White Lion Hotel

I am in Ho Chi Minh City for nine nights, and unfortunately I have to spend three of those nights in this hotel purely because of its proximity to my meetings. After staying in a proper five star hotel in District 1, the contrast here is very clear. I was not expecting luxury, but I did expect basic hospitality standards, which this hotel fails to meet. From the moment I arrived, the experience felt uncomfortable. An older man who was not in uniform suddenly grabbed my luggage while I was paying for my taxi. There was no greeting, no explanation. When I asked what he was doing, he just pointed at the hotel, i followed up and saw him rolling the luggage in the lobby pushing by his feet as if he is working in a fish market while saying some words in Vietnamese as a reaction for calling him out, he should retire. That is not how you welcome a guest. I was also having difficulty walking and asked reception for some ice to ease my foot. I was told they did not have any. I then asked if there was a nearby convenience store and was told they did not know. There is literally one just a few steps away from the hotel entrance. That says a lot about the level of awareness and willingness to help. The room is small, which I can accept, but the bathroom design is not practical at all. The sink is extremely low, and as a taller guest I have to bend uncomfortably every time, sink is literally 3 inches above my knee and i stand 6ft. It feels like no consideration was given to international guests. Soundproofing is almost nonexistent. You will hear alarms, conversations, and music from other rooms, even in the middle of the night. Rest is difficult. Breakfast is poor. Aside from eggs, there is very little worth eating. Many items are left empty and are not refilled. In a country known for good coffee, serving bad coffee is honestly disappointing. The staff behavior is what makes this worse. In the restaurant, staff talk loudly and laugh among themselves while guests are trying to eat. In the elevator, housekeeping staff use it even for one floor, hold the doors open while chatting, and even play music on their phones. I was delayed multiple times while trying to get back to my room to prepare for meetings. There is a difference between being a simple hotel and lacking basic professionalism. The staff here seem to just go through the motions with no sense of hospitality. I rarely write negative reviews, but this experience deserves one. I am simply counting the days until I can move out.

My wife and I had booked at 17-day trip through Vietnam and Cambodia with G Adventures and Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon) was our final stop in Vietnam, prior to travelling on to Cambodia. The White Lion is a nice hotel, located on a busy street which might possibly make it hard to find if driving to it. Our room had an excellent bed, a safe, tea & coffee making facilities and we also had wifi in the room. The shower is inside a curtained bath, and the bracket was rather low, but it still did the job. Breakfast wasn’t great, but was enough to start the day, with many eating places to visit when out and about, seeing the sights. In addition, the hotel is within easy walking distance of good bars and restaurants. There are atms nearby, making it easy to get local currency without walking far from the hotel. It is also possible to walk to the excellent Ben Thanh Street Food Market, though a taxi is obviously much quicker and doesn’t cost much. We only stayed in Ho Chi Min City for 4 nights, and this hotel was ideal for our needs, so I’d happily recommend it for a short stay.

Stayed here for 3 nights as part of a tour with G Adventures. The hotel is a bit of a walk from the main attractions, particularly if you want to eat in the main market, but we did walk even in the heat of the day. Our room was big, but others were a bit more cramped. There isn't any outdoor space to enjoy, so it is really just somewhere to sleep. Breakfast was a bit less interesting that other places we stayed - coffee was awful