Hoang Hai Long Hotel

(Revised title): I Can't Say Enough Good Things!

The Hai Long was not the hotel we were originally booked to stay in, and at first we were quite unnerved by the whole situation! It's a wonderful little family-run accommodation, however, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to stay in a luxury, Western hotel or rough it in a hostel.

It's in a fantastic location, a few minutes walk from the Benh Thanh Market and about 25min walk from the main shopping/tourist area. The sites in HCMC are reasonably spread out but from here you can walk or catch a taxi for just a few US$ to pretty much anywhere.

All the rooms are clean and comfortable, with en suites bathrooms, large wardrobes, TV (including English news and movie channels) and usually a writing desk. Ask for room 309 if possible. We had this room at our first stay, but it was booked for the second. We suspect it's the equivalent of the penthouse suite (!), with it's own balcony overlooking the street and the hotel laundry!

There is very cheap Internet in the foyer and the staff speak quite good English and will help with anything. Especially good for when you are trying to catch a taxi somewhere and have no Vietnam - they will explain to the taxi driver where you want to go, and order the taxi themselves (limits the possibility of getting a rip-off driver).

**Pictures coming when I work out how this camera connects to the computer...**

Unique Quality: The best part about this hotel is it is a true family-run business. The breakfast room is attached to the family's kitchen and early in the morning you will be eating with the children before they go to school! They are very friendly and most speak fluent English.

The men who work the foyer (I can't remember the proper name lol) are also great. They remember you and always say hello and help you with things like getting taxis, looking for ATMs and so on. One of them introduced us to the Vietnamese equivalent of MTV, at about 1000Db, which was... interesting!