Thai Ninh Hotel

The mountain view from the rooms was lovely, but that's about the only positive. The bed was rock hard, so we slept in our clothes, and the sheets were stained and apparently unwashed. The rooms were so unclean the hotel didn't even want towels left on the floor. Black stains on the carpets, dead bugs along the walls, a broken toilet seal, and half the complimentary water already gone. It was pricey for what we got, and the worst hotel we stayed in across Vietnam. Other reviews made it sound like the best option in Khe Sanh, but I wish we'd tried the Green Hotel.

For 300 000 you get fluffy twin beds and a great view, and breakfast at the buffet costs 40 000. There's also plenty of parking downstairs for a motorbike. The hotel is big and modern, with good equipment, working aircon, and a shower with hot water. Easily the best place in town, and very good value for money.

At least the shower had hot water and the beds were clean, which is about what we hope for when traveling around Vietnam. This hotel was ok, not too bad 🤪. The building is large, four or five floors, with a big parking area, but there were no customers. Our room had carpet, and it was dirty, with grime on the switches and outlets from past guests. There was still foam on a glass in the bathroom. Like many places here, it felt neglected and short on maintenance. In motels, or nhà nghī, bedding may be the only thing changed, and even that isn't guaranteed; we've seen similar at a two-star hotel too. We bring our own two-person sheet and a light blanket in case the bedding isn't clean. Traveling in Vietnam, you can't stay in four-star hotels everywhere, only in bigger cities. Eating at a quán ăn is fine, just ask if you can use the toilet, and then you'll see how disgustingly filthy everything everywhere can be.

I only booked this place because I was passing through Vietnam and needed to be near Lao Bao. If you have no choice but to stay, bring one of those $4.50 silk sleeping bags from Hanoi. Luckily I had one. Stay elsewhere if you can. You get what you pay for.