Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

The main cities now boast top-rank hotels at very reasonable prices thanks to a recent building boom and a drop in tourist numbers. Even new, mid-market hotels now offer satellite TV, minibar, IDD phone and spacious bathrooms as standard. At the cheaper end, the small, private hotels (called mini-hotels in the north and “rooms for rent” in the south) often provide the best value for money. At this level standards vary enormously, but in general the newer the hotel the better the facilities. As a rule of thumb, count on paying a minimum of $20-30 for a reasonable room with ensuite bathroom, hot water, TV, fridge and phone.

Outside the main cities and tourist areas accommodation is more limited, and may well consist of just one state-owned hotel. Often it will be a rather dowdy, relatively expensive place, not always very clean and with poor standards of service. In the south, the hotels may not have hot running water. Toilets may be of the squat variety and drains a bit iffy. In which case, it’s always worth asking to see another room.