Chip Homestay & Studio

The owner was always ready to help with whatever came up, and the place is central while still being peaceful and quiet. The projector gave the room a fun little cinema feel. Everything was new, in great shape, and spotlessly clean. It felt like a real home away from home, one of the coziest stays I’ve had. I’ll come back next time I’m in Ho Chi Minh, no question.

The head massage was so relaxing, and the staff were helpful and accommodating. They even noticed I had a headache and gave me medicine. Really appreciated the service, thank you!

The room itself was spacious and pleasant, with a minibar and complimentary water. The bathroom had the expected amenities, though the shower temperature kept changing. On checkout day, we could leave our bags for the day, which was helpful, and eventually got the house code. Getting it took several messages, though, since it wasn’t given at check-in. The service was unacceptable. We’d told the host we’d arrive at 22:30, but he was leaving as we got there. If we’d been a minute later, we might not have been able to get inside. He immediately demanded full payment in cash, with no card option and no nearby ATMs. The next day, the room wasn’t cleaned and the towels weren’t replaced, despite what booking.com advertised. Laundry service was listed too, but we couldn’t find it.

The location may be good and the room inexpensive, but this was the weirdest, sketchiest place I’ve ever stayed. I wouldn’t recommend it. I wish I’d seen a review like this before booking, because it didn’t feel clean, convenient, or homely as advertised. When we arrived, near the end of the arrival window we’d given the host, he was locking up to leave. I hadn’t received any instructions before he was about to go. Then, in the dark and communicating through translate, he demanded payment right away. There was no ATM nearby, foreign bank cards weren’t accepted, and he seemed to expect a bank transfer. It felt sketchy. We asked to pay at the end of the trip, but he refused and said he’d return the next morning. We had a tour booked and couldn’t do that, so we had to scrape together cash from our pockets and emergency funds just to get to bed, close to 11pm. The room itself was clean, but the supposed reception area was a messy, cluttered ground-floor kitchen flat with questionable pinboard photos, not really a reception. The promised room service and linen and towel changes never happened, and the advertised laundry facilities seemed imaginary too. We were allowed to leave our luggage on the last day, which I suppose was helpful, but I had to message the host several times to get the details. We were told to leave our bags wherever we could find space in that same ground-floor flat. Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess.