Ryan McFarland

Our base of operations in Ho Chi Minh City was the Mai Kim Loan Hotel.  We checked in and out of it three times on the trip.

They were very hospitable and spoke and understood reasonable English.  We only had one major misunderstanding - the distance to the Cu Chi tunnels led a few of us on a wild goose chase.  Overall our stay was pleasant and cheap.  One day when we checked in the city power was off but they have a generator that they were running - sadly the elevator was not powered by it and our room was on the sixth floor.  Having a balcony room on a high level is nice to stay away from the road noise.  If you’re a light sleeper get one of the rooms in the back of the hotel instead of the front.  The shower was a nozzle attached to the tub outlet and wasn’t long enough for tall people to use without pinching off the flow of water - so we had to stoop.

Straight out the door and half way down the block was a good place for breakfast.  Turning left at the intersection past the restaurant and going a few blocks leads to the biggest market in Ho Chi Minh city.

The fridges were stocked with drinks (including beer) but you pay for them during checkout.  Not too expensive though.  Grabbing a cold beer from the lobby seemed like they were more cold but maybe that was because the AC was on in the rooms.

Address
Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(84.8) 8245830, 8242905, 8242906
FAX (84.8) 8242889
Mobile 0903.775451
Email maikimloan@hcm.vnn.vn