It was our first time in Ho Chi Minh City and we want to make sure that our base is strategic and flexible enough to our sightseeing plans. In addition to this I am with family, with 2 elderly parents who are mobility challenge. So careful planning must be thought of and put in place.
Our family room at Avanti Hotel Saigon.
After a good online research about the city, I decided to pick District 1 as the area where we will stay, mainly because this is the centre of the city. Everything is within walking distance or a few minutes commute with the taxi, or motorbike if you dare rent one of these king of the streets.
The next challenge is finding which part in District 1 and which hotel. We have a few factors to consider and with this, I have picked the Ben Thanh area as the best place for us because it is very central. My mom is crazy about markets too. This is how I discovered Avanti Hotel.
The hotel is located along the back streets of Ben Thanh Market. It is perhaps the most modern looking building along a row of French-colonial houses standing along the busy Le Than Ton street. I picked this hotel for comfort, proximity and safety. Moreover, I loved that their family room has a floor to ceiling glass window that looks down to Ben Thanh market. I am sucker for views and this was the hotel so far that gave me a view from the hotel room of an authentic Saigon cityscape.
It is easy to find as it is the only modern looking building with glass in Ben Thanh market area. Here is the location of the hotel on Google maps:
We were able to check-in early before 12 noon so that was nice, however, they didn’t extend the check-out for us, giving the reason that they were fully booked. That was a bummer but we were fine with it.
It is a relatively new, comfortable and quite modern hotel. The family room has 2 queen-size beds and can fit in 4 people. This was one of the requirements we had as well. We prefer that the 4 of us stay in 1 room, which means we need a spacious room with 2 queen-size beds. This is quite difficult to find in any city so I was quite happy to have found this option. I love their bed though and I was able to sleep soundly. Their pillows were adorable. They even have a price list should you wish to bring them home.
The toilet and bathroom was big enough. Of course, with the 4 of us it is a bit cramp, but with good scheduling, it was fine. My mom and I wake up early so the scheduling was not much of a problem.
Our room here at Avanti Hotel Saigon reminds me of our hotel room at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Hong Kong many years ago. We also had 2 queen-size beds and a huge window with a view. The only difference is that we are sitting in a lower level here in Avanti than at Royal Plaza.
This is our view: Ben Thanh Market. The glass windows are one-way mirrors so we have privacy.
In the evening, the streets flanking Ben Thanh market turns into a Night Market. It can get very busy. It is quite nice but after 2 nights you will be tired of the hustling scene. It is my pleasure though to watch the night market action from the comforts of our hotel room. That I like.
I managed to take a video of the Night Market one evening by opening the glass window and sticking out my camera. When I tried closing back the window, it wouldn’t budge. I didn’t want to push hard as well as I didn’t want to break anything. The parents were also asleep so I tried to make no noise. I informed my sister, who was still up internetting, about my dilemma hoping she can help but she only suggested to call reception. No way I am doing that and in the process waking up the parents. My mom would get mad at me and the hotel as well. Because there is a sign on the window – “Do not open”. I am being naughty haha. So concentrating slowly, I went back to work on the window meticulously, and voila, this time the window shifted and glided back to its place. Hallelujah. Close call, haha.
The crowds at the Ben Thanh Night Market in Saigon. The market starts at 19:00 and goes until midnight. The streets are not pedestrian only, but pedestrian + motorbikes.
Breakfast at the hotel was buffet and it was quite good in my opinion. Nothing lavish but good enough with some variety every day. They serve Vietnamese, Asian and western-style fare. They even have a noodle station!
During one of our breakfasts, we encountered a local wedding party, which later I realised must be just a photoshoot. It was rather strange because the whole wedding entourage didn’t eat, although the tables were made up. It seemed like they only used the breakfast area of the hotel for picture and video taking. I love the fact though that the bride and bridesmaids were dressed in traditional Vietnamese Ao dai. The bride was in a red sequin-beaded Ao dai, while the bridesmaids in yellow with beautiful matching hats. It was lovely to see this.
I had some noodles for breakfast. Noodles are a comfort food of mine.
The bridal entourage we saw at the breakfast area of the hotel.
The V Cafe espresso bar in front of the hotel serve really good Vietnamese iced coffee. So after some shopping at the Ben Thanh market, go here for some downtime. The bar is also a great place to sit and watch the goings on of the market… but of course we have a much better view from our room.
The left photo is the Vietnamese iced coffee. Vietnamese coffee has a distinct taste especially when you drink it hot. I find the iced coffee better tasting than its hot version.
The V Cafe of Avanti Hotel.
Here are a few TIPS:
Travel tours – At the lounge area (at the back of the reception) there is a travel tours and agency desk that is manned until 20:00. We booked a tour here to Mekong Delta and the countryside. Their tours were of quality (smaller group) and the prices were competitive. I did a comparison by surveying a couple of tour operators outside, there is a lot in Ben Thanh area, and this one at the Avanti Hotel had the best offer of what we were looking for.
Money changer – There is one a few hundred metres on the right side street (Phan Chi Trinh street).
Nice café to hang out in the evening – Aside from the V Cafe which is a great place to freshen up with an iced cold drink such as a Vietnamese iced coffee during the day, there is is this posh and contemporary bar around the corner called Lameda Café. It is on the corner street of Ly Tru Trong and Thu Khoa Huan. It has an outdoor seating. Highly recommended!
Paperwork? Is there a way to digitalised this process? Just had to take this photo of the public toilet of the hotel near the reception.
Street scenes just outside the hotel on Le Than Ton street.
Vietnam money, the Vietnamese Dong. A 100 Euros is 2.4+ million Dong!
Fruit vendors on the streets of Ben Thanh, they are everywhere.
Some evening pictures outside of the hotel.
Travel Period: December 2016
Destination: Ho Chi Minh City (Southeast), Vietnam
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.
