Hong Tam Hotel

The rooms are grimy and gloomy, with a ghostly feel, and the lift smells awful, like cat litter. The internet is slow and keeps cutting out. On my second night, around midnight, one of the three young boys running the place, teenagers, knocked on my door, came very close, and asked, “You alone? You want one girl?” It was extremely creepy, and I couldn’t sleep afterward. The place somehow felt like a brothel, with no atmosphere at all. It’s also about 11 kms from district 1, far from pretty much everything in Ho Chi Minh. Stay away if you want to relax. It wasn’t worth it.

For a small room with a bathroom and air conditioning but no freezer, I paid 300k and was satisfied. Everything I needed was close, including Aeon Mall. The hotel is in a quiet part of Binh Tan, with lots of shops and restaurants just a few minutes away on foot. It suits tourists who want city life nearby but still want some peace.

I spent about 2-3 weeks here without any problems. The rooms are spacious and clean, with balconies, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Laundry is cheap, and AEON Mall is about a 10-minute walk away. There’s a Circle-K at the end of the street and lots of good restaurants nearby. The area is less hectic and cheaper than the central districts, but still has what you need. A Grab bike to District 1 or the airport costs about 70-80k, while a Grab car is around 120-180k. The ride takes roughly 20-50 minutes, depending on the time of day.

Dust everywhere in the room, plus 🕸️🕷️. The aircon was really loud.