The Hideout- Comfortable Budget Stay in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon was my last stop in Vietnam during the trip in January. It was also going to be the longest I stay in a single city- 4 nights at a stretch. I was going to arrive in the city after 10 days of being on the road already, so the initial excitement of the trip would somewhat be no longer enough to overshadow mishaps or shortcomings.

Rewind to mid-December. I was searching for accommodations and making reservations. I knew the above points well and additionally wanted to be in a peaceful place a.k.a. where you can sleep. I shortlisted a few and the Hideout Hostel located in District 1 in the Backpacker area of Saigon grabbed my attention. I reached out to the property and soon enough received a response from Tom, the MD, offering to host me at the hostel for my required duration of stay.

Fast forward to my arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. My flight from Da Nang was delayed and by the time I reached the hostel it was almost 9 in the night. I quickly checked in and was pleasantly surprised to find an elevator in the building. None of my previous hostels in the country had elevators. I got a bed in a 6-bed dormitory and I must say I was impressed immediately on entering the room. It was definitely the most spacious room I had been in the entire trip. (They have 6-bed, 10-bed and 12-bed dorms and female dorms)

The air-conditioned room had a revolving ceiling fan in the centre which was really nice- A good requirement every time I used to enter the room sweaty from the humidity of the city outside. Each bunk bed came with a spacious locker that easily fit both my backpack and laptop bags. Additionally there were charging points and a reading light by the bed. After a long day, this is the most important requirement perhaps- to charge the phone, camera and power bank. I managed to edit the Halong Bay vlog comfortably in the room one evening.

The wifi worked very well in the common areas but I found it a little dodgy in my dorm room. That was manageable, and nothing much to worry considering the least amount of time actually spent in the room in four days. The bathroom was clean and bigger than most others I had been in.

I booked all my tours in Ho Chi Minh City as well as the bus to Cambodia right from the hostel reception. They had a 10 % discount if you book the Cu Chi Tunnel Tour, Mekong Delta Tour and a bus. Mark and Mini helped me with it on the first day itself. I find it convenient to sort out the basic plan right from the beginning instead of wondering how to go about things and in the process losing out on time.

I later discovered the hostel has two buildings. The main building with the reception where I was staying in and the one right next to it where there were few more dorms and the rooftop bar located. The good thing about the bar is even though it has loud music blaring till late in the night, the dorms are well isolated from the noise and you can get a peaceful night’s sleep if you want. They had two free beers for all hostellers every night for an hour and you can order any other drinks you like. The bar turned out to be a really nice sitting area for meeting fellow backpackers from around the world.

Breakfast options at the rooftop bar, The Hideout, Ho Chi Minh City

The bar is also the place where they serve the free breakfast that is included in the room’s cost. You can choose from the fruit platter or the choice of egg with baguette. It’s an open bar and although the street outside was blaring with traffic at all times, it was a pleasant experience to just sit there for some time having breakfast and observe the locals going around their lives or immersed in morning exercises in the park in front.

Hideout’s location in the backpacker area, just one street away from Bui Vien where all the action is happening, made it a peaceful and convenient stay. Additionally, all the major sightseeing points including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh market and the Saigon Skydeck among others, are located within a 2 kilometre zone. I found it comfortable to walk around and explore everything easily. There are several money exchange shops in the area and I did convert some currency here, although I got the best rate surprisingly at the Hanoi Airport earlier on arrival in Vietnam.

If you are looking for a budget hostel accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City, I would definitely recommend Hideout Hostel not just for its facilities but also the convenience of location and the sweet staff at the reception and bar. Oh, they have a laundry service too- 30,000 dongs for each kilo of clothing. Check out this episode of the day I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City and checked-in to The Hideout-

I was hosted at The Hideout Hostel, Saigon in January 2018. All views and opinions in the post are completely personal. 

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