The Thien Thai Executive Residences - Tay Ho

I stayed there for nine months, and this isn't a hotel. It's called ThienThai Executive Residence, and they rent out apartments. I had a one-year lease. Apartment 501 was about what you'd expect for the rent, but the rest of the place felt shady and questionable. There's enough to say that it could fill a podcast, though I don't want to get into all of it here. The owner is an older woman who never comes by. She leaves everything to the manager, who smiles while seeming to keep something up his sleeve. He moved a lot of his family onto the first two floors, along with businesses that seemed shady. If something needs fixing, he'll handle it quickly, but his manner is odd. The security and cleaning staff were rude and seemed completely out of place. I've never seen that in Vietnam. The receptionists acted as if this were a hotel, asking visitors lots of personal questions. Once, I had to bring my lease downstairs and ask a receptionist to read it aloud so she'd understand where she worked and stop questioning my visitors. The amenities are neglected and broken. The pool is never cleaned with chlorine. It seems to be tap water, filtered by hand for perhaps an hour a day with pipes the manager uses. The gym is falling apart, and I never saw the carpet vacuumed during my time there. The lockers and toilets have been forgotten. Anyone visiting can walk around the pool and see for themselves. The sauna works, but it's never cleaned; the steam room may get cleaned once a month. I used them often, so I know. I ended up cleaning them myself before using them. Friends who visited said the place had a strange, negative energy, and I could feel it too, though I was okay in my own apartment. It may once have been a nice place, but now it feels run down and managed by very strange people. That's unusual for Vietnam and Tay Ho. There was gossip, nosiness, and what I can only describe as bad energy and the evil eye. If that doesn't bother you, it might be fine. But having lived there, I don't think it's worth the money or the hassle of dealing with people who seem to live in their own version of reality. The exterior photos shown here don't reflect how it looks today. It's completely different.