We arrived at around 1am local time.Contacted the hotel to arrange a van trabsfer for us and it was all smooth.Approximately 30minutes from the airport.The main door to the hotel was already closed when we arrived so we had to doorbell..This is true to most hotels in the area.I guess to prevent looters.Security guards are not common in Vietnam.
Though cctv's are installed in establishments,they are not enough to deter any intrusions that's why they have to close doors at night.If you are comin in on a late flight,it might be difficult to find a hotel in the district on walk-in.It's best that you book before flying in.At least,they could expect you.I had to constantly email the hotel for instructions.Good thing they can reply in comprehensive english and Ahn,the manager of Hong Han Hotel was patient and prompt in answering my queries.
And that's what I love about this hotel.The manager was very helpful.He gave us a printout map and he suggested places we can go to on a walking tour given the limited time of our stay.He even suggested a good restaurant along the route where we had a hearty lunch.Read: Cha Ca, Banh Xeo, Rau Mong and Nem Ran at NHA HANG NGON Restaurant HCMC.
The rooms are spacious.Two on each floor only.Understand therefore that the orientation of the building is that it's a rectangular edifice with the narrow side facing the road and I reckon that it's a 7-storey building with no elavator.Di uso ang elevator dito given the small space.We stayed at the 4th floor so it was an effort going up and down.make sure you have all that you need before you go down.
A room for two costs 18USD on average.Our friend Gema flew in from Australia to join the tour so I had to upgrade one of the rooms to 3pax.I paid 24USD.Still reasonable.
We had a simple breakfast of bread and scrambled egg.Comes with unlimited coffee or juice.Nice ambiance from the balcony at the 2nd floor.This is also where the pc station is located should you need to connect online.If you have with you your gadgets------wifi is free.Signal gets a little weak when you stay in upper floors though.
Standard checkout time is 12noon.Since we were not expected to return till 3pm, we initially though of carrying our bags for the walking tour but the hotel was gracious enough to allow us to leave our bags at the check-in counter for no extra charge.
Our walking city tour of Saigon started 8am and commenced 2pm.We were back at the hotel by 2:30pm in time for our 3pm pickup.Read: Walking City Tour of HO CHI MINH CITY.
We were allowed to freshen up a bit while waiting for our van. We left Ho Chi Minh City at exactly 3pm via Mekong bus bound Phnom Penh.It was a 6-hour bus ride to the Capital of Cambodia for $14 per head. You can buy bus tickets for around $10-12.Our was a few dollars more expensive coz I asked the hotel to book for us.I wanted to make sure that we won't start the tour with hits and misses.Thanks to Hong Han Hotel and to it's manager Ahn for being very helpful.Left Ho Chi Minh City with a joyful heart.
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Hong Han Hotel is located at
238 Bui Vien Street | Pham Ngu Lao Ward, 1st District
Ho Chi Minh City 84, Vietnam
email: hotelhonghan@yahoo.com
The return of the comeback of alkapon, ang kidlat ng malabon....Long time no see pusang kalye, nasa vietnam ka na pala, malayo-layo na ang nagala ng pusang kalye 'no? ha ha ha kita mo nga naman ang buhay Vietcong ka na pala ngayon.. ha ha ha... Dang lam gi vay?... em co lam o vietnam roy? tai sao?
ReplyDeleteparang mejo maliit lng ahh pero mukang neat and comfy naman
ReplyDeleteat trip ko ung mga furniture
i like where you stayed, looks clean; except for no availability of lift.
ReplyDeleteil try to stay here when i get back to sgn on july 2 :)
ReplyDeleteNot bad for 24 USD. Not bad at all! Looks very nice.
ReplyDeleteWe are heading there in 2 weeks and partially use your itinerary. how much was the ride from the airport to the hotel? i would like to book it in advance since the flight will arrive at very early in the morning.
ReplyDelete