HoLo Alex House Saigon - Serviced HomeStay

The staff were really nice, but the room hadn't been cleaned well before we arrived. There were bed bugs, a dusty bathroom floor that was uncomfortable to walk on, a broken bathroom door that wouldn't close, and cracked sinks. Breakfast portions were tiny, like they were meant for little kids. I wouldn't recommend it.

•••Not safe ground for melanin.••• ••Or solo traveling women•• The security staff seemed genuinely warm, but my experience with the other staff was sharply different. I booked through Airbnb and wasn't given the apartment shown online. When I raised that, along with cleanliness, noise, and misrepresentation, with Airbnb, the male Vietnamese staff member at the 7th floor reception dropped his smiling manner. He became aggressive and intrusive, and acted unprofessionally. We had agreed I would move to the 11th floor at 18:00. I asked for 45 minutes to relocate, but he came pressuring me at 15:30. I was still in the middle of moving, with luggage visible, when I returned and found him and housekeeping inside the apartment without notice or permission. He then demanded a deposit for “damages” that had been there before, during, and after check-in. When I refused, things escalated. Later, he forced his way into the new room, pushing the door and putting his foot in it. He physically rocked me back several steps. While I was reporting the incident to Airbnb, he started moving my belongings and groceries into the hallway without my consent. Two reception women came in uninvited, sat down, laughed, and spoke Vietnamese. I declined to follow them to the desk, so he brought building security into the apartment. That made four people there without an invitation or any respect for boundaries. One of the reception women then reached for my left earbud as if to remove it. I pulled back and said, “do not touch me”; she put her hand over my phone screen. I have an audio recording of her putting her hands on me, the door incident, and the escalation. Everything is documented. I didn't dare fully translate the audio to find out what was being said, because I thought I might not be able to understand it. No woman, especially no woman of color, should be treated this way. A smile at check-in doesn't erase what happened. This felt like coercion cloaked in civility, not hospitality. Stay elsewhere. There is cracked glass in room 7A or 7B, the last room on the left side of the hallway past the reception desk. They may use it as a check-out scam. Within an hour of their accusations, the AirBnb host requested money and posted a typed “receipt” for the cracked repair. BEWARE!!

A new place in the heart of the city, and I was lucky to find it. Everything is brand new and the quality is good. Reception is on floor 7, with many floors and rooms. It was super clean, with nice-smelling bedsheets and a really soft pillow and bed. There are soft lights behind the bed, breakfast is on floor 9, and there's high-speed WiFi 🛜 and a keddle for tea, coffee, or boiled eggs.

The room was spotless, quiet, and had no bugs. The location is great, just 1-2 blocks from the walking street, with plenty of restaurants and convenience stores within a block. We'd definitely stay again.