Meraki Hotel Bui Vien

Dan’s Wash & Stay at 185/10 Pham Ngu Lao came in handy when I needed to do laundry. It’s a little self-service place, clean and open around the clock. A load costs just 30K, and there’s Wi-Fi so you can sit and wait. I liked staying around Saigon’s backpacker district too, since hotels there are affordable and close to everything. Handy if you’re traveling light.

We had a confirmed booking that was already paid for, but the receptionist still kicked us out. When we asked to extend because we were stuck with a lot of luggage, he said he wouldn’t honor any booking or payment made online. I’ve never been treated with that much disrespect. The service felt hostile, and the short, thin guy at reception was a total nightmare. This was my worst experience in Vietnam. Owner, good luck keeping the place open with staff treating paying guests like garbage.

The location is the one thing this hotel has going for it, right on the main strip near all the action in Ho Chi Minh City. The noise at night comes with that, but it made an already uncomfortable stay worse. We’d booked a room with a window and got a small, dingy room that didn’t look like the online photos. It smelled bad, seemed poorly maintained, and the bathroom leaked. Staff were rude and no help at all. I had a bad throat and asked for the electric kettle that was supposed to come with the room, but they refused outright, with no effort or empathy. Misleading room description, poor hygiene, and unprofessional staff. A terrible stay, and I wouldn’t recommend it despite the location.

The room was hard to sleep in, with loud music from the street shaking the building. There was a strong cigarette smell, the AC barely worked, lights flickered the whole time, the floor was dirty, and the beds were uncomfortable. The actual room looked nothing like the listing photos. It was my first visit to Ho Chi Minh City, after staying in clean, spacious and even cheaper places in Hanoi and Sapa. This last-minute Booking.com booking was a huge disappointment and gave me culture shock. I hope the hotel fixes its facilities and makes the listing match the rooms. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.