The Lighthouse Saigon to close permanently at end of this month

Saigon venue The Lighthouse has announced that it will close permanently at the end of October 2025.

The news was shared by the team via Instagram earlier this week, marking the end of a nine-year run that helped shape Vietnam’s underground music landscape.

The closure follows the venue’s relocation and reopening in September 2024 after an earlier shutdown in February that year due to unsuccessful lease negotiations.

Since first opening in 2016, The Lighthouse became known for its multi-level layout featuring a rooftop and a main dancefloor focused on house, techno, and disco.

It became a central space for regional and international artists, hosting names such as Mae Happyair, Raysoo, Jozef K, and Shubostar alongside Vietnamese residents Tristyan, Alan Ritchie, Jonathan Be, Ling:Chi, and Khoa Bicycle.

The venue also supported creative projects such as PHOQ TV’s short film celebrating its community and events like ONLY FEMMES, which highlighted inclusivity through drag, music, and performance.

Reflecting on the The Lighthouse's journey, the club's booker, designer and resident Steffen Sonnenschein shared the following with Mixmag Asia: "When we started The Lighthouse, the goal was simple: build a space where people could connect over music and just have fun. It was never meant to be complicated or fancy. It was always going to be a bit raw."

"For the first six months, maybe more, our DJ booth was literally an old door resting on two boxes, with black bedsheets draped over to hide everything," he underlined.

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Over time, that rooftop energy turned into something larger: a community hub that drew locals, expats, travellers, and artists together. "We were not the first underground club in Saigon," Sonnenschein continued, "but we did our best to make what we had our own and to carry that energy forward."

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As to what made the space special? "Nothing about it was polished or perfect, but everyone involved was dedicated to making it work with what we had. Events just happened. As we started to grow, DJs and promoters wanted to get involved more and more. People showed up, the music worked (mostly), and the rest took care of itself. It gave a lot of DJs and crews room to experiment and grow, and it built a quiet kind of trust in the scene. That kind of freedom is rare, and we are proud we got to live it," he adds.

As a message to the community, Sonnenschein conveyed: "To everyone who ever made it to The Lighthouse over the years, thank you. You made it what it was. [...] The Lighthouse was, and always will be, a reflection of the people who filled it, the amazing staff who kept things running, the awesome DJs who kept people dancing all night long, and the beautiful community that kept showing up no matter what. So once again, and for the last time, thank you. We hope to see you all again, wherever that may be."

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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