KHÁCH SẠN A & EM 150 LÊ THÁNH TÔN
If you are a backpacker or digital nomad in Vietnam, a key skill is to lớn discriminate between hotels (khách sạn), and motels (nhà nghỉ) and other lodges of ill-repute (wink wink).
Sometimes, the lodge’s name is a subtle clue about the type of clientele their targetting (e.g. A&EM Villa, see below), but often, you must see the premises lớn really know what’s going on in the dark.
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The livability, quality, and respectability of Khách sạn vs Nhà nghỉ differ widely across regions và cities. In this post, we help you learn the difference between these types of hotels/motels, their pronunciation, and highlight a few key cultural insights about how Vietnamese consider these establishments.
TRAVEL TIP: see our recommendations about hotels in Hanoi, HCMC và Da Nang that are tourist-friendly & affordable (read below).
Pronunciation và Meaning of khách sạn (Hotels)
Khách has an up-tone, và sounds like “hack”. Sạn has a short down-tone (angry and halty); it sounds lượt thích “sa!”
Basically, khách sạn are normal hotels lượt thích you’d expect in any country.
Theoretically, khách sạn are higher chất lượng lodges, with tourist amenities & services for short-term says, such as onsite cooks, motor-bike rental, refrigerators in room, writing desks, upholstered reading chairs, etc.
EXAMPLE: look for the hints that the Phu Nhuan khách sạn (Ho bỏ ra Minh City) is legit & traveller-friend: spa-services, 3-star rating, proper meal services, promotional images emphasize traveller amenities — all these suggest it is not a seedy place for romantic encounters.
In reality, Vietnam’s true Khách sạn are only those with a star-rating above 3. Two-star or one-star hotels are more likely to lớn be “hotels” in name only, and may be more like a nhà nghỉ. Even flashy, gorgeous-looking “boutique hotels” with exquisite interior decor may be actually a nhà nghỉ in disguise.
Pronunciation & Meaning of công ty Nghỉ
Nhà has a down-tone and sounds lượt thích “nya” with a low-deep voice. Nghỉ ngơi has a weird-tone (our term). It sounds like ŋee.
LANGUAGE TIP: Beware the ŋ sound (written as ng) — it is nearly impossible for English-speakers to say correctly, or even hear correctly. We have an entirely post dedicated to trying to pronounce và hear the ŋ sound. Read more here.
In the past, nhà ngủ were basically cheap motels: bare-bone lodges for short, impromptu stay. They lacked the amenities & services of proper hotels.
Xem thêm: Cách Nấu Gà Lá Giang Ngon Nhất, Cách Nấu Canh Gà Lá Giang Chua, Cay Ngon Hết Nấc
However, in big cities, nhà nghỉ slowly morphed into “love-motels” — lodges which mostly cater to lớn couples who need an intimate get-away, rather than provide travel-stays for tourists. Some nhà nghỉ even advertise per-hour rates.
While this may seem seedy và uncouth, just keep in mind that the seediness spans a spectrum: from quasi-brothels, khổng lồ places used by unmarried adults who need lớn alone from their parents (with whom they still live). Because living-with-parents is so common in Asian cultures, the nhà nghỉ fill a needed dating-niche that is less-common in American/Canadian culture.
As a backpacker or digital nomad, you may be enticed to lớn stay at a nhà nghỉ because of its cheaper price. Generally, this won’t be a great experience for you: it’s unlikely that you’ll have nighttime solicitiations by unsavory characters (i.e. As commonly happens in neighbouring countries lượt thích China), but you’re likely khổng lồ embarrass yourself to anyone else in Vietnamese society who learns where you are staying.
TRAVEL TIP: If someone is aggressively flirting with you at a Nhà Nghỉ, such as the female proprietress or a female staff, it’s not because you’re so charming và attractive. It’s because it is part of the Nhà Nghỉ business-model.
How to Avoid the Worse đơn vị Nghỉ
There are four clues to notice so you can avoid the worst đơn vị Nghỉ: i) suggestive online-images of “couple” paraphernalia và furniture; ii) proximity to karaoke-streets, iii) per-hour rates, & iv) lãng mạn and/or sexually-suggestive names. Keep in mind the caveat to vày with rural lodges.
In contrast to the các mục below, real hotels (but not all) will have proper tourist services và affectations, such as the classic wall of clocks from multiple time-zones, or an attached spa and restaurant, an affiliated travel-agent service, etc.
i) Watch-out for motels with suggestive images, furniture & couple’s paraphernalia
Some of the promotional images of being a love-motel, such as rose-petal dappled bed-sheets, or towels arrange as a pair-of-swans.
Xem thêm: Top 5 Khách Sạn Huế Gần Sông Hương View Đẹp Cực Đỉnh, Khách Sạn Gần Sông Hương, Huế
Other images are bold and not-so-subtle, such as bathtubs filled with milk & rose-petals or rocking-chairs-meant-for-two.
