Uyen's House

My daughter and I stayed 4 nights in our own room (not the dorm) in September. We had the middle room, although next time, I would pay extra for the front room, which had a nice view through its glass wall. The most notable feature of the hotel was the host. Uyen knew who we were as soon as we came in, and she treated us like friends. She was very sweet. She took her time with us. She was quick when we called her and very polite. She gave us great recommendations for restaurants. When she heard that my daughter had a cold, she offered to make her some porridge (the common home treatment for colds used by Vietnamese mothers, like chicken soup). Uyen made our visit more personal and memorable. The rooms, including the dining room downstairs, had a rustic appearance. Our room was in that "Vietnamese-slightly-dilapidated" state, but it was fully functional. The sink stopper was a bit futsy, but that was it. I contrast this to other lodgings where things don't fully work (broken toilet seats, weak a/c, dim lighting, lack of space, cheap shower heads, etc.) In my opinion, the room decor was charming and neither artificial or sterile. There were lots of useful amenities. Slippers to wear when we leave our dirty shoes outside. A standing fan. Enough room for 2 adults to spread out their luggage, with enough space left to move around in. Outlets on both sides of the bed so we didn't have to run cords across the floor. 2 night tables. 2 lamps with switches in easy reach while lying in bed. Sturdy umbrellas for us to use in the sometime pouring rain. A rack with plenty of hangers to dry our clothes. It's so useful that my 20-yo called it "awesome". Great free breakfasts and Vietnamese coffee that Uyen made to order. (I liked all the breakfasts and coffees that we had, and I enjoyed them more than any breakfast buffets I've ever had at other hotels.) We had full control of the a/c. Some places disable the a/c when you're not in. I know they do this because some guests leave the a/c running all day without being there, but I find the practice annoying. I try to not be wasteful but still avoid waiting for the room to cool when I return, by turning the thermostat up 27C when I go out. I hope that was enough. Next door was a karaoke place. I wasn't thrilled about that, but there was never a sound from it. Maybe during the high season, there would be. The only music was brief and came from an exercise class in the park across the street. It didn't scream "rude people" and wasn't loud enough bother me. The rain on the roof was loud when it rained hard. I actually enjoyed that a lot and cherished it as part of my travel experience, but my daughter didn't. There was motorbike rental on the premise for a very reasonable price. (Uyen very patiently showed me how to operate the vehicle and advised me on how much fuel to buy for our planned distance.) It ended up being cheaper than hiring one of the many vans around town and gave us much more freedom—and great stories to tell because we had to ride through some very heavy rain. If you want a high-end place where everything works perfectly, this is not quite it. Otherwise, I highly recommend Uyen's house. I look forward to staying here when I visit Con Son island again.