say, though, that this gym’s specialty is definitely martial arts. If you are looking for an MMA gym, they offer boxing, Muay Thai, no-gi grappling, MMA, jiu-jitsu classes, and more. There is also an entirely separate CrossFit area as well.
There are several different package options depending on what you’re looking to do. Some people sign up for just the weight room and pool, while they also offer class-only packages.
You could sign up for a class-only package here and then combine that with a budget-friendly gym for weight training.
They offer a 700,000 VND day pass, which gives full access to the entire gym and all classes for the day. There is also a 400,000 VND class pass, which lets you drop into one class for the day.
The weight room and pool combo package is 3,250,000 VND for one month. And for three months, it’s 6,500,000 VND. They have longer options as well, and as always, prices get better the longer the commitment.
As mentioned, they offer a number of different class-only packages as well, but there are far too many to list. You can choose from one martial arts discipline at a certain number of visits per month or combine disciplines for unlimited sessions – really, many choices.
They also have special CrossFit packages that combine those classes and weight room access. It’s best to visit the pricing page of their website.
Advance Fitness & Gym (District 7)
Address: Google Maps • Facebook Page • Day Pass: 200.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good machine selection | More expensive day passes and monthly memberships |
| Air-conditioned | Not a wide variety of classes compared to other gyms |
| Clean | |
| Free towel, locker, and water | |
| In a nice and quiet area of D7 (Phu My Hung) |
If Saigon Sports Club isn’t for you, Advance Fitness & Gym in Phu My Hung is a great alternative in D7. (SSC is pretty expensive, after all.) Although there is no outdoor swimming pool here, it is air-conditioned!
I filmed this video inside Advance Fitness on one of my visits.
The first floor has weight machines and free weights. The second floor has cardio machines, a group fitness studio, an MMA ring, and bathrooms. The classes offered include Zumba, yoga, and “sexy dance.”
They also have free towels, lockers, and water.
If you are looking for a personal trainer, they offer several different fitness, kickboxing, or stretching packages. Packages start at 10 sessions and go up to 100 sessions.
A day pass here costs 200,000 VND. A one-month membership is 1,700,000 VND, and a three-month membership is 3,300,000 VND. They offer membership options for up to two years.
99 Fitness (District 2)
Address: Google Maps • Day Pass: 60.000 VND
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Close to Thao Dien | Smaller space |
| Air conditioning | No classes |
| Good membership prices | Limited cardio machines |
| Easy/free parking |
99 Fitness is another small gym right around the corner from Body Fix in District 2. It’s at the end of a small alley.
There is good air conditioning here, and they also use fans. It was pretty quiet when I trained here during the daytime, even on the weekends.
I filmed this during one of my workouts. You can see how quiet it is.
The equipment variety isn’t the biggest, but there is enough to get a full workout without getting creative.
Easy, free motorbike parking, with a security guard, is right outside the gym. There is also a water fountain inside. It’s behind the front desk to the right of the refrigerator.
The downsides are that it’s a bit small and there aren’t many cardio machines. There are four treadmills and a few bikes.
But the day pass and monthly membership prices are good. And it’s close to Thao Dien.
The cost of a day pass is 60.000 VND. A one-month membership is 600.000 VND.
The New Gym (Tan Binh)
Address: Google Maps • Website • Day Pass: No Day Passes!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent pricing | No day passes |
| Open 24/7 | Not in the most convenient area |
| Free water fountain | |
| Clean bathroom, showers, lockers | |
| Air-conditioned |
I was a member of this New Gym in Tan Binh District when I lived nearby in Phu Nhuan. This gym is open 24/7 and offers all the same benefits as other gyms in The New Gym franchise.
I filmed this during one of my workouts.
It is clean and air-conditioned and has a free filtered water fountain, lockers, and showers. Joining the gym gives you access to free classes.
Like the other New Gyms, it also has a ton of cardio machines.
The only downsides of this gym are that it does not offer day passes (like all New Gyms) and it’s outside the touristy areas of District 1 and District 3.
But the pricing packages here are cheaper than other New Gyms. For example, a three-month package costs a total of 899.000 VND. That is an excellent price for a clean gym like this. Even for one month, it costs a total of 759.000 VND. That’s 459.000 VND plus a 300.000 VND joining fee. So even for a place to train for one month, the pricing of this New Gym, or any of the others, isn’t a bad deal at all.
The Best Gyms in Ho Chi Minh City (FAQs)
Are there gyms near popular tourist areas like District 1 or Ben Thanh Market?
C’Gym (Mach’s Gym) is a five-minute walk (350M) from Ben Thanh Market in D1.
What are the gym operating hours in Ho Chi Minh City?
During the week, there’s consistency across gyms, with most opening around 6 or 7 AM and staying open until 9 or 10 PM. On the weekends, though, things start to vary a bit. Some gyms maintain hours similar to during the week, while others open a bit later and close earlier on one or both days. In my experience, Sunday seems to be the most common day for early closings. The New Gym chain is open 24/7.
What are the best gyms or fitness centers in Ho Chi Minh City for travelers?
When traveling, you’ll want a gym accessible from your hostel or hotel that offers day passes. Unfortunately, this excludes The New Gym chain because they currently do not offer day passes. If you are in District 1 (or D3), C’Gym (Mach’s Gym) offers an affordable day pass and weekly pass option. In District 2, 99 Fitness and Body Fix also have a decently-priced day pass. If you happen to be in District 4, definitely Ly Duc’s Gym.
Do gyms in Ho Chi Minh City offer day passes for tourists?
Yes, most local gyms offer day passes. However, the prices vary wildly. Day passes at hole-in-the-wall gyms can be found for as little as 20,000 VND (less than $1 USD). They can also cost up to 700,000 VND. I’d avoid high-end fitness centers if you are only looking for weights and cardio machines. Their day passes are likely to be inflated. For weights/cardio only, I personally recommend Ly Duc’s Gym in D4. In D1 or D3, C’Gym (Mach’s Gym) is good. In D2, 99 Fitness or Body Fix.
