Green Riverside Cosy Home

I’m a big believer that it’s the people who make or break a stay; Let’s just say, the people (staff) made this stay a highlight of my Vietnam trip. And also the hostel was in amazing shape, would stay again in a heartbeat

Giang made me sweep the floors and take care of the baby as payment to get my laundry back - just kidding, sort of :)

Homey

Friendly staff, clean & today, Beautiful view from the rooftop

Our room was clean, quiet, and Giang, the owner’s sister, was wonderful. She led a Vietnamese language lesson that was engaging, funny, and one of the highlights of our stay and was so helpful throughout our visit

The sales approach was much more persistent than we expected. Upon arrival, we were invited to sit down so Ms. Linh, the owner and manager, could help us plan our stay and “give us the best possible experience,” but the conversation was primarily focused on selling tours, transfers, and other services. We felt the sales pressure was quite heavy, and once it became clear we were arranging our own activities and transport, our interactions became noticeably less welcoming. For example, when we explained we were meeting a friend at the Duck Stop, we were repeatedly encouraged to visit a different duck farm instead. We also noticed we received almost the same recommendations as at our previous accommodation, making the advice feel more like a standard sales pitch than personalised recommendations. We also experienced a few practical issues. On both nights, the drinking water ran out around 8:30 p.m., and when we asked if more was available, despite seeing additional water containers in the common area, we were told to “come back tomorrow.” Our biggest concern occurred on the second night when our room developed a strong sweet smell reminiscent of durian or gasoline. Because we couldn’t identify the source, we were concerned it could be a gas or chemical issue and asked if we could move rooms, even to a smaller one. We were initially told the property was fully booked and that changing rooms was not possible. Later, we noticed rooms still appeared to be available online, which left us confused. Only after we continued to express our safety concerns were we asked to air out the room and message the owner if the smell remained, although she had not confirmed we had a way to contact her. Fortunately, after about 15 minutes, the smell disappeared and did not return, and we also noticed the hallway smelled even more strongly than our room. We were glad the issue resolved, but the way our concerns were handled left us with less confidence than we would have liked.