Splash for the river views
When it comes to location, Thanh Thuy’s riverfront situation in the heart of Can Tho’s tourist centre can’t be beat.
The accommodation sports stark local hotel-calibre rooms, and you are paying for that location—a premium if you want a room with river view—but there are a few positives as well.
Guests can look forward to white tile floors, glossy white tiles up half of the white walls—the white box is as charming as a hospital exam room but at least it is clean and uncontroversial. Despite the fact that Thanh Thuy takes up the width of two storefronts, like all local hotels in Can Tho, rooms are skinny and long and the cheapest rooms (standard and double) are cramped, don’t have windows and can feel depressing.
We think these rooms are overpriced and if you’re going to take a clinical generic room, you may as well save money by staying at Thanh Ha Guesthouse instead. If you do opt for the standard or double room, they’ve still managed to squeeze in a wall mounted flatscreen TV, fridge, wardrobe and private bathroom with hot water shower. Air-con and WiFi are also included.
Things get roomier and brighter with the window or balcony room and this is where we think you may want to spend the money. It’s still a white box with fluoro lighting but there’s space to move around and a tile bathroom with separate shower stall and vanity. The window room doesn’t have a view. The balcony room is the standout and you do get a good vantage of the river. At night, the river road is lit up and busy with pedestrians strolling along it.
Thanh Thuy is for those willing to spend the extra dong for a room with a balcony and breezy river view or for a no fuss room in a central location. It’s a solid choice for a night, and a popular choice at that. It took us several attempts to see a room because it was consistently sold out. Advanced booking is recommended.
Address: 66-68 Hai Ba Trung, Tan An Ward, Can Tho
T: (0292) 0246 4464;
Email: thanhthuycthotel@gmail.com
Coordinates (for GPS): 105º47'17.31" E, 10º1'59.73" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: US$10 to 20
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Standard double room No window | 350,000 dong | 350,000 dong |
Superior double room No window, add 100,000 dong for a window | 400,000 dong | 400,000 dong |
Deluxe double room River views | 550,000 dong | 550,000 dong |
Reviewed by
Cindy Fan
Cindy Fan is a Canadian writer/photographer and author of So Many Miles, a website that chronicles the love of adventure, food and culture. After falling in love with sticky rice and Mekong sunsets, in 2011 she uprooted her life in Toronto to live la vida Laos. She’s travelled to over 40 countries and harbours a deep affection for Africa and Southeast Asia. In between jaunts around the world, she calls Laos and Vietnam home where you’ll find her traipsing through rice paddies, standing beside broken-down buses and in villages laughing with the locals.
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