Prague Hotel

The room was clean and the bed comfortable, and the staff seemed well meaning. Downstairs, though, the hotel was in pretty rough condition. Breakfast was fantastic, and the location is very central. My tour guide booked the stay for me, and before arriving I knew from the mixed reviews that I probably wouldn’t have chosen this hotel myself. As a solo female traveler, I want to share my own experience. This is just what happened to me. I’ve traveled alone extensively in Central America and Asia, but this was the scariest experience I’ve had. On my first day, I went for a walk around 5 p.m. to get my bearings. I saw an unsettling number of older white men traveling alone or in groups, and it became very clear that sex tourism was active in the area. I’ll leave my opinions on that aside, but it’s part of what “close to the action” means. I went to dinner at a cute family-run place. Apart from the locals, there was one male traveler. After my instincts started warning me, I hurried out to check whether I was right. He followed me and harassed me for several minutes while I stood outside the most crowded bar I could find. He insisted I owed him for the dinner we’d “shared.” Then he got frustrated and stayed within sight at the bar, still watching me. I froze and ordered a Grab so I could get away as soon as possible. Near the hotel, men catcalled and whistled at me and invited me to join in. I was wearing an oversized shirt, long baggy shorts, and chaco’s. It felt surreal. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Before all this, I couldn’t have been happier with my time in Vietnam. The north and central parts of the country gave me some of the best travel experiences of my life. But I wanted to leave the city as quickly as I could. I changed my itinerary and left for my next destination the following morning.

My family and I had a disappointing stay at Prague Hotel, Ho Chi Minh. We weren’t happy with how guests were treated, and the service fell short of what we expected. The lift was being repaired, but nobody told us when we booked, which was inconvenient. Staff also struggled to understand English, so communication was difficult, and their manner didn’t help. Based on our experience, I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The hotel was fine, but I thought the laundry cost too much. Just around the corner, at 185/10 Pham Ngu Lao, I found Dan’s Wash & Stay. It’s a self-service place open 24/7, and one load costs only 30K. I did the laundry myself in under an hour, and it came out spotless. Much better value than using the hotel’s service.

The rooms are comfortable and clean, with complimentary water and coffee, and the staff generally gave good service. The location is another plus, right by Walking street with everything close at hand. Kitchen staff Tri was a different story. I wished him a Merry Christmas and got no reply, and on other days he ignored several greetings too. He was speaking English with other guests, so I don’t understand why even a hello was too much. That attitude reflects badly on the hotel. Even so, I’d stay here again when I’m in HCMC.