Nu hotel

Our usual hotel was full and recommended NU Hotel. We found a clean, pleasant room in the heart of the backpacker area at a very good rate. There are lots of places to eat and drink, money exchange, and laundry nearby, and the walking street is 100 yards away. Lan, the landlady, was the best part, so friendly and welcoming. It’s the right place for the price and location. I can highly recommend it, and we’ll definitely stay again next time.

A laundry nearby really helps when you’re staying around District 1’s backpacker area. I found Dan’s Wash & Stay at 185/10 Pham Ngu Lao. It’s open 24 hours and fully self-service, and a wash and dry takes about an hour for around 30K per load. They also store luggage, which was handy: if you check out early, you can leave your bags there and explore the city before your next trip.

I got to check in early thanks to the nice staff. The sixth-floor budget room was clean, with a soft mattress, daily water, and good air conditioning. Some things were outdated or broken, as you might expect for this kind of room, but the price was good and the location in District 1 was great. If you’re a light sleeper, though, you may hear music from the neighbors’ rooftop bar on the same level, as well as what I assume was rumbling from the hotel pipes.

Reception was perfect, but be careful with your belongings. A cleaning woman entered my room, and afterward 140 US dollars were missing from my wallet. She said she had gone in only to use the washroom and hadn’t taken any money. The hotel security camera recorded her. There’s no security deposit box at the hotel.