The main feature of the restaurant, the open deck designed by a bare-footed Australian from Perth, Lawson Johnston, has an electric retractable roof to cope with the Saigon downpours.

Johnson’s wife Anna Craven, consultant with law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, owns and runs the restaurant.

The entry is at the end of the bamboo lined Nguyen U Di Street. The Aussie deck style combines well with earthenware jars full of lotuses and views of coconut palm clad river banks.

The Deck specializes in Pan Asian cuisine and the freshest Vietnamese produce and if you just want a drink it is a great place to watch the sunset with a long bar that stretches from inside to outdoors.

Chefs at The Deck source their seafood from Phu Quoc Island and Nha Trang, and vegetables from the upland city of Dalat.

Happy hour is from 4 pm to 7 pm weekdays. And it’s open from 8:30am to midnight.

Johnson also runs an eco-resort called Mango Bay on Phu Quoc Island, a famous tourist destination off the southern province of Kien Giang.

He said that the stunning and environmental friendly natural fibers available in Vietnam have inspired him to design a range of contemporary lounge furniture that has become popular with restaurateurs, resort owners and distributors.