Truong Hai Hotel Review in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Truong Hai Hotel is just one of many budget 3 star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. Located in tourist friendly Ben Thanh Ward District 1. It is a really popular location for tourists who want a comfortable hotel with affordable rates.

As of writing the hotel is just a few months old like many of the other budget hotels in Ben Thanh Ward District 1. There are many restaurants, cafes and areas to shop near the Truong Hai Hotel. So it's in a very good location for exploring Ho Chi Minh City.

The Truong Hai Hotel is a short 5 minute stroll to the Ben Thanh Market. For some, the market is a tourists trap where prices for souvenirs such as local handmade items, t-shirts and various other items are overpriced.

For me, the hotel is in a prime location. It's a great place to sample a slice of shopping (just be prepared to bargain) and sampling authentic Vietnamese food particularly the popular noodle dish Pho.

I also have to add that during my stay at the Truong Hai Hotel the bell boys and the staff behind the reception desk are some of the most helpful and friendly folks I've come across in Vietnam. They are eager to help and offer advice on where to visit and the best ways to get there.

Personally I'm not a big fan of over the top service but it was something my girlfriend's family enjoyed.

Ho Chi Minh's airport is not far at all from the Truong Hai Hotel. Just a short 20 to 30 minute ride is all it takes. I used Mai Linh taxi company, which are green in color. You can easily find a Mai Lin dispatcher right outside the arrival exit. The metered fare was only $5USD or about 120,000 Dong.

The closest shopping and attraction to Truong Hai Hotel is the Ben Thanh Market which is only a 5 minute walk. The other attractions require a 15-20 minute walk. But you can always hire a taxi which are plenty in the area. For example if you want to take a taxi to the Reunification Palace from the hotel's doorstep's the cost is around 50,000 to 60,000 Dong (a few US dollars). From there you can walk to Notre Dame and the famous Post Office. The Vietnam War Remnants Museum is also close to Ho Chi Minh's Reunification Palace.

Normally I would never recommend hiring a taxi sitting and waiting right outside of a hotel. But I personally had no problems at all with a taxi company called Vinasun. There is a company dispatcher dressed in a green shirt and burgundy tie standing right outside the Truong Hai Hotel.

So even if there is no Vinasun company taxi waiting outside you can ask the dispatcher to call a taxi for you. Another taxi company I had no problems with is Mai Linh.

There is free Wi-Fi internet access throughout the hotel. Truong Hai Hotel. But for me the Wi-Fi signal was weak and at times dropped off.

There are 2 computers free for guests to use in the back of the hotel lobby.

Since I was visiting Ho Chi Minh city with my girlfriend's family I had a good chance to take a look at the hotel's superior room and deluxe room. Both are the same size around 30 sqm. The only difference between the two is that the deluxe room has a view.

I stayed in a deluxe room which had 2 twin beds since no more rooms with king sized beds were available at the time. Which suited me fine since I was staying in the room alone. With the hotel being just 2 months old everything inside the rooms were in perfect working order.

Though the beds were too firm for my taste. Which is a common thing for hotels in the same budget category.

The bathroom is spacious with a bathtub and very clean with good water pressure and hot water. Though a few times I've noticed that the towels in my room had a few weird yellowish stains. A quick call and some fresh ones were brought up.

The air conditioning was in excellent working condition and really quiet. The control panel for the air condition unit is right by the bed which is convenient whenever you need to turn it down or off.

A deluxe room (city view) cost around $5USD to $10 USD more than a superior room. Since the hotel is only 9 stories tall as well as the rest of the buildings nearby you won't really a panoramic view. Another words you won't really miss much if you book a superior windowless room instead. Because the view outside isn't exactly worth the extra money.

When we booked our rooms a free breakfast was included too. There are not many selections but for a 3 star hotel you can't expect much. Though whatever that was available should be enough to keep hotel guests happy and satisfied. There is an egg station where you can order eggs to your liking. A selection of Asian dishes, cereal, fruits, bread and coffee.

A Circle K conveience store is a short 3 minute walk from the hotel. The Circle K is like a 7-Eleven store so you can load up on bottled water and snacks and avoid the overpriced stuff inside your room's mini-fridge.

The hotel's walking rate is around $75USD, about 1,500,000 Dong. And most HCMC hotels in the Ben Thanh Ward District 1 area cost around that much. Not exactly a budget price for most. However, by booking a room through Agoda's website for the Truong Hai Hotel I found a discounted room rate of $55USD with taxes and breakfast included at the time.

Everyone really enjoyed the hotel's location, quality and especially the friendly hotel staff who really made or stay more relaxed and fun. The Truong Hai Hotel is definitely one budget hotel in Saigon that I recommend and returning to whenever I visit Vietnam.