PASSION WEEK SAIGON 2026: WHICH EXPERIENCE SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Connect Saigon Editorial · Dining · 4–7 November 2026
Passion Week at Park Hyatt Saigon gives you a good reason to build a day around one meal. The trick is choosing the chef first, then deciding how much of your day you want to give it.
Our quick pick: choose lunch for a five-course meal with the evening still free. Choose the gala when dinner is the occasion. If cocktails interest you more than a tasting menu, put 4 or 7 November in your diary for the visiting bartenders at 2 Lam Son.
FOUR CHEFS, FOUR DIFFERENT REASONS TO GO
Each date has its own visiting chef for lunch and dinner. These are the differences we'd start with:
Date | Chef | Why choose that day? |
|---|---|---|
Wednesday 4 November | Joaquin Elizondo, ZEA, Taipei | Latin American cooking shaped by Taiwanese ingredients. Our pick if you're curious about that combination. |
Thursday 5 November | Frédéric Simonin, Paris | French cooking built around seasonal ingredients and careful technique. A natural starting point for someone who already enjoys French restaurants. |
Friday 6 November | Tala Bashmi, Fusions by Tala, Bahrain | Contemporary Khaleeji cooking, rooted in Bahrain and the Gulf region. We'd choose this if you want to explore a culinary tradition you don't usually order. |
Saturday 7 November | Frédéric Lorimier, Virtus, Paris | Modern French cooking with Mediterranean influences and a focus on sauces. Worth considering if those details are what you enjoy about a long dinner. |
If you're choosing for someone else, ask what they like eating before deciding which date sounds most impressive. A chef's approach is a better starting point than the size of the occasion.
LUNCH OR GALA: WHAT CHANGES?
Experience | Timing and setting | Published price per guest, before service charge and VAT |
|---|---|---|
Five-course lunch, 4–7 November | 12:00–14:30, Square One | VND 2,500,000 |
Six-course gala, 4–6 November | Reception 18:30; dinner 19:00, Guest House | VND 4,900,000 |
Six-course gala, 7 November | Reception 18:30; dinner 19:00, Guest House | VND 6,900,000 |
All times are Vietnam time. Both dining spaces are on the hotel's mezzanine level.
Lunch is the option we'd choose if the food is your main reason to go and you want a defined daytime slot. Square One has red leather chairs, round tables and an open kitchen, with an elephant mural behind the main dining area. It gives the meal a restaurant setting, rather than a ballroom feel.
For an anniversary or a birthday centred on dinner, we'd lean towards the gala. Leave the evening open so you aren't watching the clock between courses. Don't build a tight second reservation around an assumed finishing time.
Compare the drinks inclusions too: the 5 and 7 November galas include wine pairing; 6 November includes Albert Bichot wine. Ask for the full drinks arrangement for your chosen date, including non-alcoholic options, and the final total with charges before paying.
TWO NIGHTS FOR COCKTAIL PEOPLE
Claire Liu from Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou, visits on Wednesday 4 November. Terry Kim from Alice Cheongdam, Seoul, follows on Saturday 7 November. Both guest shifts start at 21:00 at 2 Lam Son and run until late.
The bar is on the hotel's ground level, with patterned screens, upholstered seating and warm wood finishes. Make this your main stop if you're more interested in the drinks than a full tasting menu. Dinner and a guest shift can also sit within one hotel evening, provided you leave the transition flexible.
Confirm the guest-shift seating and spending arrangements separately. A dinner booking shouldn't be treated as a bar reservation.
GET THE RIGHT RESERVATION
Ask Park Hyatt for the Passion Week experience, chef and date, rather than an ordinary Square One table. Give the hotel your full group size and any dietary requirements when enquiring.
Before committing, get four things in writing: the final price including charges, what's included in drinks, the deposit and cancellation terms, and whether your group will sit together. Booked seats at a shared event don't give your group a private room. If exclusivity matters more than the guest chef, start with our private dining guide.
Park Hyatt Saigon is at 2 Lam Son Square, Ho Chi Minh City. For another meal during your stay, our restaurant directory helps you compare other dining styles without squeezing two big meals into the same day.
MAKE IT PART OF YOUR SAIGON PLAN
Tell us your chosen date, group size and what you'd like to do around the meal. Consultation and itinerary design are free; optional transport, VIP hosts and itinerary management are quoted separately. Venue bills are paid directly to the venues. Our how it works guide explains the split.
The hotel confirms event reservations and availability. Our editorial recommendation doesn't establish a booking partnership.
Comments