Minh Toan Hotel- Hanoi, Vietnam

Address: 23 Hang Non, Hanoi, Vietnam

Website: none

Located on the street behind the Blue Star Hotel, this place was also in the heart of the Old Town. For a stay of a week, we were able to get a rate of USD$9 per night for a room with a tv, a block of shelves and a bathroom which was very large and almost the same size as the bedroom because of the design of the rooms within the building shape. The reception initially showed us to a room on the third floor which was a pain for several reasons- that it was on the third floor which meant three flights of stairs, the water pressure of the shower was little more than a light drizzle and totally unusuable, and the tv was hung from the wall at an angle that made viewing very uncomfortable. There was also no reason not to put us on a lower level as all the rooms en route were empty!

We asked the reception to move us to a room on the first floor whose tv was placed on a shelf instead of hung, and being the actual owner of the place and actually having some sense, she immediately agreed and we moved. The shower was working quite well here, and the roomy bathroom was a nice thing to get used to instead of the usual cramped proportions.

Wi fi was also available at this hotel which was a great convenience, and the cleanliness standard was good. The only thing to note was the service of the reception- once when exchanging currencies, the owner gave us a 10 000 dong note which we soon enough learnt was no longer in use, so that no one would accept it. We went back and informed them and rightfully got a proper plastic note instead, but the owner would obviously have been aware that she was giving us a note that was outdated but still did it, for whatever reason. There's also no extra niceties here from the staff- no hello's or goodbye's were ever heard as we were just numbers to fill up their rooms.

Overall, a stay worthy of the relatively cheap rate in this capital city, in a good location and a nice enough room. Just check your money if you use their exchange.

Rating: 6.5/10