The best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels include everything from big 5-star brands, such as the Sofitel, InterContinental and Park Hyatt, which has spacious colonial style suites, hotels with history, such as the Continental, and The Reverie Saigon, perhaps the city’s most sumptuous lodgings.
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels in Vietnam‘s fast paced southern metropolis, which the locals still fondly call Saigon. When it comes to luxury accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City, there is a good mix of the big 5-star hotel brands and independent lodgings, and most are located slap-bang in the centre in District 1, home to most of Saigon’s sights, museums and galleries, as well as great eating, drinking and shopping.
At the luxury level in Saigon, you can expect to check into everything from heritage hotels that still ooze a little history despite modern refurbishments to comfortable contemporary properties with rooftop swimming pools, and you can also expect to find a good range of prices, especially during the low season.
The best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels are as popular with holidaymakers as business travellers, so it’s best to book ahead during busy periods, such as the ‘winter’ high season (December-February) and the mid-year summer holidays, as sometimes the only rooms left are those in the top price bracket. If they’re over your budget, do see our guide to the best Saigon boutique hotels.
Here’s our guide to the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels.
Best Ho Chi Minh City Luxury Hotels in the Heart of Saigon’s District One
Park Hyatt Saigon
The Park Hyatt Saigon is easily the best of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels. Firstly, this elegant hotel is on prime real estate, slap bang in the centre of District 1, overlooking the majestic Saigon Opera House, and in walking distance of all the major Ho Chi Minh City attractions, most less than a kilometre away. Secondly, this Park Hyatt does what the group does well, integrating their lodgings into the style of the architecture in the locale. There are 245 comfortable rooms and suites decorated in a colonial style, the best picks of which are the deluxe suites, which French doors that open onto shady terraces, are there are always plenty of attentive staff around. The pool area is a welcome relief after a sweaty day of sightseeing and there’s a great spa as well. If you’re so tired from sightseeing you can’t be bothered heading out, dine at the hotel’s Square One on Vietnamese and French cuisine.
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Hôtel des Arts Saigon M Gallery Collection
The Hôtel des Arts Saigon M Gallery Collection is arguably one of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels and we have to admit that we’re not the biggest fans of the Sofitel brands, although the M Gallery Collection hotels tend to be more chic. This is one of their finest properties, full of 1930s Indochine charm. The rooms are all the same size until you get to the suites (they’re twice the size of the other categories); it’s only the appointments that are upgraded as you opt for the more expensive rooms. The location is great, just a few blocks from the main attractions and museums, and while you have further to walk that you do from the Park Hyatt, there is a stunning rooftop infinity pool and bar where you can cool down with a dip and a drink.
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The Reverie Saigon
The Reverie Saigon quickly rose to become one of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels after it opened in 2015 and it’s easy to see why. There’s a lot to like about these flamboyant lodgings, from the central District 1 location on Nguyen Hue, Saigon’s lively walking street, which really comes alive in the early evenings to the sweeping city views (rooms and suites start from the 27th floor) and opulent Italian marble appointments. As the rooms come in many styles, designed by myriad Italian design firms, there’s everything from baroque to modernist styles to choose from. The service is always attentive, the pool and gym are excellent, and there are plenty of dining options if you can’t bring yourself to leave after a busy day out and about in bustling Saigon. Some room styles are quite romantic, so it’s a good choice for couples.
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InterContinental Hotel Saigon
Just one block from Saigon Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Basilica Saigon, two of Ho Chi Minh City’s star attractions, and a few blocks from the Park Hyatt and Saigon Opera House, the location of the InterContinental Hotel Saigon is hard to beat. Easily another of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels, this is a modern-style InterCont, with spacious, stylish rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and the kind of service you’d expect from a great five-star hotel group. We stayed here on our first trip to the city and the concierge not only gave us some brilliant (and not expensive) restaurant tips, he wrote down what dishes to order! Fantastic breakfasts that we found hard to skip and head off to a pho stall. View are terrific, too, so book a high-floor room.
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New World Saigon Hotel
While the New World Saigon Hotel might not boast the level of luxury of the hotels above, it still remains one of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels for its spacious, comfortable rooms and suites, fantastic Club extras, and its outdoor swimming pool. Bonuses: very friendly staff and a very generous buffet breakfast. The location may not be as central as the other lodgings, but it’s handily located to Ben Thanh Market, the Independence Palace (Reunification Palace) and Maison Marou, a must for chocolate lovers. While the hotel has three dining options, there are plenty of good restaurants nearby, such as chef Peter Cuong Franklin’s award-winning Anan Saigon. The hotel has received a freshening up since the last time we stayed, making it one of the best value hotels in the luxury category for the District 1 location.
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Hotel Continental Saigon
Centrally beside the Opera House and just behind the Park Hyatt, the four-star Hotel Continental Saigon is the city’s oldest hotel, dating to 1880, and has a real sense of history despite a 1980s refurbishment. This is the hotel where Graeme Greene, a long-term guest who stayed in room 214, conceived and wrote part of The Quiet American. During the Vietnam War, Time and Newsweek had offices on the second floor. The rooms here are spacious, with high ceilings and large windows – which you should take advantage of by booking a balcony room overlooking the Opera House. If you don’t, you’ll be booking a room overlooking Dong Khoi Street or the leafy inner courtyard, which is filled with frangipani trees. It’s the heritage-style Opera Wing Suites that make this one of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels. Tuck into the generous buffet breakfast before hitting the sights, which are just minutes away on foot – or the shops. Dong Khoi Street is home to some of Saigon’s best shopping. Note that this hotel does not have a swimming pool.
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The Rex Hotel
Originally opened as a garage and car dealership in the 1920s, The Rex Hotel has been spruced up considerably, its ground floor now hosting a Chanel store and its lobby decked out in Italian marble and crystal chandeliers. The hotel still has a sense of history (after its 1960s transformation to a hotel, its first guests were US soldiers who had their Thanksgiving dinner at what’s now the rooftop bar) and has retained some of its old-fashioned charm, particularly in the ornate dining room. A four-star, rather than five-star hotel, The Rex is nevertheless very comfortable and remains one of the best value hotels in the city with a brilliant location. None of the main attractions are more than a 5-10 minute walk away. The layout is interesting, with an internal garden, and a rooftop swimming pool and bar with a long cocktail list. The rooms are spacious styled with Vietnamese touches. Due to its location and great value, it’s one to book early as the standard rooms sell out fast but the executive options are worth the upgrade.
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Caravelle Saigon
Opened in 1959, the Caravelle Saigon was a landmark with its mix of French and Vietnamese architecture. Just block out the 24-storey tower they built behind it in 1998. Located opposite the Continental Hotel and Opera House it’s a fantastic base for a first trip to Saigon, particularly for those planning on a shopping expedition. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, if a little old-fashioned (the suites are the best), but are currently being refurbished. The dining and drinking options could do with an upgrade, too, although it’s hard to beat the views from the rooftop bar. Still, it’s a great option if you can’t get into the others and the price is right.
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Le Meridien Saigon
Located on the banks of Saigon River in District 1, this is a hotel not to judge by its dated green glass exterior. While it’s not as central as the accommodations above, the sweeping views, particularly from the part-indoors pool, make up for the walk. The contemporary and chic rooms either face the city centre or the river. The ‘Premier Classic’ rooms are the standard rooms and are huge for standard rooms at 38 square metres. The ‘Grand Deluxe’ rooms are even bigger at 55 square metres. We’d opt for the ‘Club Classic’ with either city centre or the river views which gives you access to the Concierge lounge and other perks. There’s a fine spa and fitness centre, too.
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Have you stayed in any of these properties? What are your picks of the best Ho Chi Minh City luxury hotels?
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