Budget Travel - Recommend Good, Reasonably Priced Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

I am planning four days in Ho Chi Minh Ville in October. Am looking for a reputable, well-located, reasonably priced hotel in the "downtown" area where I will be able to walk to most places of interest. Can someone in the FT community make a recommendation for a hotel priced at $75 or below? Does "Priceline" do business in Vietnam? Has anyone stayed at the Metropole Hotel which would seem like a good choice based on reviews on Expedia and Travelocity? I am quite excited about going but do not want to stay at anything resembling the Bates Roach Motel!:(

Madame Cuc owns a chain of small hotels, with basic rooms. When we stayed last year, ours had aircon, a fridge and free snacks for around $19 per night. See below for reviews:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293925-d735269-Reviews-Madam_Cuc_64-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

You'll find that you'll need to take some taxis as walking far in the heat isn't fun. When choosing taxi companies, be aware that many have meters that run too fast - in my experience Mai Linh taxis (white and green on the outside) charge a fair metered rate.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you need more information.

My favorite in Saigon is the Bich Duyen Hotel (actually a small guesthouse) in the backpacker area downtown. I paid $25. in March '08 for a great room w/breakfast. This place is so clean you could eat off the floor and you're not just another faceless customer at the Bich - Chanh, the manager, will take very good care of you. It's reviewed at Tripadvisor, and it's on hostelworld.com for booking:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293925-d646306-Reviews-Bich_Duyen_Hotel-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

Anyone familiar with a group of seven small hotels called "Saigon Mini-Hotels?" The TripAdvisor reviews look great and the price of $30/nite is right in the ballpark. They now have their own website saigonminihotel.com on which one may book a room and have a closer look. They also have a reasonably priced "Meet and Greet" service of around $25 each way depending on the time of day. So far, I really like what I see. Anyone familiar with this group?

Highly recommend Sao Nam Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao Street. Around 15-25USD a night and extremely clean compared to other small chain hotels & there is free Internet and Cable TV; provided you bring your own laptop and internet cable. Great staff too!

Highly recommend Sao Nam Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao Street. Around 15-25USD a night and extremely clean compared to other small chain hotels & there is free Internet and Cable TV; provided you bring your own laptop and internet cable. Great staff too!
What's the best way of obtaining additional information about this hotel and then booking a room there...Expedia, Orbitz, Hotels.com?
If I can't find it on TripAdvisor.com (and I can't) it must be a real unknown.

What's the best way of obtaining additional information about this hotel and then booking a room there...Expedia, Orbitz, Hotels.com?
If I can't find it on TripAdvisor.com (and I can't) it must be a real unknown.

Honestly, I found this place by accident whilst there and tried reviewing it on TripAdvisor but it wasn't on there like you said. I still have the manager's e-mail if you're interested.

Anyone familiar with Saigon Mini-Hotels? Good ratings for lower-middle priced hotel in strategic area by TripAdvisor.com. Also has anyone stayed at the Metropole? I like their website and can handle the rates, but some on TripAdvisor have suggested they run a "Sex Shop" in the spa area of the hotel. Any confirmations of this by FT'ers?

Just to throw my $.02 in, we stayed for two nights at the Le Trung (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hotel&sll=10.768419,106.693597&sspn=0.003599,0.004828&ie=UTF8&radius=0.16&t=h&jsv=163d&vps=36&latlng=10768800,106694600,325081949337123968&ei=ozM6Spm4DqGojgP62ti8Dg&sig2=xGI3mX7lMVWrtSI72irR4w&cd=20&dtab=2) hotel. Nice enough and a great value ($15ish, IIRC). Only downside was the elevator was broken during our stay, so it was a long trudge up 10 flights of stairs to our "penthouse" room (with a great view!). Elevator was fixed literally as we were leaving! (Bathroom was a slightly uncomfortably small and with cracked tiling, but for $15, I wasn't going to complain!)

We shared a train sleeping compartment from Hue to Saigon with the owner of the Hong Hoa Hotel (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293925-d454967-r4399566-Hong_Hoa_Hotel-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html). Very nice lady, and the hotel--we walked by it later to say hi--appeared to be similar to the Le Trung (i.e. a decent budget place in the backpacker's quarter).

You may be looking for something a bit more upscale, though, so can't help you there. We thoroughly took advantage of the cheap digs while in Southeast Asia! BTW, opposite the street from the Hong Hoa was my favorite little sandwich cart lady. 6,000 Dong for a delicious, filling sandwich. At 8,000 Dong, the Coke to go with was more than the sandwich! A filling meal and a Coke for less than a buck--count me in!! :D

I stayed at Madame Cucs a few years ago, 127 Cong Quynh Hotel. It was perfect for the price. Super clean and ultra friendly staff. here is the email. madamcuc@hcm.vnn.vn tel. 84-8-8368761

If you like the location of the Metropole, M. Cucs hotels are just steps away.