Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Two Michelin Plates. Book it without stress.
La Villa holds consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–2025) and 75 La Liste points — the strongest formal credentials for French dining in Ho Chi Minh City. Chef Benjamin Chrétien's kitchen in Thảo Điền suits long, occasion-driven evenings at the ₫₫₫₫ tier. Book with advance notice, allow 2–3 hours, and plan transport from central districts.
La Villa has held a Michelin Plate for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) and earned 75 points in the La Liste Leading Restaurants 2025 ranking — the kind of back-to-back recognition that separates a reliably strong restaurant from a fortunate one-off. If you are weighing whether to spend at the ₫₫₫₫ price tier on French cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City, this track record is the most useful data point available. The short answer: yes, book it — but read the context below to confirm it matches your occasion.
La Villa sits at 14 Ngô Quang Huy in Thảo Điền, the riverside neighbourhood in Thủ Đức district that has become the address of choice for the city's better French tables. Chef Benjamin Chrétien leads the kitchen, and La Villa's consistent Michelin recognition signals a kitchen operating with technical discipline rather than coasting on neighbourhood reputation. At the ₫₫₫₫ level in Ho Chi Minh City, you are paying for classical French execution in a setting calibrated for the kind of evening that does not need to end early , and that is worth knowing before you book.
The Thảo Điền location is relevant to how the evening plays out. This is not the District 1 restaurant district where foot traffic dictates a faster pace. Thảo Điền runs later and quieter, which makes La Villa a viable option when you want a long dinner that transitions into a relaxed close without the pressure of a nearby bar scene pulling the room's energy sideways. For travellers staying in District 1 or 3, factor in roughly 20–30 minutes by car or ride-share to reach Thảo Điền , plan accordingly if you want to arrive for the start of service rather than mid-meal.
The La Liste score of 75 points places La Villa in a competitive bracket globally, but in the context of Ho Chi Minh City's French dining specifically, it positions the restaurant at the leading of a relatively short list of formally recognised options. 3G Trois Gourmands and La Fontaine occupy the same French category in the city, but neither carries La Villa's combination of Michelin Plate recognition and La Liste ranking in the same cycle. That gap matters if credentials are part of what you are booking for , a client dinner, a celebration, or a trip where you want to eat somewhere with a verifiable international standing.
For the food-focused traveller who tracks French cooking across Southeast Asia, La Villa fits into a wider picture worth knowing. La Maison 1888 in Da Nang operates at the high end of the Vietnamese French-dining spectrum with a heritage property context; Les Amis in Singapore and Hotel de Ville Crissier represent the category's ceiling internationally. La Villa sits comfortably between those poles , genuinely credentialed, not inflated by brand mythology, and priced within the bracket its awards justify.
On timing: La Villa's location in Thảo Điền and its positioning as a formal French table make it better suited to an evening that starts at dinner and runs long rather than a quick pre-show meal. If you are looking for a late-night option after a District 1 evening, La Villa works in reverse , go there first and let the evening develop on-site rather than treating it as a destination you arrive at after 9 PM. The neighbourhood supports a slower pace, and a ₫₫₫₫ French kitchen rewards the time you give it. Among the city's options for a dinner that doubles as the main event of the evening, this is the strongest formally recognised choice available.
For broader context on eating and drinking in Ho Chi Minh City, see our full Ho Chi Minh City restaurants guide, our full Ho Chi Minh City bars guide, and our full Ho Chi Minh City hotels guide. If you are planning around experiences or wineries in the city, our Ho Chi Minh City experiences guide and our wineries guide are worth a look. For French dining elsewhere in Vietnam, Saffron in Hue City and Cargo Club Cafe & Restaurant in Hoi An offer reference points at different price tiers.
Booking difficulty at La Villa is rated Easy. This is not a counter seat that fills six weeks out , you should be able to secure a table with reasonable notice, though for a specific date tied to a celebration or a tightly scheduled itinerary, booking a week or more ahead remains sensible practice. No booking method or phone number is confirmed in our data; approach via the restaurant directly or through a hotel concierge if you are staying nearby.
Address: 14 Ngô Quang Huy, Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City. Chef: Benjamin Chrétien. Cuisine: French. Price tier: ₫₫₫₫ (top tier for Ho Chi Minh City). Reservations: Easy to book; advance reservation recommended for specific dates. Getting there: Thảo Điền is a 20–30 minute ride from District 1 , factor this into your evening plan. Hours: Not confirmed in our data; verify directly before visiting. Dress: Not formally stated, but a ₫₫₫₫ Michelin-recognised French table in Thảo Điền warrants smart-casual at minimum , dress up if the occasion calls for it.
See the comparison section below for how La Villa sits against its peers in Ho Chi Minh City's upper dining tier.
For Vietnamese contemporary cooking in a different register, Lüne and Akuna are worth considering in Ho Chi Minh City. For street-level Vietnamese in the city, Anan Saigon is the most credentialed option at a fraction of the price. Outside the city, Hibana by Koki in Hanoi, Mi Quang Ba Vi in Thanh Khe, and Bau Troi Do in Son Tra round out a strong Vietnam itinerary across different regions and formats.
Yes, at the ₫₫₫₫ tier, La Villa is justified by consecutive Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) and a La Liste score of 75 points , credentials that hold up against international benchmarks, not just local comparison. For classical French cooking in Ho Chi Minh City with verifiable quality signals, there is no stronger option currently recognised. If the top tier feels steep for your trip, Coco Dining at ₫₫₫ offers innovative cooking at a lower spend, though it operates in a different category.
Go in knowing this is a formal French table, not a casual bistro. The Michelin Plate and La Liste credentials mean the kitchen is operating with classical technique and a structured menu , this is the right choice for a celebration or a deliberately slow evening, not a quick dinner before a night out. Budget for the ₫₫₫₫ tier and allow at least two to three hours. Arrive in Thảo Điền with transport arranged; it is a 20–30 minute ride from central districts and taxis or ride-shares are the practical option.
Dress code is not formally published, but a Michelin-recognised French restaurant at the ₫₫₫₫ price point in Ho Chi Minh City warrants smart-casual as a baseline. For a celebration or client dinner, err toward smart. The city's restaurant dress culture is less formal than Paris or Singapore, but La Villa's positioning and awards recognition set a clear expectation for the room.
Group suitability is not confirmed in our data. Given the ₫₫₫₫ price tier and the formal French format, La Villa is most naturally suited to tables of two to four. For larger groups, contact the restaurant directly well in advance , Thảo Điền French restaurants of this calibre do occasionally accommodate private dining arrangements, but this needs to be confirmed rather than assumed. For a larger group at the same price tier, Long Trieu at ₫₫₫₫ offers a Cantonese format that typically handles larger tables more readily.
At the same ₫₫₫₫ tier, CieL offers innovative cooking as a direct comparison in price. For something a step down in cost, Coco Dining at ₫₫₫ delivers creative cooking with more flexibility. If the occasion does not require formal French, Anan Saigon at ₫₫ is the most decorated Vietnamese street food option in the city and a strong call for travellers prioritising local cuisine over European formats. For French dining at a comparable level elsewhere in Vietnam, La Maison 1888 in Da Nang is the relevant reference point.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Villa | Michelin Plate (2025); La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 75pts; Michelin Plate (2024) | ₫₫₫₫ | — |
| Anan Saigon | Michelin 1 Star | ₫₫ | — |
| CieL | Michelin 1 Star | ₫₫₫₫ | — |
| Coco Dining | Michelin 1 Star | ₫₫₫ | — |
| Long Trieu | Michelin 1 Star | ₫₫₫₫ | — |
| Little Bear | ₫₫ | — |
Comparing your options in Ho Chi Minh City for this tier.
La Villa is a realistic option for small groups — the Thảo Điền address and easy booking difficulty suggest flexibility that tighter Michelin-tracked counters don't offer. Booking is rated Easy, so securing a table for 4 to 6 people with reasonable notice is achievable. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity and any private dining arrangements.
This is Ho Chi Minh City's most credentialled French restaurant at the ₫₫₫₫ tier, with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and 75 points in La Liste Top Restaurants 2025. It's in Thảo Điền, the riverside neighbourhood in Thủ Đức that concentrates the city's upper dining addresses. Booking is straightforward — you don't need to plan six weeks out — so the barrier to entry is price, not access.
For Vietnamese-inflected contemporary cooking rather than French, Anan Saigon is the most discussed alternative in the city's upper tier. CieL offers a different format for diners looking to stay at the high end. If the ₫₫₫₫ price point is the sticking point, Long Trieu and Little Bear operate at lower spend levels with strong local followings. Coco Dining is worth considering for a more casual but still considered meal in the city.
At the ₫₫₫₫ tier, La Villa is the most award-validated French restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City — two Michelin Plates and a La Liste ranking are the strongest credentials in this category locally. If French fine dining is your format and you want a credential-backed room rather than a risk, it justifies the spend. If you'd rather put the same budget toward Vietnamese contemporary cooking, Anan Saigon is the sharper argument.
La Villa is a ₫₫₫₫ French restaurant with Michelin recognition, so the room is calibrated for a dressed-up occasion rather than a casual dinner. Smart dress is a reasonable assumption for the price tier and cuisine type. The venue data doesn't specify a formal dress code, so if you're unsure, err toward what you'd wear to a special-occasion French restaurant in a major city.
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