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Happy Inn

Happy indeed!

What we say 

Photo of Happy Inn, Mini-Hotel Alley, 40/13 Bui Vien St, District 1. , Ho Chi Minh City
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Happy Inn has two locations on Bui Vien. This one, on Mini-Hotel Alley, has 10 rooms. The guesthouse lobby actually looks like a real hotel, suggesting you may have successfully avoided a 'backpacker category' joint -- and you have. The rooms have air-con, cable TV and fridge, and the furnishings look sparkly. A big highlight here is the bathrooms -- undoubtedly the best on the strip, being very spacious and modern, and with a separate shower cubicle. Choose a room at the front and receive an excellent balcony with plenty of room to sit and watch the street life below -- for only a couple of dollars more it's well worth it. Rates at Happy have increased steadily in recent times, making it considerably more expensive than its neighbours, and for a reason -- it is better -- and we'd say, still remains good value. Stella Cafe, set across the alley, is worth checking out.

Contact details:
Mini-Hotel Alley, 40/13 Bui Vien St, District 1. T: (08) 836 9048, (08) 920 1525 
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What we were quoted*

Type of room Low season High season Notes
Dbl air-con private b'room 25 USD 25 USD Upto $27

* Travelfish researchers visit and review properties on an anonymous basis. By that we mean they show up, in person, and pretend to be either be a potential guest, or somebody looking for a room for a friend or relative. Where possible the researcher will inspect at least a couple of rooms. The rates you see above are what either the desk staff told us they were, or what were in the brochure when they just told us to quit bugging them and look in the brochure. For mid-range hotels and up, always shop around online for a competitive rate. Click here to find out more about what makes Travelfish different with regards our accommodation reviews.

Added to Travelfish on: 23rd December, 2006
Last visited or updated on: 24th August, 2008

Happy Inn reviews

Read 13 opinions from Travelfish readers

Recommended - 14th June, 2009
We stayed at Happy Inn 2. We paid $15 per night for a small twin room. Definitely much cleaner than the three other places we looked at (as Kim's Hotel was full). Staff were very friendly and helpful, beds were comfy and it was clean. Definitely good enough for a night or two in HCMC.

Happy Inn reviewed by jules78 on 14th June, 2009, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 6/2009
This is a Travelfish recommended reviewer
Total reviews submitted: 11.
jules78 also reviewed: Ban Thai Guest House, Dreams Hotel, Garden Home, Na Inn, New Siam II Guest House, Royal Hotel, Sayo Guesthouse, Sunshine Hotel, The Billabong Hotel, Thuy Duong 3 Hotel.

Not much to fault here - 17th March, 2009
Stayed in a double front-facing room with balcony for $25, which seemed a pretty good deal to me. The room was well proportioned, the bathroom comparatively huge, and the balcony big enough for a couple of chairs to watch the world go by. All very clean and well presented. Staff were friendly and the place had a pleasant atmosphere. Recommended.

Happy Inn reviewed by cyb023 on 17th March, 2009, rated 5 out of 5.
Stayed here 2/2009
This is a Travelfish recommended reviewer
Total reviews submitted: 12.
cyb023 also reviewed: Amari Boulevard Hotel, Ao Nuan Bungalows, Apple's Guest House, Kim Hotel, Lamphu House, Libra Guesthouse, Nhat Lhan, Rambuttri Village, V.N.Guesthouse, Wendy House.

Good spot - 5th November, 2007
We stayed at the newer one as well, and it was really nice. Pleasant and clean rooms and friendly, helpful staff. A little more expensive than a lot of the flea pits in the area but then, hey, it's not a flea pit. Worth the little extra.

Happy Inn reviewed by stilltravelling2007 on 5th November, 2007, rated 5 out of 5.
Stayed here 9/2007
This is a Travelfish recommended reviewer
Total reviews submitted: 11.
stilltravelling2007 also reviewed: An Phu Hotel, Chiang Mai Thai House, Chiang Mai Thai House, Dolphin, Rattana Guesthouse, Tay Ho Hotel, The Pavilion, Trung Nguyen Hotel, Two Dragons Guesthouse.

very good choice - 11th December, 2009
We stayed at Happy Inn 2 for five nights for 23 dollars a night in a double standard without balcony. The room was at the back of the house, which is very recommended, as it is quite and you can sleep without earplugs. Rooms are very clean, the staff was very friendly and helpful. And its located in the perfect place, with nice reatsurants, bars and shops next door. They don't serve breakfast but then you can just cross the street and have the best morning coffee in town at the stella cafe. Recommended!

Happy Inn reviewed by annaaa on 11th December, 2009, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 12/2009
Total reviews submitted: 8.
annaaa also reviewed: Asia Hotel, Auberge Mont-Royal d'Angkor, Blue Lime, Cloud 9, Hoan Kim, The Billabong Hotel, The Tad Fane Resort.

Pretty exxy - 28th February, 2009
We stayed in a twin room with balcony at the mini-hotel alley address for US$35/night. The staff were friendly, although did not speak great English. They did book some hotels for us in the Mekong Delta that we could not do ourselves because the staff at them only spoke Vietnamese, but then they charged us for the service. The balcony is small and it's not worth spending the extra $5 just get a window. The bathroom (especially separate shower cubicle) was great, but the whole thing was pretty expensive considering there is a wide range of hotels right next door that are similar and cheaper. Rate does include breakfast at the lovely Sozo cafe (run by disabled and deaf staff), but no internet.

Happy Inn reviewed by weiry on 28th February, 2009, rated 3 out of 5.
Stayed here 2/2009
Total reviews submitted: 3.
weiry also reviewed: Paradise Pearl Bungalow, Sleepy Sam's Bed and Breakfast.

Read 8 more reviews

nasty room ever - 30th December, 2008
roaches are every where in the rooms. I had to changed rooms 2 times, and till they re still in the room. That were so nasty, Go check out Kim hotel. They re excellent!!! With cheaper prices too.

Happy Inn reviewed by vivian_tran on 30th December, 2008, rated 2 out of 5.
Stayed here /
Total reviews submitted: 3.
vivian_tran also reviewed: Huong Mini Hotel, Kim Hotel.

Excellent value - 11th August, 2008
We stayed at the branch on Bui Vien down mini-hotel alley for two nights in room 223 with the balcony. We found the service to be excellent. We paid $22 per night for our room. In our opinion the hotel is the best on this lane. Sure you pay a bit extra but you get what you pay for. The rooms are really nice, new, have character and include a/c (wonderful) and cable and a bathroom with a separate shower cubicle. We went up to Nha Trang and returned to Happy Inn on 7 Aug for one night. This time we got the room without the balcony for US$18 per night. We checked out at 12 but our flight wasn't until midnight. The receptionist was happy to keep our belongings until 8pm and organised our transfer to the airport for US$8 while we hit the markets one last time. Would recommend paying the lil extra for the luxury of the balcony :) Very impressed, great location. We didnt find noise to be a problem at all. Couple of sofas and a tv at reception, good vibe and place to chat with other travellers

Happy Inn reviewed by ebj1 on 11th August, 2008, rated 5 out of 5.
Stayed here 8/2008
Total reviews submitted: 5.
ebj1 also reviewed: An An Hotel, Dreams Hotel, Rainbow Hotel, Viking Place Resort.

Loved it - 29th June, 2008
Great location. Immaculate comfortable room with big balcony, and the nicest receptionist in Vietnam!

Happy Inn reviewed by steiny on 29th June, 2008, rated 5 out of 5.
Stayed here 5/2008
Total reviews submitted: 4.
steiny also reviewed: Bao Minh Hotel, Manor House, Thien Thanh.

Friendly staff and good value - 22nd April, 2008
We enjoyed this hotel right on Bui Vien. The rooms were on the small side but perfectly comfortable with a great shower. Our only complaint was that they were doing some renovations and hammering went until 10pm at night and started fairly early in the morning. Still, the staff were lovely and were happy for us to leave our bags at the hotel when we went to Phu Quoc Island, allowing us to only take an overnight bag. As mentioned in another review, Stella across the road had great food as did the cafe next to the hotel.

Happy Inn reviewed by suziea on 22nd April, 2008, rated 5 out of 5.
Stayed here 1/2008
Total reviews submitted: 7.
suziea also reviewed: Beach Club, Chau Long Hotel, Halo, Thien Thanh, Tung Trang Hotel.

Nice place - 2nd December, 2007
Good points: Great room with air-con and a proper shower! Good location. Bad points: Should include brekkie for the price, although there is a great cafe called Stella across the street.

Happy Inn reviewed by Mulch on 2nd December, 2007, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 11/2007
Total reviews submitted: 6.
Mulch also reviewed: Halo, Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, Le Jardin Organique Vang Vieng, Sunshine Beach, Thien Thanh.

Bargain - 18th October, 2007
For what you pay Happy Inn is great value. We stayed at the new branch so I don't know about the other one but I was so surprised to be in a new hotel, with a lift, balcony and brand new bathroom for US$20. The only complaint we had was that the air conditioner blew air straight onto our faces during the night, which is a pretty paltry complaint. Definitely worth checking out.

Happy Inn reviewed by shinynewcoin on 18th October, 2007, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 10/2007
Total reviews submitted: 4.
shinynewcoin also reviewed: Anhuy Hotel, Tung Trang Hotel, Two Dragons Guesthouse.

Clean and stylish - 22nd July, 2007
I stayed at the newer branch (Feb 2007) and although the room was on the small side, the lighting, furniture and the amazing bathroom (fluffy towels and powerful hot shower) made up for it. The staff were super sweet. If you could cough up a few extra bucks, then I think it's worth it.

Happy Inn reviewed by amuckinasia on 22nd July, 2007, rated 5 out of 5.
Stayed here 2/2007
Total reviews submitted: 2.
amuckinasia also reviewed: Breeze of Pai.

Great value for money - 19th March, 2007
We thought Happy Inn was great. There are two locations, so be clear about which one you intend to stay at. The new one is bigger and has an elevator, but the original, in the picture, is where we stayed. It's very cute, clean and has good service. The rooms with the balcony are worth it. We paid US$18 for our room over Tet (Chinese New Year). It's not the cheapest place on the street, but I would bet it's one of the better deals.

Happy Inn reviewed by dldorne on 19th March, 2007, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 2/2007
Total reviews submitted: 2.
dldorne also reviewed: California Mui Ne Resort.

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So how does it rate?
On a scale of one to ten (with 10 being outstanding and 1 being bloody awful) how would you rate Happy Inn for the following criteria?

Note: Ratings are OUT OF TEN -- not five!
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