Viet Nhat Hotel Ninh Binh

We found the place clean and honest, and the staff helped us plan an itinerary to fit our preferences and budget after talking it through. Food prices were good, and they often offered free tea or fruit in the morning. The location made getting around simple and cheap. It's one block from the train station and two blocks from where our night bus dropped us, a little before the official Ninh Binh bus station. We arrived on the bus around 4 a.m., and they woke up to let us in. Although we'd booked for the coming night, they let us go straight to the room without charging for an extra night. The staff were so friendly, and we'd definitely return.

We checked in early, left our bags for the day, and freshened up before our train journey. The owners were very friendly and gave us free water and bananas for the trip. The room and towels were clean and nice. A good two-star hotel right by the train station.

After two weeks of travel in Vietnam, this was the first time we'd had terrible service. We rented a white motorbike, and it broke down. These bikes are old and in bad shape, so breakdowns happen, but they still tried to blame us. They also wouldn't refund the gas we'd put in it. The woman said 50k was nothing and wouldn't give it back. That may be nothing to a hotel business, but it mattered to us, especially after driving only 5 km and having to fill the new bike's tank too. The breakdown had already cost us our boat trip, and it felt unfair to lose the fuel money as well. After arguing, she gave us 29k back. The older guy was very friendly and helped us, but the older woman, who I guess is the boss, was arrogant. Don't buy bus tickets from them either. We needed to get to Ha Giang the next day, and they quoted 450k for a direct bus. The shop next door asked 350k for the same bus. We bought a ticket to Hanoi for 150k, probably overpriced too, since we were already tired of negotiating. We were told it would take us to the bus station where we could continue to Ha Giang, but they dropped us at the wrong one. We had to cross the city ourselves to reach the right station. Just buy everything from the rental place next door.

Phun was a fantastic host and cook. This is a great budget spot for solo travellers, with cheap bike rental and an inexpensive, clean room. It's central and right beside the train station, and the staff and owners were very helpful. For what I paid, it was exactly what I expected, and I can't complain about a thing.