Overwhelmed with the volume of hostels and you’re not sure where to stay? Here’s all the hostels we stayed in and what we thought! 

We were in Vietnam for a month so we got pretty used to staying hostels but some where definitely nicer than others. I was travelling with my boyfriend, so it often worked out cheaper to have a private room in the hostel or hotel rather than 2 bed in a dorm room. Han’s Hint: It was often between £7-£10 for a single bed in a dorm, but around £13 for a private room which was cheaper for us to split and we had our own space (this was at the time we were travelling in 2023) so it might be worth checking out the private rooms if you’re in a couple or travelling with a friend! 

Hanoi 

We stayed in 2 different hostels whilst we were in Hanoi as we visited, left and came back for a few more days. Firstly, we stayed in Hanoi Buffalo Hostel which was absolutely fine. We had a 6 bed dorm room, mixed (as a couple we had to always choose the mixed dorm obviously but they weren’t always available and I was sometimes the only girl), and the beds were clean with curtains, big lockers, communal showers/bathrooms which were also clean. The hostel was busy and fairly loud but it was a really social hostel which was fun too. We had a couple of nights out which was nice and didn’t mind the noise. The staff were good, as was the included breakfast and they had drink offers for the social events in the evenings. This one even had a pool but it wasn’t very warm – the water and the weather, and it was right next to the bar so it wasn’t super appealing but they had one if you were there on a hotter day! Location was good too, right in the old town and with plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes around. The hostel also offered tours, we opted to do the walking one which wasn’t run by a member of the hostel staff but another lady that lived in Hanoi and she was the best walking tour we did of our entire 6 months. She does the tour for free but we gave her a tip at the end of the tour because she was just so good, hilarious and so informative. 

We moved to a different hostel as we fancied a couple of quieter nights in Hanoi, so the Tabalo Hostel was our second stop. This was a much quieter hostel but it was still in the old quarter, so it still had a great location for getting around. The bathrooms were mixed, small but clean, and the dorms were mixed too but they had really good curtains around the beds which was nice. The rooms were nice and dark at night and they had lights, charging points and fans in each bed. They didn’t offer breakfast at this one but we didn’t mind as we had lots of banh mi’s and pho to eat. The staff were nice at the Buffalo one but they were lovely at Tabalo. They did so much for us, they held our big bags when we went to Ha Long Bay, booked all our excursions and buses and recommended loads of good food spots – like the Xoi one I’ve recommended in my Ultimate Vietnamese Food blog. The hostel had a really nice roof terrance, good wifi and it was really chilled. I would happily stay here again. Hans Hint: If you’re fancying a night out, the Buffalo hostel would be more appropriate but if you need a quieter few days, the Tabalo one will be great. 

RATING:

Sapa

Our second stop in Vietnam was Sapa and if you’re read my 3 Days in Sapa blog, you’ll already know that although we stayed in a hostel I would absolutely recommend doing a homestay in Sapa. If you don’t fancy that, we stayed in the Lustig Hostel and it was great. It was a little bit of a walk out of the main town centre but it was easily accessible and had incredible views of the mountains from the rooms. We were in a 16 bed dorm which sounds really chaotic but everyone was really quiet and respectful. All the of the rooms had their own mixed bathrooms which were clean, the beds were comfy and had curtains – although they didn’t cover the whole bed, but the bunks weren’t too close to each other so it wasn’t too bad and there were small lockers for valuables etc with plugs on the beds. Overall the hostel was nice, breakfast was included too and was made freshly for you, you could book tours through the hostel, as well as onward travel and have your laundry done. One last thing to say about the hostel is that it had a really nice communal area. It wasn’t massive but it had really comfy sofas, tables and chairs to sit at, board games and plenty of space to chill out without feeling like you were in the way of lots of people. 

RATING: 7/10

Ninh Binh (Tam Coc)

As we were in Ninh Binh over my birthday we stayed in slightly different accommodation but it wasn’t super expensive as we didn’t want to go too over our daily budgets. The Tam Coc Mountain Bungalow was SO lovely and definitely my favourite accommodation of the whole of Vietnam, and up there as one of my faves of our whole 6 month trip. Tam Coc is just outside of Ninh Binh which is where most of the hostels were located and it was really nice to be just outside of the town. I am so glad we chose this accommodation because we had amazing views of the mountains which even in the dreadful weather, they were so stunning. 

The family running the bungalows were so kind, helpful, generous and friendly. They went above and beyond by helping Mike organise a little something for my birthday and made our whole stay so nice. The bungalows themselves were beautiful too, made of wood with huge beds, really soft bedding and mattress with modern bathrooms which even had baths! There was also a pool which looked so nice but it was just too cold for us to use. The bungalows also offered moped and bicycle hire which was handy as it was a bit of a walk to the centre of Ninh Binh and to the other activities we wanted to do in the area. 

RATING: 10/10

Phong Nha

Our accommodation in Phong Nha was the Phong Nha Tuan Garden House. Situated off the main street of Phong Nha, the family accommodation was really nice. It was homestay style accommodation as the family that run it also live there. We went for a private room here and it was basic but clean. The family kindly picked us up when we arrived and dropped us back at the bus stop and offered us an check-in early when our overnight bus arrived at a silly time in the morning. Breakfast was included too and we participated in the ‘family dinner’ which was such yummy food and involved us trying some Happy Water (homemade rice wine). We were also able to hire peds and bicycles here too so we could explore Phong Nha. 

RATING: 8/10

Hue 

Our next stop was Hue, and we opted for the New World Hotel. Here we had also opted to go for a private room instead and it was really reasonably priced for a private room with balcony and AC. The hotel didn’t offer a pick up service, but we didn’t mind using a grab to get there from the bus stop. The room was simple but clean and modern, with good facilities, friendly staff, decent wifi and a comfy bed. It did have a pool but it was in the hotel entrance which was a bit bizarre and so I didn’t fancy using it. We were also able to have breakfast here as it was included, and again, it was simple but it was just handy to have at the hotel. It was in a good location in Hue, most things were walkable from it and there are plenty of shops and restaurants around. 

RATING: 7/10

Hoi An

Our next accommodation was another hotel, the Green Apple Hotel. This had been recommended to us by friends who had previously visited Vietnam. The hotel was a little further out of the old town so it was around a 20 minute walk or a short grab ride in but we didn’t mind the walk/grab rides, but this is just something to bare in mind. The hotel had a pool, breakfast was included, they offered laundry services and the room was well equipped with a kettle, mini fridge, towels and AC. I enjoyed our stay here and it was so peaceful at night too. This hotel was perfect for us and we were able to book our onward travel through them but Iif you want to be in the buzz a bit more, I would recommend looking for accommodation in the old town. 

RATING: 9/10

Da Lat

From De Lat onward we were travelling with our friends so we were looking for 2 private rooms together which restricted our options a little. We opted for the Da Lat Family Hostel as it had the 2 private rooms available for a reasonable fee but I wouldn’t recommend this hostel though. Our room was clean and had a private bathroom with towels and AC but there were no windows and it just made the room really damp and horrible to wake up in. The rooms hadn’t been advertised as no windows because we wouldn’t have booked it but besides that the rest of the hostel was a bit of a nightmare. It was super chaotic, we had issues with our transfer bookings and there were cockroaches and rats. It was so highly rated on Hostel World but I honestly don’t know how it was. I’ve gone into more detail on my 3 Days in Da Lat blog. 

The positive things about the hostel are that breakfast was included, you could hire peds, they offer washing and it was a lively hostel in a good location. 

RATING: 3/10

Mui Ne

We were desperate for some decent weather and we were lucky to have some finally in Mui Ne. Because the weather was going to be good we booked the Gia An Hung Hotel as it looked so nice and it had a pool. After a brief mix up with the booking which the family were helpful with sorting, we were shown to our lovely room. It was huge, modern, clean with views of the pool and a balcony too. It was so reasonably priced as it was within our daily budget, with a great location and we really enjoyed our time here. We finally got a chance to use the accommodation’s pool too! The only downside to the hotel were that they didn’t offer any breakfast and we had to pay in cash and no cash machines were nearby, but other than that we really enjoyed our stay and we were happy to relax by the pool and make the most of the sunshine. 

RATING: 8/10

Ho Chi Minh 

Our final stay in Vietnam was another hostel, this time it was the Cou Cou Homestay. We were really limited on choice in Ho Chi Minh, partly as we had left it quite late to book but again we were booking for 4 people so this made it more restrictive too. The hostel was run by really lovely staff but when we arrived they informed us that there had been an issue with our booking and therefore we wouldn’t be in a dorm together but in separate ones and 2 of us would be in a private room for a night and then moved to the dorms. As we had booked a 4 bed dorm, this was a little frustrating but we understood that we would have to be put into two dorms. Having to swap after one night isn’t a huge inconvenience but it was a little annoying as this wasn’t what we had booked and paid for.

The hostel itself was in a really tall, thin building so there was only a room and bathroom on each floor. It was fine for us as we were able to climb the stairs but something to bare in mind if you’ve got a suitcase or struggle with loads of stairs. The dorms and private room were clean and tidy, with lockers and plug sockets. They had AC but it was so hot and the AC wasn’t very strong so we did find it really hot in the room. As there was a bathroom for each bedroom you only had to share with the other people in your room but if one person was having a long shower, we ended up having to wait for quite a while to just get in. It became a bit annoying when we were wanting to just clean our teeth before leaving. Downstairs, there was no communal bathrooms either so it wasn’t possible to nip downstairs and use them. The communal area was tiny, right in the entrance of the hostel and so it wasn’t a place to relax. Despite theses issues, we did enjoy our stay here, it probably helped that we were out and about most of the time exploring the city as we only had a few days. I also appreciated how secure the hostel was as it had a gated entrance with a pin code to enter so it felt really safe. It was also in a good location so we could walk to most things easily. 

The hostel was absolutely fine for a few days, but if you’re staying for a longer period of time or want somewhere to chill out, I would recommend looking elsewhere. 

RATING: 6/10

OK so, that’s all the hostels that we stayed in whilst on our month in Vietnam. As we were there in 2023, some of these hostel prices will have changed which is why I haven’t included them and it’s always good to check recent reviews on google, booking.com and Hostel World. We used Hostel World at first, but found with booking.com it was easier to use for private rooms in small hotels. 

Hope you found this helpful, let me know below if you did and as always, thanks for reading!