S79 Thanh Thu Hotel

I’ll be honest – when I first walked up to S79 Thanh Thu Hotel on Nguyễn An Ninh Street, I wasn’t expecting much from what looked like a pretty standard three-star place. But you know what? Sometimes the unassuming spots end up surprising you the most, and that’s exactly what happened here.

The location is actually brilliant if you want to be in the thick of things without paying those crazy prices you’ll find closer to the main tourist drag. You’re literally a five-minute walk from the Ben Thanh Market (and trust me, you’ll hear the morning bustle starting around 6 AM – not necessarily a bad thing if you’re trying to beat the jet lag). What I really loved though was how easy it was to duck down the smaller alleys and find those hole-in-the-wall pho places that locals actually go to. There’s this bánh mì cart that sets up right at the corner of Nguyễn An Ninh and Lê Thị Hồng Gấm every morning around 7 – I mean, having breakfast sorted for under a dollar within 30 seconds of leaving your hotel? That’s the kind of detail that makes a trip.

The rooms themselves are clean and functional – nothing fancy, but honestly, who spends time in their room in Ho Chi Minh City anyway? The AC works well (crucial during those sticky April afternoons), and the Wi-Fi is solid enough for video calls back home. I particularly appreciated that they actually soundproofed the windows decently – District 1 can get pretty chaotic with the motorbike traffic, but I slept fine most nights. The staff at the front desk speak good English and they’re genuinely helpful with directions, not just the rehearsed tourist recommendations. When I was trying to figure out the best way to get to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the afternoon clerk actually called her cousin who runs tours and got me a better price than what I was seeing online.

One thing to keep in mind – the elevator is tiny and sometimes a bit slow, so if you’re hauling big suitcases up to the higher floors, just factor in a few extra minutes. Also, breakfast is pretty basic Vietnamese fare, which I actually preferred to those weird international buffets some hotels try to pull off. The coffee is strong and real, and there’s usually fresh fruit that’s actually ripe. What more do you need? For the price point and that 8.9 rating it’s been maintaining, S79 Thanh Thu really delivers on being a solid base camp for exploring the city without any unnecessary frills getting in the way.