Hotel and Inn Review: Tru by Hilton Viet Tri City Centre (Viet Tri, Vietnam)

 

Date of Stay: November 14 to 15, 2025

 

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: *******

Rooms: ******

Condition and Cleanliness: ******

Staff Performance: ******

Room Comfort: *******

Food and Beverage: *******

Other Amenities: *******

Value for Money: *******

 

Tru by Hilton Viet Tri City Centre

Our second night in Vietnam was to spent at the 3.5-star Tru by Hilton Viet Tri City Centre, nestled just 2 kms. from the vibrant heart of Viet Tri.  This smoke-free property, was opened in 2022 and was just recently renovated this year.  It has 105. well-appointed guestrooms (15 sq. m King Accessible Room, King Bed Room, and Twin Bed Room, JO Twin Room, JO King Room, Twin Room, Deluxe Twin/Double Room).  

 

Room 419

The frosted glass bathroom with separate lavatory

Ours had connecting rooms (418 and 419) with air conditioning, 43-inch, flat-screen Smart television with cable channels, phone, minibar, in-room safe, work desk, blackout curtains and complimentary bottled water. The private bathroom had a rainshower head, bidet, free toiletries and a hair dryer. 

 

Our bathroom

Our complimentary buffet breakfast (from 7 to 10 AM), the next day, was at the 24-hour JO247 Lounge, an onsite lobby lounge.  It also serves Continental, buffet, à la carte and Asian lunch and dinner. 

The hotel lobby

The hotel also has a lively lobby with work space, a bar, a game room (foosball), a 24-hour, state-of-the-art fitness gym, a communal living room, elevator, a vending machine and a 24-hour Front Desk. Free on-site private parking is available via a spacious car park. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, including all rooms 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices) and public areas. 

The hotel bar

They also offer luggage storage, safety deposit boxes, housekeeping, dry cleaning, concierge services, tours/ticket assistance, shuttle service, express check-in/check-out and laundry facilities.

 

Buffet breakfast at JO247 Lounge

The hotel is located 1.6 kms. (a 15-min. walk) from Van Lang Park, 4.2 kms. from Đền Tam Giang và Chùa Đại Bi, 13.2 kms.  from Hung Kings Temple Historical Relics, 21.4 kms. from Military Hospital and Lang Co Duong Lam, 22.5 kms. from Vac Lake, 23 kms. from Vinh Phuc Provincial Museum, 23.1 kms. from Beta Cineplex Vinh Yen, 23.5 kms. from Temple of Hậu Nghĩa Lộc Việt, 23.8 kms. from RiverBay Pickleball Vinh Phuc, 25.1 kms. from Quảng trường Hồ chí minh, 25.8 kms. from Shanxi Citadel, 27.1 kms. (a 50-min. drive) from Ba Vi National Park, 30.1 kms. from Ao Vua Lake, 35.6 kms. from Thiền viện Trúc lâm Tây Thiên and 64.2 kms. from Noi Bai International Airport.

 

JO247 Lounge

Tru by Hilton Viet Tri City Centre: 938 Đ. Hung Vuong Ave., Tho Son Ward, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho, 290000, Vietnam.  Tel: +84 210 3636 555.

Hotel and Inn Review: Bora Hotel (Sapa, Vietnam)

 

Date of Stay: November 13 to 14, 2025

 

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: ********

Rooms: *******

Condition and Cleanliness: ******

Staff Performance: ******

Room Comfort: *******

Food and Beverage: ********

Other Amenities: *******

Value for Money: *******

 

Bora Hotel

Our first night in Vietnam was spent at the 4-star Bora Hotel in Sa Pa which was opened last July 2024.  We stayed in Room 409, one of their 65 newly-renovated rooms (Family, De Luxe Twin,De Luxe Double, Superior Twin, Standard Twin, Standard Triple) with balconies, air-conditioning, TV, and wardrobe. 

Room 409

Our private bathroom had a shower and free toiletries. Free WiFi was available in our room and throughout the property.

 

Our bathroom

We had our dinner at the modern, 200-pax Bora Essence Restaurant. With two wood-burning fireplaces, serves brunch, lunch, dinner, and high tea with halal, vegetarian and vegan options and a child-friendly buffet. Its diverse menu featured a harmonious blend of local dishes from the Northwest region and creative Fusion dishes plus a rich collection of local and imported wines.

 

Bora Essence Restaurant

The hotel also has a 24-hour Front Desk, a spa and wellness center (Sapa Essence Spa), sauna, an outdoor seating area, terrace and free on-site private parking. Bora Hotel offers tours, housekeeping service, room service, paid airport shuttle service and luggage storage.

 

The bar

The hotel is located 280 m. (4-min. walk) from the Church of the Holy Rosary (Sapa Stone Church), 370 m. from Quang Truong Square (Sapa Square), 540 m. from Ham Rong Mountain, 1.1 km. from Cat Cat Ethnic Village and 5.3 kms. from Sun World Fansipan Legend Cable Car Station.

 

Hotel lobby

Bora Hotel: 54B Phố Cầu Mây, TT. Sa Pa, Sa Pa, Lào Cai 33000, Vietnam.  Tel: +84 214 3871 313. Email: info@borasapa.com.

Hotel and Inn Review: Elios Hotel (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Date of Stay: July 27-29, 2014

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: *******

Rooms: ********

Condition and Cleanliness: ********

Staff Performance: *******

Room Comfort: ********

Food and Beverage: *******

Other Amenities: *****

Value for Money: ******

The small, 81-room Elios Hotel, opened in 2007, sits across from a large, lush and lovely public park with lake (great for an early morning jog or leisurely stroll), close to the Ben Thanh market (the largest and most popular in Saigon), a supermarket, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace, the Saigon Opera House, Saigon Square and the Saigon River.

Elios Hotel

Elios Hotel is also nicely located very near (but a comfortable distance from) the vibrant Bui Vien/De Tham backpackers’ area, with its souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, money changers and spas plus the convenient tour agency offices are just a few buildings away.  Beside the hotel is the  ABC bakery which sells great bread and cakes.

Front Desk

Great interior

Its good, clean and comfortable 30 sq. m. de luxe room (1 of 9 such rooms, US$73) has electronic locks, airconditioning, wall-mounted flat screen LCD cable TV, IDD phone, free wi-fi internet service, tea/coffee making facility, in-room safety deposit box, mini-fridge, work desk and ensuite private bath with bathtub.

De Luxe Room

This 3-star hotel, with slightly higher standards than its neighbors, also has 17 superior (22 sq. m., US$50), 46 senior superior (25 sq. m., US$63.50), 7 grand de luxe (358 sq. m., US$84) and 2 suites (with jacuzzi tubs, 38 sq. m., US$94.20).

Amenities at De Luxe Room

Ensuite private bathroom

A great plus for this hotel, aside from its bright, comfortable and modestly-sized rooms and great location, is their staff. They were very super friendly, courteous and helpful and attended to our every need and request with a smile on their face. In 2013, Tripadvisor awarded it a Certificate of Excellence based on ratings by hotel guests.

View of the city from the roof deck terrace

The 12th floor airconditioned Blue Sky Restaurant, a good place to unwind, provided a good breakfast (6:30-10 AM) buffet variety that changes every day, a mix of traditional Vietnamese food and Western dishes (pancakes, omelettes, cold cuts, a variety of salads,toast, curries, pastries, etc.) plus excellent Vietnamese coffee and fresh fruit.

The breakfast buffet at the 12th floor restaurant

The restaurant also has a lovely roof terrace and bar with a stunning view of the city skyline (especially at night).  The hotel also has an elevator (not usually available in the area), a business center and the Orient Lounge at the ground floor and meeting rooms, the Elite Club (club and jacuzzi) and a non-airconditioned mini gym (with 4 machines) at the second floor. Another great value for money hotel.

The roof deck terrace

Elios Hotel: 233 Pham Ngu Lao St.,  Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.Tel: (+84 8) 38 385 584 and (+84 8) 38 385 585.  Fax:(+84 8) 38 385 583.  E-mail: reservation@elioshotel.vn.  Website: www.elioshotel.vn.