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THERE’S TWO THINGS you should never do in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The first is buying a postcard from a street urchin with a heart-rending story. The second is hopping on the back of a moped driven by an alluring silken-haired lady in a white ao-dai and long elbow-length gloves. Buy a postcard and screaming hordes of kids will materialise from nowhere – with postcards of their own – to make a meal of you. This is the Saigon Serengeti at its most unforgiving. If you’re not the sort that enjoys rugby scrums and are not intimately related to Mother Teresa, walk on. Or make arrangements to have your shoes, buttons and dentures mailed back to your mum in a box. As for the ladies on mopeds – hop aboard, and your wallet may get a bigger dent than you bargained for.
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Ho Chi Minh City is the undisputed financial hub of Vietnam. It has come a long way and you can now shop in relative comfort but at wallet-humbling cost in the new malls where duty is seemingly levied by the trillion. Glittering shops are sprouting all over Saigon sporting Dunhill, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Dior and Chanel. There’s postcards too, without predatory children. Whether you’re shopping in Saigon, or simply a businessman in a tearing rush, you won’t fail to sense the buzz, even if it’s just the roar of traffic. Unlike Hanoi, things are organised. Like the sign in my taxi that read: “Please do not pay in case taxi meter is out of work and just pay exactly for the total amount on taxi meter.” Simple…
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| Notre Dame Cathedral |
Welcome to Saigon, Vietnam’s Big City, the Big Bad Apple that throbs day and night with a respectable glow of neon along Nguyen Hue Boulevard especially on Saturday nights as elegant ladies in ao-dais (pronounced “ow-zais”) glide past the new crop of Saigon hotels and eateries, sitting ramrod erect on dainty mopeds. It is a delicate art, and one that is quintessentially Vietnamese. It is a convivial press.
In some cases, entire families are perched atop their very own two-wheeler. Dine at an elegant French colonial villa and impress your date by ordering a hot Coca-Cola. In Saigon, Vietnam, everything is possible.
Saigon airport has had a dramatic facelift. It’s roomier, marbled in parts, with an Internet & Games Centre (US$1 for 15 minutes) and the obligatory cobras pickled in evil looking liqueurs. It is quite efficient. Duty-free shopping options include Bulgari Rose Essentielle 50ml eu de parfum at US$69, Chanel (Chance parfum 7.5ml US$97), and alcohol (Johnnie Walker black label 1 litre US$26, Chivas aged 12 years, 1 litre US$26). Take a look at Bally, Swarovski, Burberry and Ferragamo or enjoy a foot massage at the Foot Spa. Metered taxis right outside the arrivals hall are plentiful. They will demand US$7 or more but will settle for US$5 for a 20-minute ride downtown to your hotel in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Within the city, taxi meters start at D12,000, D14,000 or even D15,000 depending on the state of the cab. This is not a rip-off. Over a medium distance, the prices all even out (Airport Taxi tel: 844-6666, Vina Taxi tel: 811-1111).
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| Saigon Opera House |
Before you head anywhere, make a stop at the Tourist Information Centre (tel: [84-8] 822-6033, 4G-4H Le Loi Street, District 1, www.vntourists.com). It is right next to the Opera House, one block from Caravelle and Park Hyatt. The Tourist Information Centre is well stocked with guide books and hotel brochures, has pleasant staff, and is right next to an ATM cash dispenser. Pick up a brochure and part with your money. The centre can do bookings for hotels, tours and airlines too, making it a decent one-stop shop for travellers. Internet establishments are easy to find and offer fairly fast connections. Net U9 (tel: 823-4962) at 54 Hai Ba Trung Street is a convenient and welcoming hangout - open 24 hours - should you find hotel Internet rates a tad pinching. They charge around US$1 per hour.
Saigon shopping guide
Whether it’s a silk ao-dai tunic you’re after or a B-52 bomber compass or a wind-up Russian army watch that actually works, everything is negotiable right down to just this side of zero. Knock-off Ralph Lauren shirts in teeming Ben Thanh market can be had for less than D79,500 (US$5). The exchange rate is around US$1=D16,100. That’s a lot of dong. Don’t change too much and keep lots of small denomination dollar bills. Everything is quoted in dollars and, unless you’re a maths whiz, it’s far easier working with fewer zeros.
Upscale Saigon shopping is best experienced along Dong Khoi Street where you’ll find outlets like Milano (Sheraton corner) with an array of Prada, Brioni, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and other European designer brand accessories, hole-in-wall outlets selling chic outfits, and the highly-regarded Khai Silk (tel: 829-1146,107 Dong Khoi). Khai Silk is the Vietnamese equivalent of Thailand’s Jim Thompson. They have a good selection for men as well as women. There are three Khai Silk outlets on Dong Khoi and you'll also find them at the New World Hotel and Sheraton Towers. Khai Silk prices will range from around US$50 for silk scarves (and linen shirts for men) and US$90 for pashmina shawls while next door at places like C&C (tel: 824-5980) you can pick up silk crinkle-top blouses for US$17. Try the stylish Dolce Casa (tel: 822-2530) at 137 and 142 Dong Khoi for smart cushion covers and bedroom accessories. Their Ming Collection cushion covers will set you back US$18 per piece. You might spot these in your room at the new look Caravelle Hotel though you may be distraced by their Rolex, Cartier and, if you can pronounce it, Bvlgari. On streets outside, t-shirts can be had for US$2 or less.
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| Parkson Mall: Well stocked, overpriced |
The smart Parkson mall, a block from the new Park Hyatt Saigon, offers upscale choices that are hugely overpriced but are gobbled up nevertheless by local shoppers. Browse Tag Heuer watches, Timberland, Shiseido, Porsche Design, and Dunhill. Come armed with information as precious little English is spoken though staff will strain to help you. There are information leaflets available. Grab one as you enter and follow the map. Sounds simple but it's an adventure.
Not far from here is the Diamond Plaza department store that also offers an array of goodies including Furla and Dunhill. And at handbag and accessory store Jess (tel: 822-3670) you’ll find Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Furla and Fendi. If clothes are not for you, ogle old but stylish Vespa and Lambretta scooters at 2S (mobile tel: 0908-340533). They’ll handle shipping and paperwork. You organise the helmet, the sultry Italian-speaking blonde and the cool shades. Watch out Angelina Jolie and Paris Hilton. Hai Ba Trung also features a seamless stretch of fashion shops, local designer offerings and larger wholesale places. Younger fashions predominate, like PT2000.
Downtown, at the junction of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi is the large and gleaming Saigon Tax Trade Center which despite the name is not a tax-free shopping haven at all. Prices are steep but there is a decent range of goods on offer from jewellery and cosmetics to watches, fashion and some electronics. And it's air-conditioned. Hop in to explore Triumph, Vera, Samsonite and Adidas. Book lovers can head to Fahasa (185 Dong Khoi) to browse a pretty extensive (and expensive) selection of books in English, French and Vietnamese. For something cheaper, head over to Chinatown and Cholon where the giant An Dong Plaza awaits. This is a more local establishment and prices can be flexible.
If you're in search of Vietnamese art, much of it in striking colours, pop by Apricot Gallery (tel: 822-7962 or www.apricotgalleryvietnam.com) at 50 Mac Thi Buoi Street around the corner from the Sheraton.
Saigon dining options
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| TIB restaurant: hideway villa |
Dining choices are varied and good. Vietnam House (tel: 829-1623) with its green louvred windows and high ceilings is one of the oldest restaurants in Saigon. Here, at 93-95 Dong Khoi Street in District 1, sample Hue-style spicy noodle beef soup or deep fried prawn wrapped in green rice. A decent meal for two should not cost more than US$15.
Check out the packed Quan An Ngon (tel: 825-7179, 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia) that specialises in fresh-wrapped spring rolls, and the hideaway TIB (tel: 829-7242, 187 Hai Ba Trung Street) that despite the fish ’n’ chips name has excellent spring rolls and a scrumptious jackfruit salad with shrimp, served up in a secluded yellow villa conveniently adjacent to a spa cogmplex. Popular old timer Quan 3 Mien (tel: 931-7096, 122b Tran Quoc Thao) serves up Hue, Hanoi and Saigon cuisine while the friendly and unassuming Pho 24 chain is well known for its pho, Vietnamese noodle soup (around D24,000 for a bowl). Pho 24 offers side dishes like spring rolls as well. Easiest to find are the outlets on Nguyen Hue boulevard and Ha Bai Trung. More upscale are the trendy Temple Club (tel: 829-9244), and Lemongrass (tel: 822-0496). Nam Kha (tel: 823-8309), managed by Khai Silk, does Royal Vietnamese cuisine on Dong Khoi. The stately Nam Phan (tel: 829-2757) occupies a charming two-storey villa, with a small alfresco dining area on its wrap-around patio as well. The ambience is discreet, tasteful, muted, dark and awfully quiet. Small signs on the table read: "Thank you for switching your cellphone to silence mode". Service is friendly but slow. I was the solitary diner when I visited but the food was tasty - when it eventually turned up.
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| Xu: Stylish chillout spot |
Relaxed but more lively choices include Paloma Cafe (tel: 829-5813) at 26 Dong Khoi, the convivial Jaspas (tel: 822-9926) at 33 Dong Khoi, and the friendly Ciao Cafe (tel: 823-1130) on Nguyen Hue and a few other locations. Ciao Cafe offers free WiFi, Vietnamese, Italian, sandwiches, and lots of books. The Saigon Indian Restaurant (tel: 824-5671, 1st Floor, Mac Thi Buoi Street, off Dong Khoi) offers an ambitious menu that covers just about everything. Unsurprisingly, there are ample vegetarian choices. The management is South Indian and it is perhaps best to stick with dosas and other South Indian fare. The tandoori selection is okay. Check out the chic new Xu restaurant and lounge (tel: 824-8468) at 71-75 Hai Ba Trung. This upstairs establishment offers upscale dining as well as an attractive chill-out drinks area. Try the "Five spice venison" with a Xutini (vanilla, vodka, tea, honey and a dash of cream). And, around the corner, on Dong Khoi, is Sheraton's stylish streetside venue, Mojo. This is a hip watering hole, ideal for starting, or finishing, your evening. The small and cosy Pacharan (tel: 825-6024) is close to the Caravelle offers Spanish-style tapas.
Finish up your dining trawl with a kerbside height and weight check by local artificers who trundle their contraptions around town.
Saigon hotel guide
Before you book into a hotel bear two things in mind. The plugs are often French-style two-pin deep-socket affairs that will stymie some adaptors. Secondly, while fast Internet connections and some Broadband are making an appearance, general speed depends largely on how many guests are logged on at any one time. As Internet usage in Vietnam usage tends to be private rather than corporate, nights can get jammed up. We begin our Saigon hotel review at the heart of the city at the Opera House. Most of the better Saigon business hotels radiate outwards from this central district. The newest kid on the block is the swish Park Hyatt Saigon right across the road from the splendid Opera House. Be warned: room rates are climbing 10 percent across the board during 2007 so come prepared.
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| Park Hyatt pool: style and space |
The décor at the Park Hyatt Saigon is quiet and subtle bordering on classical. Large paintings adorn walls, and from the lobby on you get an enormous sense of space. There is plenty of natural light. Service is brisk and friendly. Dining is suitable stylish with menus to match. There’s Square One for Vietnamese, Opera for laid-back Italian with a small alfresco patch overlooking Lam Son Square, and the clubby yet informal Park Lounge.
Or savour fine wine by the thimble or gallon. Rooms are bright and spacious. The Park Hyatt offers 252 rooms with marble-tiled bathrooms and rain showers. There is Broadband Internet access at US$18 for 24 hours and a flat-panel TV for those who prefer to catch up on the news in style. A cable to hook up your laptop is conveniently placed in the work-desk drawer along with a useful adaptor plug.
Plug points are three-pin square along with two-pin options. The small inroom safe is convenient but it won’t hold a laptop computer. Three rooms have been set aside for the physically challenged and, for those who prefer not to be financially challenged but expect all the perks of a top-drawer five-star, there are specials on offer from time to time. A pillar-less ballroom of 550sq m will set event-planners' hearts throbbing while after hours, business travellers may wish to unwind with a spa treatment, a fitness workout, or some quick laps in the 20m outdoor pool. With a location smack in the middle of business and shopping – and entertainment by the block – guests simply have to step out to get their city trawl started.
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| Caravelle Hotel overlooks the Opera House |
Around the corner is the once undisputed top address in town, the art nouveau Caravelle Hotel. Its sumptuous Signature floor executive rooms cater for business travellers with lots of gold-weave fabric and light pinewood that’s awfully easy on the eye and will elicit satisfied oohs and aahs from your most discriminating lady friends. These rooms also feature a CD player, VCR and fax machine. There two 2-pin plug sockets at the work desk. On the ninth floor, the popular Saigon Saigon Bar with a wraparound verandah caters for just about anybody in search of margaritas, music and superb vistas. The hotel in fact overlooks the historic Opera House. The Caravelle’s inroom safes can handle a very small notebook or video camera but not a laptop. If you are lugging one of those infernal machines about, the good news is, all rooms have Broadband access at US$15 per day while Executive Floor rooms get it free. There’s a smallish toilet with a combined tub and shower, complimentary tea and coffee-making facilities and a well-stocked mini-bar. The redeveloped Qi Salon & Spa managed by Shisheido offers 750sq m of his and her space and the renovated Asian Reflections restaurant on the third floor looks straight onto the Opera House. If it’s gaming you’re after, check out the Vegas Club slot machines. Casinos are getting big in Vietnam and high rollers will soon be spoiled for choice. (The Caravelle Hotel features in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection , featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
Close by, on the opposite side of Lam Son Square, the 83-room Hotel Continental (also facing the Opera House) has been around since 1880. Like the Rex, it is owned by the ubiquitous Saigon Tourist group. A popular haunt for spooks and journalists during the Vietnam War, the elegance is graciously fading but staff are ever attentive and cheerful. It’s a terrific downtown location right at the head of Dong Khoi Street. The building is an old world lowrise flanked by assorted shops including a Tag Heuer outlet.
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| Sheraton ballroom/ photo: Sheraton |
Right behind the Caravelle, at 88 Dong Khoi, the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers is a big, city hotel in every sense of the word. The lobby has space to swing a horse by the tail and there’s a distinct five-star gleam in every marbled corner. The Sheraton offers light, airy rooms with lots of dreamy white and corporate blue. It is very much a business hotel despite the pink exterior. The toilets are rather compact, but the separate shower with waist-level massage jets is a luxurious compensation. The in-room safe can handle a notebook or a small laptop. The new Grand Tower at the Sheraton has added 112 studios and suites to the current 371 room inventory. Expect contemporary style and a new lounge. (Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers is showcased in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
For pin-stripers on the move, Broadband is available at US$15++ per day. And for tired limbs after all that typing and pretend conferencing there’s the Aqua Day Spa with all manner of pummelling and unguents available. A “Tropical Flower Facial” will set you back US$50 for an hour while a jet lag package including aromatherapy massage could run for three hours at US$125. Other recreation and relaxation options include tennis, squash, and swimming.
This Saigon business hotel is well equipped to handle meetings and conventions. For large banquets and conferences, the spacious 759sq m grand ballroom can hold 700 guests (sit-down) or 1,000 (cocktail). The Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers offers a total 1,800sq m of space for meetings, functions and secretarial work. As a combination hotel and executive residences it offers good service and a terrific location. At the end of the day, enjoy the stunning views up at the Level 23 Signature Restaurant, pop down to the streetside Mojo, and then retire to your Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed.
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| Duxton: Executive Room |
Not far away, on Nguyen Hue Boulevard, the Saigon prince has been reincarnated as the stylish Duxton Hotel Saigon. The Duxton certainly tries hard. Staff seem to know what’s going on and are anxious to please. This is a boon as the hotel can’t do a whole lot with the inherited boxy exterior. The pastel-beige executive rooms are surprisingly nice and come with an ironing board and big laptop-size safe. The other plus is free Wireless Internet for corporate customers on business floors. For recreation the 198-room Duxton Hotel Saigon offers the well-equipped Zanadu Health Club, an outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, gym, steam bath and sauna. There are six function rooms that can cater for ten to 300 guests. Wireless access and snappy service makes this a hotel worth considering for small to mid-size business meetings.
The suave Sofitel Plaza Saigon on Le Duan Boulevard, also in District 1 but set a little apart from the thrumming centre, is just minutes away by taxi. The lobby is chic, bright and roomy, featuring two enormous spiralling stacked-wood columns. Here, as at other plush establishments, foreigners with petite Asian wives will need to negotiate the floor with the usual tact and speed lest an overzealous security guard bar access to the lift. The cosy Elysées Bar with its deep blue curving sofas and red chairs is a nice hideaway. It features soft Latino music evenings. All rooms have Broadband access at US$16 per day. There’s WiFi in the lobby and at poolside and at the executive lounge you can log on to the Internet free for 30 minutes.
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| Chic Sofitel Plaza |
The hotel’s 279 rooms and 11 suites are in quiet pastel shades with pale powder greens predominating. The toilets offer two small black lacquer boxes with a toothbrush set, a shaving set, emery board, comb, cotton balls and a sewing set. The hotel is keenly aware executives travel light and just about anything you may have forgotten to pack into that Incredible Shrinking Bag – apart from an inflatable doll – will likely be available. The inroom safe can handle a bulky video camera but not a laptop. On Floor 18 the Sofitel Club Lounge pours on more hospitality, tea, coffee and refreshments. The rooftop pool offers fine views and catches good sun. A fitness centre is available for workouts along with a steam bath, sauna and massage facilities.
The 522-room New World Hotel Saigon, close to Ben Thanh market, was the city’s first five-star. It is a sprawling mustard yellow building that is not easy on the eye when the sun is at its fullest. But step inside and it’s a rather different world. There’s shopping, cafés, pool, kids’ area, spa and fitness centre, and an adjacent nightlife complex with the Lelai Sauna and the throbbing new look Catwalk disco and karaoke where slinky hostesses with legs going up to heaven will listen to your boring life story for about US$12 per hour (tips are extra). Is your tale worth it? Deluxe rooms at the New World Hotel Saigon are tasteful with muted earth colours and silk bed-runners. There is an executive desk and the added facility of plug-in high-speed Internet (US$15++ for 24 hours). Public areas at the New World are Wireless. The toilets with black stone and grey-slate floors feature a combined bathtub and shower. There is complimentary tea and coffee-making equipment and a mini-bar. The in-room Elsafe can handle a tiny notebook but not much more. This Saigon business hotel offers 2,000sq m of function space and business facilities are ample. Across the road is a very pleasant park should you like to stroll. Sporty types can swim at the open-air pool, play tennis, or bang away at the golf driving range. There is a children’s playground as well next to the pool. In the works are plans for a Bali-style spa, the “largest in Vietnam”, also by the pool, an expanded casino, and a possible rebranding, to Marriott.
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| New World: Business, discos, fitness |
Situated on the busy riverside boulevard with splendid open views of the snaking waterway is New World’s sister hotel, the 5-star Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon. The hotel has 349 deluxe rooms, a rooftop pool, a fitness centre with sauna and massage, and conference facilities. A soaring atrium leading up 21 floors to a skylight is an architectural signature. All rooms feature an iron and full-size ironing board and the inroom safe can store a small notebook. Renaissance Club Floor guests get a stack of complimentary nibbles, cocktails and breakfast as well as free local calls and two-hour complimentary use of a boardroom. The Renaissance Club Lounge also provides free Internet access. There is Broadband in all rooms at around US$18 per day. Conference and meeting facilities can take up to 136 people for a sit-down banquet and about 200 in a cocktail setting.
One of Ho Chi Minh City’s enduring charms is its smaller characterful hotels, often still housed in historic buildings. Four interesting examples are the Grand, Majestic, Continental and the enduring four-star Rex Hotel whose utterly mad Roof Garden with its cavorting plaster elephants still entertains on pleasant, breezy evenings with a US$12 international dinner buffet. Weekends feature “steamboat” buffets with fresh seafood and garden salads. The 222-room Rex, on Nguyen Hue Boulevard is centrally located, close to the Opera House and overlooking the City Hall. The hotel is constructed around a large open courtyard called the Rose Garden. Long musty, dimly-lit corridors radiate out from the dark lobby with its splashes of red, yellow and green lights. It may sound alarming but the Rex is alright if your sights are not set too high. Some rooms have faxes and a large Elsafe that can handle a laptop. All the place needs is some 100-watt bulbs, SWITCHED ON. The furniture is rattan and somewhat Spartan but it gets the job done. A few suite rooms offer Internet at around four cents a minute representing a major leap forward for the Rex Hotel. The place has been chugging along since 1927 with constant upgrades. There is an outdoor pool and a rooftop tennis court. Need a massage? No problem.
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| Grand Hotel: Atmospheric choice |
Our pick of the oldies would be the Grand Hotel, a beautiful whitewashed corner property half a block from the river, right behind the Renaissance. The building came up in 1930. This three-star property has moved up to four stars. In 1998 a new 12-floor wing was added to the colonial wing. Superior rooms feature large beds with wood-trim fabric headboards, long satiny curtains bunched gracefully either side of tall windows, parquet flooring and small carpets here and there. The inroom safe is big and boxy and can hold a laptop quite easily. Deluxe rooms have darkwood furniture, gleaming wooden floors and a terrific toilet with separate shower, bathtub and hair-drier. They also have a GIANT safe that could hold an elephant – or your mother-in-law. There’s a nice courtyard pool, all rooms from deluxe upwards have Internet access. WiFi is available for a small fee.
Around the corner, facing the river, the Hotel Majestic like its sister, the Grand, is run by Saigon Tourist. A new wing is in operation as well. The lobby features an old-world lift that can accommodate two persons (or one well-fed German). I held my breath for three floors. The hotel was built in 1925. The rooms feature wooden parquet floors, dim lighting – which seems very de rigueur in Saigon – TV and a small safe. This won’t hold a laptop but your machine can connect to the Internet from any room. High-speed Internet is available at US$10 for a day. On executive floors, avail of Broadband, executive breakfasts, afternoon tea, shoeshine service and late checkout until 3pm. The Majestic also offers an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and spa with massage, and a 461sq m ballroom. The Norfolk Hotel on Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1 is a cheerful businesslike place. There is Internet, a business centre, a health club and baby-sitting services. On central Le Loi boulevard is the Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City with 89 one-to-three-bedroom apartments (with kitchen, furniture, king-size bed, satellite TV and Broadband and WiFi), swimming pool, tennis, basketball, sauna and business centre.
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| Hotel Continental: Genuine oldie |
Not too far from downtown is the Legend Hotel Saigon. This is a simple and elegant pale salmon building on the outside but a riot of grand bric-a-brac and colours inside. Two enormous metal horses look onto the lobby lounge and a fountain under a bright yellow-and-blue skylight surrounded by Roman bathhouse pillars. Still, it is a professionally run place with bright staff and will appeal to some. Also just a little out of the way, the 305-room Amara Saigon (with its Zeus disco and KTV nightclub) offers reasonable packages. The Amara offers a broad range of facilities including a business centre, fitness room, sauna and spa, outdoor pool, and Broadband in Club rooms and suites. Club Floor rooms offer express check-in, breakfast at the club lounge, evening drinks, complimentary pressing of one suit and free use of a boardroom for an hour. Another big hotel option not quite in the heart of downtown, is the Equatorial Hotel with its Club Floors, Equinox Fitness Centre, a 24m pool with a sunken bar, slot machines, KTV and generous banquet facilities.
Some distance away (by Ho Chi Minh City standards) in the direction of the airport, a 15-minute taxi-ride will bring you to the understated 250-room Omni Saigon Hotel. This five-star “corporate airport hotel” has an interesting history. It was a US government building until 1975 when its occupants departed, presumably not all on the last helicopter out. Omni took over in 1994, adding a grand lobby, sweeping staircase and rooftop pool, to convert the lowrise apartment into a quality hotel with ample conference facilities. This means that unlike standardised modern hotels, every room here is slightly different in shape and orientation.
Club Floor rooms are generous in size with discreet individual air-conditioners, big (or rather, tall) inroom safes that can easily house a laptop and a packet of chips, and Broadband. The toilets are huge and there are coffee and tea-making facilities. Rooms have a homey feel with small tasteful artefacts placed on desks and tables – like an abacus, a ceramic pot or a statuette. The regular rooms at the Omni feature crisp white duvets, deep royal blue carpets, and smaller safes. Not laptop size unfortunately. A nice touch at the hotel is the street-fronting café that attracts a hip suburban crowd. If you still need more buzz, pop into the gaming room with roulette, black jack and slot machines.
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| Vietnam House: Villa Dining on Dong Khoi |
Just up the road from here is the Novotel Garden Plaza Saigon, a modern, four-star atrium-style hotel with pool, club floors for executive travellers, and a fun pub. The 159-room property is a smart choice. It is, however, essentially an airport hotel. You will get good rates here however and if an early flight out is on the cards it offers a good value option. Club Floor deluxe rooms offer free Internet as well as complimentary laundry. Wash off that lipstick from your collar and start a new day afresh.
Out in the neon razzle and clamour of Chinatown's Cholon district is the high-rise Windsor Plaza Hotel. It is a modern, gleaming establishment with reasonable service, ample facilities, throw-in glitz and more than a few quirks. The lobby is on the fourth floor and the hotel actually sits atop the An Dong Plaza shopping mall. Consequently, the atmosphere is busy and the place can feel crowded at times. There is a disco for itchy feet and a large men's health club advertised as the biggest in Vietnam where a one hour massage will set you back around US$9. Ladies can enjoy the 24th floor Aroma Spa.
Saigon Budget Hotels
Ho Chi Minh City budget hotel options are immense. Service and facilities can fluctuate dramatically. The three-star Bong Sen Hotel is a decent downtown budget option in the Dong Khoi vicinity with simple but nice rooms, clean toilets, TV, minibar and a big safe for laptops. Broadband is available at the business centre and lobby lounge. Internet can be connected to your room if you request it. Broadband is easily accessible on the Executive Floor as well where rooms actually have their own computers. Plug in at just 1,000 dong per minute. Executive rooms enjoy the Lotus Club Lounge facilities on the seventh floor where two boardrooms are also available for up to 10 persons. Bong Sen Hotel offers video-conferencing and is no slouch on amenities for business travellers.
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| Caravelle's roomy Qi Spa |
An interesting Saigon budget hotel option is the Saigon Boutique Hotel, a cross between an art deco layer cake and an art gallery. The place is five minutes from Ben Thanh market. The 20 rooms are neat and feature IDD phones and cable TV. The rates are very affordable and can be negotiated down further during summer months. There is a small business centre with Internet as well. That’s a lot of bang for very little bucks.
Or try the small but friendly Spring Hotel at 44-46 Le Thahn Ton Street. The 54-room Spring Hotel offers basic but clean accommodation on a quiet side street just a few minutes’ walk from the shops and hustle of Dong Khoi, a few blocks from Notre Dame Cathedral. Higher floors afford nice views of the city. The rooms are light and airy with rattan furniture, air-conditioning, satellite TV and a minibar. This is a highly regarded Saigon budget hotel choice with friendly English-speaking staff. Depending on your needs it can work for business travellers too looking for peaceful surrounds in District 1, at the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.
There are several other decent to desperate choices downtown and farther afield. Most are modern, shiny, characterless boxes that nevertheless have all the relevant services. Some options range from the dolls-house Oscar Saigon Hotel on Nguyen Hue, to the more upscale Kimdo Royal City Hotel, and the Palace Hotel. The Palace Hotel Saigon is upgrading to four stars and already looks the part with a crisp new minimalist white-marble loby and contemporary decor. The Oscar enjoys a great location but lacks adequate facilities. It does boast high-speed Internet and WiFi is free in the lobby. The receptionist admits with an apologetic smile that the WiFi is a bit weak in the rooms. The Oscar also manages to rustle up a health club with massage and sauna, the desultory Seoul Karaoke, in-room safes and satellite TV. The Kimdo meanwhile flaunts its health club offering massage, sauna, steam bath, fitness centre and Jacuzzi.
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| Saigon Saigon Bar at Caravelle |
The Nam Phuong Hotel on Hai Ba Trung is neat and clean with staff who try hard to please. Their promo rates start around US$22 (with breakfast) for a standard room with breakfast. The Bong Sen 2 also on Hai Ba Trung is an interesting budget alternative. Their promotional rates start at around US$35. The place is also referred to as the Bong Sen Hotel Annex. Rooms are quite decent, there is a travel shop and business centre and a Vietnamese restaurant. Around the corner from the Continental on Dong Khoi is the Asian Hotel with 47 rooms including two deluxe rooms that are spacious and come with a terrace. The first class room (starting category) offers a small TV, wooden cupboard, and a clean toilet with shower and bathtub. There is an Internet station in the lobby and a cafe.
Saigon Leisure: Spas, Bars and Nightlife
After hours in Saigon can be a riot. If the various hotel health clubs haven’t scrubbed and massaged you to silken perfection, head out to sample the city’s nightlife and bars. One of the biggest hotel operations in town is the Health Club at the Windsor Hotel that advertises itself as "the largest men's massage club and spa in Vietnam". Of course, if you still need refined pampering you might try the charming Spa Tropic (tel: 822-8895, next to TIB restaurant) on Hai Ba Trung or the Jasmine wellness spa (tel: 827-2737) where an anti-stress massage will set you back around US$18. Sample hot stones, a rice body polish or salt body scrub. Less painful are the fabulous Bar Q Saigon (tel: 824-6325) and the Qucina Q Saigon, which are actually in the Opera House complex. Sip tall cool drinks, down shots, or nibble Italian. Interiors are ultra cool, sculpted with arches and cosy nooks and corners.
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| Stylish Q Bar: Drinks and Italian |
The discreet and tasteful brick-wall Temple Club (tel: 829-9244, 29 Ton That Thiep Street) will not disappoint with cosy verandahs, elegant dining and a very comfy deep-sofa lounge for drinks. It’s hard to spot but is just above Fanny ice-cream. A happening place at times is the Sax N’ Art jazz club (tel: 822-8472) where you can take in saxophone riffs and Vietnamese melodies. It is a small place with a cosy feel to it. Can get noisy and crowded late.
The aforementioned Catwalk next to the New World gets humming late and you can part with your cash in a hurry here if you’re not careful. Just don’t end up swaying on the disco floor with a precariously clasped beer in hand. That’s how quite a few suits end up.
The Club Royale (tel: 822-1888) behind the Renaissance is another bopping complex with a slot machine gaming centre, wine and cigar cellar, karaoke, live band and, heck, even free Internet. Can’t get away from technology. “Hi, my name Diem, I have legs going all the way up to heaven.” “Well, hello Diem, but honestly, I really need to access my Gmail right now and…” Or was it g-spot? A humungous lift - perhaps once a car elevator - done up like a Disneyland lounge, hoists you up to the reception level where you'll find ladies in strappy dresses waiting to sing with you for around US$8 per hour. No dancing.
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