Where to Stay in Ho Chi Minh City (2026): The Best Areas, 12 Hotels and What “++” Adds to the Bill

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Ho Chi Minh City has no tourist tax that we could find, but its hotel rates are often quoted with a “++” after the price, which means a service charge and government tax are added when you pay. VAT is 8% rather than 10% on many goods and services until 31 December 2026, and which rate sits on a hotel invoice is a question to ask. Where you stay decides the rest: the city’s first metro line, Line 1, opened on 22 December 2024, and it runs from Ben Thanh through the Opera House to Thao Dien and beyond.

This guide covers five areas, from Dong Khoi to Cho Lon, 12 hotels, the airport links and the metro. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

Not sure which area? Rank these areas for your trip: pick what matters and see the reasons.

What “++” adds to a Vietnamese hotel bill

Three things can sit on top of a room rate in Ho Chi Minh City, and only one is certain:

The resolution excludes telecommunications, finance, banking, securities, insurance, real estate, metal and mineral products, and goods taxed under the special consumption tax. It does not name hotel rooms either way, and none of the official texts we could open says in terms that rooms get the 8% rate, so we do not say which rate your hotel will charge. The invoice shows it.

“++” is the hotel’s shorthand. The Caravelle prices a deluxe room in a Tet 2026 offer at VND 3,800,000++ a night and states that its rates are subject to a 5% service charge and current government tax. Here is our arithmetic for a VND 3,000,000++ room, with the tax range because we cannot tell whether VAT is charged on the service charge too:

So expect to pay between 13% and 15.5% more than the “++” price. Check whether a booking site’s price includes these charges before you compare it with a hotel’s own.

Getting in from the airport, and around

• From Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN), the hotels here that publish a drive time give 20 to 25 minutes: the Hôtel des Arts Saigon and the Novotel Saigon Centre say 20, and the Hotel Nikko Saigon says 25. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are the simple way; agree the fare or use the meter, and ask your hotel about a transfer, as the Majestic, the Nikko and the Windsor Plaza all offer one.
• By bus, route 109 links the Sai Gon bus station, at Pham Ngu Lao, with the airport’s Terminal 3. The city’s Public Transport Management Centre announced in April 2025 that it runs from 5:30 to 22:40 at the airport end and from 5:45 to 22:30 at the bus station, every 15 to 25 minutes, over about 9.3 km in around 45 minutes. We could not confirm a current fare from the operator, so we give none; check at the stop.
• By metro, Line 1 does not reach the airport. It runs 14 stations from Ben Thanh, past the Opera House, Ba Son, Van Thanh Park and Tan Cang, to Thao Dien, An Phu and on to Suoi Tien Terminal. Fares are by distance, as the city set them in November 2024: VND 7,000 to 20,000 in cash and VND 1,000 less cashless, and from Ben Thanh it is VND 7,000 to Thao Dien and VND 20,000 to the end. A one-day pass costs VND 40,000 and a three-day pass VND 90,000.
• In town, taxis and ride-hailing apps cover the rest, and the first-timers’ guide has more on getting around Ho Chi Minh City.

Dong Khoi and the river: the first-trip base

Dong Khoi is the street that runs from the Notre-Dame Basilica down to the Saigon River, and around it, between the Opera House on Lam Son Square and the Nguyen Hue walking street, sit the city’s oldest grand hotels. Line 1’s Opera House station is on its edge. Official addresses now name the ward, “Saigon Ward” for the Majestic and the Rex, but visitors, and Booking.com, still say District 1.

Where to stay in Dong Khoi

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

• Hotel Majestic Saigon, splurge. At 1 Dong Khoi Street on the Saigon River, a five-star heritage hotel since 1925, with 175 rooms and suites, a pool and the M Bar rooftop bar. Choose it for the river and a century of history. Watch out: the hotel says some Century Deluxe rooms have limited views and that rooms are assigned on check-in. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Caravelle Saigon, splurge. At 19-23 Lam Son Square, facing the Opera House, with 66 years of history by the hotel’s count; the Deluxe rooms are about 34 m² and the Opera rooms have large soundproofed windows. Choose it for the square at the door. Watch out: the hotel quotes its own rates with “++”, so add its 5% service charge and tax. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Rex Hotel Saigon, comfortable. At 141 Nguyen Hue, a five-star of 286 rooms and suites that began as a French garage in the early 20th century, with a rooftop garden bar and outdoor pools; the Deluxe rooms in the East Wing are 28 m². Choose it for the Nguyen Hue walking street at the door. Watch out: the hotel says its rooms vary in standard, style and size, so check which one you are booking. Check rates on Booking.com →

Ben Thanh and Pham Ngu Lao: the market and the backpacker street

South of Dong Khoi, Ben Thanh Market is at Line 1’s terminus and is the city’s best-known market, and Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien, a short way west, are the backpacker streets of cheap beds and late bars. This is the area for the metro and for the lowest prices; it is also the loudest.

• Silverland Ben Thanh Hotel, comfortable. At 14-16 Le Lai, which the hotel describes as steps from the market and directly opposite Metro Line 1, with a rooftop swimming pool, Smith’s Kitchen & Bar on the 12th floor and connecting rooms. Choose it for the market and the metro at your door. Watch out: the rooms on its site measure 26 to 38 m², with the entry rooms at 26 and 28. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint, good value. At 59 Pasteur, on the corner of Le Loi, with 171 rooms and suites, an infinity rooftop pool, the Above Sky Bar and an in-house cinema; its site advertises 25% off the best available rate for bookings made at least 14 days ahead. Choose it for a pool and a central address at a lower price. Watch out: the hotel’s site does not state room sizes, so ask. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Common Room Project, budget. A hostel at 250 Bui Vien, with a 14-bed mixed dorm whose full-length balcony looks onto the walking street, an 8-bed female-only dorm, a private ensuite room and a family-style dinner every night. Choose it for a bed on Bui Vien and a sociable common room. Watch out: the 14-bed dorm looks onto the walking street, so expect the noise of Bui Vien at night. Check rates on Booking.com →

District 3: a quieter base north-west of the centre

District 3 lies north-west of District 1 and holds the War Remnants Museum. It has bigger, newer towers and less of the centre’s crowd, and the Basilica and the Post Office are a short ride or walk away.

• Hôtel des Arts Saigon, splurge. At 76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, open since October 2015, with an art collection in the corridors, 30 m² Deluxe rooms, The Albion by Kirk Westaway on the 23rd floor and the Social Club Rooftop Bar on the 24th. Choose it for an Art Deco hotel with a view from the top. Watch out: Booking.com puts it in District 3, not on Dong Khoi, so check the distance to the sights you want. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Novotel Saigon Centre, good value. At 167 Hai Ba Trung, a four-star of 247 rooms, with a pool, the Food Exchange restaurant and the OnTop bar on the 20th floor; the Superior rooms are 27 m². Choose it for a reliable chain hotel with a pool. Watch out: Accor puts Ben Thanh Market 1.8 km and 22 minutes’ walk away, and the Notre-Dame Basilica 700 m. Check rates on Booking.com →

Thao Dien and Binh Thanh: across the river

East of the river, Thao Dien is the neighbourhood of cafés, galleries and villas that Booking.com files under District 2, and Binh Thanh, next to it, is where Landmark 81, Vietnam’s tallest building, rises. Line 1 stops at Tan Cang, Thao Dien and An Phu, so the centre is a short ride away.

• Villa Song Saigon, comfortable. At 197/2 Nguyen Van Huong in Thao Dien, a French colonial boutique hotel on the Saigon River, with Villa Rooms of 26 to 41 m², a pool and a gym. Choose it for a quiet riverside base. Watch out: breakfast is à la carte, served from 6:30am to 10:30am, and the centre is across the river. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Vinpearl Landmark 81, Autograph Collection, splurge. At 720A Dien Bien Phu, in Vietnam’s tallest building, with 223 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, an infinity pool on the 47th floor and the Oriental Pearl restaurant on the 66th. Choose it for the view from the top of the city. Watch out: the hotel’s own transport note puts Tan Cang metro station under 10 minutes away by electric bus, not on foot. Check rates on Booking.com →

Cho Lon and District 5: the Chinese-Vietnamese quarter

Cho Lon is the old Chinese-Vietnamese quarter, west of the centre, around Binh Tay Market. The hotels here are big, and they trade distance from Dong Khoi for space and for shuttles.

• Windsor Plaza Hotel, good value. At An Duong Vuong in District 5, with a pool and fitness centre on the 24th floor, an executive lounge on the 25th, the Top of the Town restaurant and a complimentary city shuttle; the Deluxe Twin and King rooms are 32 m². Choose it for space and a pool in Cho Lon. Watch out: it is in District 5, so use the shuttle or a ride to reach the centre. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Hotel Nikko Saigon, comfortable. At 235 Nguyen Van Cu, a 23-storey hotel of 334 rooms and 53 service apartments with 40 m² Deluxe rooms, a garden pool on the fourth floor and the Ming Court restaurant. Choose it for large rooms and Japanese service. Watch out: the hotel gives its distances as driving times, 10 minutes to Ben Thanh Market and 12 to the Opera House. Check rates on Booking.com →

How to book Ho Chi Minh City

• Count the “++”. Add the service charge and the tax to every rate that carries it: a VND 3,000,000++ room costs between VND 3,390,000 and VND 3,465,000, by our arithmetic above.
• Check the walk. Distances here are by car or metro more than on foot: the Novotel is 1.8 km from Ben Thanh Market, and the Nikko is a 10-minute drive from it.
• Check the room. The Silverland’s entry rooms are 26 to 28 m² and the Nikko’s Deluxe rooms 40, and the Majestic assigns its Century Deluxe rooms on check-in.
• Compare totals. Hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book, and the tax rules around the world show how other cities add theirs.

All 12 at a glance

Before you go

• Before you fly, sort out mobile data (the best eSIM for Vietnam) and cover (the best travel insurance).
• Plan the trip with the first-timers’ guide to Ho Chi Minh City, things to do in Ho Chi Minh City and the best time to visit Vietnam.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Government of Vietnam: Resolution 204/2025/QH15 on the VAT reduction
• Vietnam News Agency: the National Assembly adopts the VAT reduction resolution
• Caravelle Saigon: Tet offer and terms, with “++” rates
• VnExpress: Saigon rejects plan to tax tourists for overnight stays, 2017
• VnEconomy: Ho Chi Minh City sets metro ticket prices, reporting the People’s Committee decision
• Ho Chi Minh City Metro Guide (independent): Line 1 tickets and fares from Ben Thanh
• Saigon Giai Phong: bus route 109 connects to Terminal 3, announced by the city’s Public Transport Management Centre
• Official websites of each hotel named above, checked in October 2026

Prices, fares and hotel terms change. Every detail here was checked in October 2026; confirm rates, taxes, room types and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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