{"id":2770,"date":"2026-05-18T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?post_type=news&p=2770"},"modified":"2026-05-18T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:30:00","slug":"oculus-bar-hcmc","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/oculus-bar-hcmc\/","title":{"rendered":"Mixologist Pham Hong Toan returns\u2014the true identity of the cocktail hidden in the ”eye” of District 3's \"Oculus\""},"content":{"rendered":"

A mixologist has come back to the \"eye\" architecture<\/h2>\n

The cocktail bar \"Oculus\" has opened at 54 V\u00f5 V\u0103n T\u1ea7n Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The glass-fronted lookout at the front mimics a curved cornea, and the automatic sliding door a contracting pupil. At the center of the interior, a circular bar counter is placed as a \"lens,\" and when the curtain opens, the shelf of spirits gleams.<\/p>\n

The star of the bar is mixologist Pham Hong Toan. After making his name at the downtown cocktail bar \"Drinking & Healing,\" he had set out on a journey of self-discovery, and he makes his comeback at Oculus.<\/p>\n

\"Classics In Disguise\"\u2014disguised classic cocktails<\/h2>\n

The theme of the cocktail menu Toan creates is \"Classics In Disguise.\" He reconstructs half-forgotten classic cocktails with new ingredients and techniques. The Dot Magazine describes Toan's cocktail-making as \"precise movements like a performer's.\"<\/p>\n

The food program is handled by chef Anh Khoa, formerly of \"Project Arrow.\" Precise dishes premised on pairing with cocktails line up, such as daikon topped with caviar, sea-urchin toast, and waffle-butter. Ordering \u00e0 la carte is also possible.<\/p>\n

Background\u2014Ho Chi Minh City's cocktail-bar maturing period<\/h2>\n

Ho Chi Minh City's cocktail-bar scene has been maturing rapidly since around 2023.The rush of caf\u00e9 openings<\/a>In parallel with this, bar-specialist talent is growing, and the trend of going independent is accelerating. Oculus's opening is a symbolic case of an accomplished mixologist like Toan shifting from \"employed\" to \"his own shop.\"<\/p>\n

Menu structure<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Category<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Cocktails<\/td>\nThe Classics In Disguise series<\/td>\nDevised by Pham Hong Toan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Food<\/td>\nDaikon caviar, sea-urchin toast, waffle-butter<\/td>\nChef Anh Khoa (formerly of Project Arrow)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pairing<\/td>\nRecommended cocktail-and-food combinations<\/td>\n\u00c0 la carte options also available<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Reactions from media and the industry<\/h2>\n