The Indochine was one of two hotels we chose, as on the return leg of our journey, we indulged by staying at the Continental Hotel . Naturally, there is no comparing the two, although the Indochine offered much more in terms of the Vietnamese dialogue of daily life. We arrived quite late in the evening, after successfully finding our hotel pick-up at the Tan Son Nhat Airport, patiently waiting for our flight that had been delayed. An unpretentious facade makes it difficult to distinguish the hotel, which blends in to a fault with apartment buildings on Hai Ba Trung Street. One person was on duty at the reception, and it was a bit difficult to get luggage and questions of a general nature answered. We asked for a room with a balcony, though Henry Nguyen, who had corresponded with Chuck prior to our arrival, discouraged it. Two motorbikes stood right across from the breakfast area, and we later learned that this is very commonplace. The tiny elevator barely held the two of us with our luggage.
A clean, spacious room awaited, with double beds and a huge armoire with additional shelving on the sides for storage. The walls were totally barren and in need of fresh paint. Two low chairs flanked a long and open-shelf dresser that doubled as a TV stand. The furniture had definitely seen better days. A small refrigerator stood close to the balcony door. A pair of La Vie bottled waters, along with the usual soft drinks and beer, are replaced on a daily basis, depending on your consumption.
Don’t expect down bedding or extra pillows; however, I found extra quilts in the armoire, which, at times, doubled as a pillow. The bathroom lacked adequate shelf space, but supplied the basic soap and shampoo. The toilets encourage conservation by giving the option of extended or short flushes. Most showers are handheld, as was this one, and there is a convenient thermostat that will allow you to regulate your hot water settings (brush up on centigrade versus Fahrenheit). I found them to be a bit chintzy on the towels, as it is not unusual to shower more than once a day.
The balcony was an absolute joy to use, as it allowed us to grasp the routine of Saigon, a city fast on the rise. From there, Chuck learned the schedule of the baker across the street so that we would be first to get the freshest baguettes and other French baked goods. An old man across the street performed his stretching rituals, unfazed by his surroundings. A little after 6am, the street bustled with motorbikes and bicycles, laden with every conceivable type of goods.
The staff was really friendly and very helpful, but clearly not totally prepared for a Western audience. One of the things we enjoyed most was breakfast, which opened up entire new frontiers for us.