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Vietnam Hotel Scene / Saigon Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Historic Hotels / → All Tags

Appliances Caught Between Centuries at Saigon's Continental Hotel

Where: 132-134 Dong Khoi St, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

All this week our roving correspondent Claire Duffett will be sending back her reports on the Vietnam Hotel Scene. Any questions or suggestions? Send 'em our way and we'll have Claire answer them for you.

We’ve been infatuated with Hotel Continental Saigon ever since we read Graham Greene’s The Quiet American way back when. Alas, we modern-day journalists can’t afford to stay in the place where Fowler and his fellow foreign correspondents partied back in the 1950s.

Despite our modest means, we still managed to catch a glimpse of the hotel when we passed through town a few weeks ago. And it met—and exceeded—our expectations.

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Vietnam Hotel Scene / Houseboats / Odd Hotels / Halong Bay Hotels / → All Tags

Floating Hotel Surrounds You In Natural Wonder, Wood Paneling

All this week our roving correspondent Claire Duffett will be sending back her reports on the Vietnam Hotel Scene. Any questions or suggestions? Send 'em our way and we'll have Claire answer them for you.

When we imagine living on a houseboat, it usually involves a serious amount of wood paneling, good scotch, and seriously outdated 70s furniture. So we were pleasantly surprised when, minus the booze, we discovered that a floating hotel on Halong Bay, Canh Buom 8, possessed these traits.

The tour boat shuttles travelers around the thousands of island jutting out of the bay. For boat standards, the cabin rooms--there were four on either side of the small, antique ship--were surprisingly spacious. We’ve seen cruise ships with more cramped cabins. And cruise ships certainly lack the appealing kitsch of these rickety ships. The entire trip from Hanoi, including the room, food, and transportation, costs either $32 or $56 depending on which “class” you select, although the difference between classes was indistinguishable.

Each room comes with a private bathroom, which had been recently renovated. While the water pressure was lousy, the hot water tank provided scorching, lasting hot water. This is impressive for a ship, since few hostel and budget-hotel showers offers as much. The restaurant area is spacious, with big windows that block the chilly February wind on the bay while still offering an incredible view.

There's no website but you can book a spot on a Canh Buom ship or on a similar boat with amenities that are just as oddly cozy, by visiting any reputable tour agents in Hanoi.

Vietnam Hotel Scene / Hue Hotels / Luxury Hotels / → All Tags

La Residence Hotel and Spa Is Rightfully Snooty

Where: 5 Le Loi St., Hue, Vietnam

All this week our roving correspondent Claire Duffett will be sending back her reports on the Vietnam Hotel Scene. Any questions or suggestions? Send 'em our way and we'll have Claire answer them for you.

Just north of Hoi An, along the Perfume River, is Hue, the former royal capital of the Nguyen dynasty. Down the road from the famed UNESCO palace ruins is La Residence Hotel & Spa, the town’s most understated luxury hotel. This French colonial relic recently underwent a massive expansion and renovation. It now has 122 rooms, 91 of which face the river. To complete the modern facelift, this week, it added free WiFi through the hotel.

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Vietnam Hotel Scene / Mick Jagger / Hoi An Hotels / → All Tags

Old People Love Vietnam's Life Heritage Resort

Where: 1 Pham Hong Thai St., Hoi An, Vietnam

All this week our roving correspondent Claire Duffett will be sending back her reports on the Vietnam Hotel Scene. Any questions or suggestions? Send 'em our way and we'll have Claire answer them for you.

If you think Life Heritage Resort sounds like an old folks home, well, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. The resort chain has three locations in Vietnam, and we visited the one in Hoi An when we passed through town. With austere courtyards, and spongy, imported grass, the hotel resembles our grandparents' condo in South Florida more than it does a contemporary hotel beside the country’s most treasured ancient city.

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Vietnam Hotel Scene / Hilton Hotels / Hanoi Hilton / → All Tags

The Hilton Hanoi is Not the Hanoi Hilton

Where: 1 Le Thanh Tong St., Hanoi, Vietnam

All this week our roving correspondent Claire Duffett will be sending back her reports on the Vietnam Hotel Scene. Any questions or suggestions? Send 'em our way and we'll have Claire answer them for you.

Hilton’s PR division in Southeast Asia probably despises John McCain’s nomination for U.S. president more than they did the release of “One Night in Paris," Paris Hilton's sex tape. Suddenly, “Hanoi Hilton,” resurfaced as a euphemism for unspeakable torture and hardship. Well, guess what, Hanoi has a real-life Hilton and it’s actually quite lovely.

The stately Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel and the Hoa Lo Prison museum, aka "Hanoi Hilton" buildings are located only a few blocks from each other. We visited the actual hotel as well as the notorious Vietnam War-era prison, which now functions as a Communist propaganda pulpit.

The museum depicts the oppression of Vietnamese prisoners during French occupation through the early part of the 20th Century, and the subsequent benevolence shown toward McCain and his fellow soldiers when they were imprisoned. There are photos of American soldiers playing basketball, decorating Christmas trees, and laughing together over holiday feasts.

In fact, they make it look better than the Hilton, and that is hard to do.

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