Two Budget Hotels in Ho Chi Minh To Consider

Mai Hotel and Halo Hotel

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

By Ysabel Villaflor

I love looking for budget hotels that surprise you.  Sometimes, we often equate “budget” for having to sacrifice certain luxuries.  It doesn’t have to be so. Who wouldn’t want to be sleeping in good beds, having clean bathrooms, free breakfast but without spending so much? 

I do. Everyone loves a good bargain.

	Mai Hotel 4A-4B Thi Sach Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, District 1 - Riverside, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	Halo Hotel 23 Thu Khoa Huan Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, District 1 - Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Location	Located in Riverside and party district where the bars are located.	Located w few steps away from Ben Thanh Market and Reunification Palace
	If you want to be closer to the where the party is: Mai Hotel would be your best bet. If you want to be closer to the sites and shopping: Halo Hotel would be the choice
Rate	US 16 / Php 1,300 with breakfast Standard room 2 people (My friend and I upgraded our room for twin beds)	US 16 / Php 1,245 with breakfast Standard room (no window) 2 people (My friend and I upgraded our room for Php300 for twin beds)
	Breakfast was buffet with choice of Continental and Vietnamese fare.	Breakfast was pre-set with choice of Continental or Vietnamese fare. Picture below from the room service menu. I was half-way through when I remembered to take a picture!
Style	Trendy.	Mix of Traditional Asian, Rustic, Homey.
Reception	Ample space for guests. Couches are available while waiting.	Ample space for guests. Although Halo had smaller reception table, the couches are huge.
Elevator	Can fit 4 people.	Available although we took the stairs more often since our room was just on the 2nd floor.
Hall	The halls in Mai Hotel can be like a maze.  You can go up and down certain steps until you reach your room.	The halls are spacious and clean.
	I prefer the halls of Halo Hotel. Compared to Mai, it is cleaner and well- lit.  Mai may not be as organized and sometimes, you might see things in the hall that aren’t supposed to be there.
Room	Spacious. The closet space can fit 2 big sized luggage bags.	A bit cramped but for budget friendly hotel, it is sufficient.
Smell of Room	A bit musty.	Very clean.
Bed	Bed is comfortable. Not too soft or stiff.	Bed is comfortable. Not too soft or stiff.
View	We had a window with a view of the nearby neighborhood.	No view since we opted for a room with no windows.
Bathroom	Spacious and clean. The shower door is transparent. There is hot and cold shower.  The bathroom is very minimal with touches of design on the wall.	If there’s one thing to remember Halo, it’s the bathroom.  Very rustic. With Rain Water Shower head and a small basin made of cement, it’s probably the coolest rock bathtub I have ever seen. No shower doors but a wall full of rocks cover one side for the airy breeze.
Toiletries	There are bottles of shampoo, conditioner and toothbrushes.	Halo’s shampoo and conditioner set are placed in little ceramic jars to tie in with the rustic feel of the bathroom.  The hairdryer placed in a basket.
Extras	There is a dresser with chair.	One of the things I really liked about Halo is the service. Although we paid for a budget hotel, we felt very pampered.  The staff was very helpful and very friendly. Some of the fellow guests we met in the hotel were returnees.  They also love the personal touch  Halo provides.
Internet:	Available Wifi.	Available- in the reception area and rooms.
Rate:	3/5 stars	4/5 stars

*the author would especially like to thank the wonderful staff at Halo Hotel for taking care of Gen who had a migraine. Although we already checked out and waiting for our flight that night, they let her stay in our room.