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Alleyway Hostel is less than 300 m from Pham Ngu Lao St and the 23/9 bus station that has buses to/from the airport, Mien Dong bus station and Mien Tay bus station. It will appeal to the budget conscious traveller who wants to be close to the backpacker conveniences like travel agents, open tour bus companies and bars and don’t mind staying outside of the tourist vortex.

Look for the green gates (and shoes). Photo: Cindy Fan

True to the name, the hostel is located in a local alley and it may not to be to everyone’s taste as it is behind a row of shops and the way can be quite muddy. Luckily, in keeping with Vietnamese culture, shoes are removed before entering.

Dorms are quite basic and on the small side. There are metal bunks with backpack sized lockers underneath. They’ve added wooden boards between beds for privacy, doubling as a headboard, though this does visually make the room feel more cramped than it is and it blocks the already meagre natural light from the one small window. Each bed has a power point and reading light.

An Alleyway dorm room. Photo: Cindy Fan

One positive is the free drinking water dispenser in the lobby. Alleyway Hostel won’t rock your world but should satisfy bargain hunters as it’s a cheap, decent bed with air-con and WiFi, good for a couple of nights. It’s also in better shape and cleaner than Saigon Backpackers Hostel at 373/20 Pham Ngu Lao, the only other hostel in the area we found to offer female-only dorms.