Hoang Viet Hotel

I chose this budget hotel based on the location - central, near the lake, market and the upmarket Ngoc Lan hotel - and price ($9/night), without having seen any prior reviews. I took a ground floor room immediately behind the reception; the room was a good size and well furnished with TV etc as well as a large comfortable bed, however the bathroom was a bit on the small side. There was some noise into the room which is to be expected given its position, in particular from vehicles being parked in and driven away from the lobby area - from a room higher up this would probably not be so noticeable. The staff were in the main good, although their command of English wasn't the best they patiently made an effort to resolve any confusion that arose even if it meant getting out a pen and piece of paper. There were no problems at check in or check out. The hotel shuts its front gate at night (as has been the case in all of the guesthouses I've stayed at in Vietnam to date), and on check-in I was instructed to ring the doorbell to be let in if I came back late. Problem was, two nights later when I did come back late at night and rang the bell no-one answered. After resorting to rattling the gate the member of staff on night duty came and opened it - it appears the doorbell was not operational. Hopefully since my stay they'll have fixed it! Aside from the above my stay was trouble-free and I found the location convenient. If I stayed there again I'd probably choose a different room away from the lobby/garage.