During my family vacation to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we stayed at the Pullman Saigon Centre for two nights and Sofitel Saigon Plaza for two nights to try out both the properties there managed under the Accor hospitality group.
If you prefer living in a luxurious, quieter environment, but still near enough to the heart of the city where all the actions are, Sofitel Saigon Plaza is an option to consider. Otherwise, go for Pullman Saigon Centre.
Sofitel Saigon Plaza is located on peaceful tree-lined Le Duan Boulevard just a moment from the commercial centre. This is one of the few areas in Ho Chin Minh City where there are wide pavements that are well-maintained and relatively regulated traffic compared to the chaos elsewhere.
The nearest attractions are the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Reunification Palace. There are free half hourly one-way shuttle bus services to Ben Thanh market and the cathedral from the hotel. To get back, a ride on a metered taxi should cost no more than 10,000 VND (~S$6).
A tip on taking a taxi back to the hotel – the road leading to the front entrance of the hotel tends to get extremely congested during rush hours. As such, you can ask the driver to drop you at the back of the hotel and save a good half an hour or more stuck in traffic.
For food, the Japanese dining street is about 15 minutes walk away and offers a whole street of watering holes, upmarket as well as budget restaurants catering to mainly business clients.
The concierge staff are exemplary and are able to make very good recommendations for sightseeing and dining. They speak good English (which is rare in Vietnam) and provide detailed directions.
The hotel lobby exudes a majestic, old-world charm which contrasts starkly with the newly renovated rooms and suites:
Sofitel Saigon Plaza offers rooms of contemporary 5-star hotel style with a blend of modern French design and Vietnamese influences. Here is a walkthrough of the room we stayed in on the 15th floor:
The hotel breakfast offers a delectable spread of vietnamese and international cuisines:
There is also an excellent rooftop pool which offers a very good view of the city. Asher and I managed to go for a short swim:
There’s a candle lighting ritual thing that occurs in the evening within the hotel. It’s fun to watch and we happened to catch it while watching for our transport to arrive:
Situated in the business district, the five-star hotel offers 286 rooms including 11 suites. Most of the guests appear to be business travelers who want to stay in the commercial centre or discerning leisure travelers who prefer a quieter and more organised surrounding.
Earn loyalty points by staying at Sofitel Saigon Plaza if you are a registered member with the Le Club Accorhotels – a free, multi-brand loyalty programme that offers Accor hotel customers advantages and rewards in most Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis styles, Adagio, Adagio Access, The Sebel, Grand Mercure and Thalassa sea & spa hotels. This means more than 2,700 budget to luxury hotels in the world!
Sign up for Le Club Accorhotels if you haven’t done so already!
