First Hotel — Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

I was extremely disappointed with the guest service during my stay at this First Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. From the beginning, the staff seemed unprepared and unaware of basic rules, especially when it came to recognizing valid travel documents. This caused unnecessary delays and confusion at check-in, which should have been a straightforward process.

To make matters worse, the supervisor on duty appeared untrained in handling customer concerns. Instead of resolving the situation professionally, they added to the frustration with a lack of knowledge and poor communication.

This experience was far from the standard I expect, especially at a hotel that caters to international guests. Unfortunately, due to the poor service and lack of proper staff training, I can only give this hotel a 1-star rating. I hope they take this feedback seriously and improve their customer service and staff training in the future.

To clarify, I am a permanent resident of the United States and I traveled with my valid U.S. Permanent Resident Card. Additionally, the Embassy of Vietnam issued me an exempt visa, which legally allows me to enter the country. Despite this, it seemed the hotel staff were either unaware of or did not recognize these documents. The lack of understanding created unnecessary trouble and led to a very disappointing experience.

Due to the confusion, lack of proper training among the staff, and the supervisor’s inability to resolve the issue—in fact, adding to the confusion—I felt compelled to leave a one-star review. Two days later, I received a response from the hotel owner, attempting to explain that my travel documents needed approval from a local authority. This only highlighted that none of the staff truly understood the valid travel documents issued by the Vietnamese government and foreign embassies.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously, and that proper training is provided to ensure future guests do not have to experience the same misunderstanding…

I strongly urge First hotels in Vietnam to: • Educate their staff about different international residency cards and the rights of travelers, ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect. • Clarify their policies to avoid any confusion or unnecessary questioning based on the type of identification a guest carries. • Recognize that overseas Vietnamese are part of the global Vietnamese community, no matter where they reside.

It’s important that all guests—regardless of whether they hold a passport, green card, or other residency documents—are welcomed equally and treated with the same level of respect.

This is why I took the step of leaving feedback to the Vietnamese embassy and engaging with local authorities to ensure that Vietnam’s hospitality industry aligns with immigration law and respects the rights of all travelers.

I hope this will serve as a reminder that travel is about connection, respect, and inclusivity. Let’s work together to ensure that Vietnam welcomes all its people, no matter where they come from or what residency...

We, a group of 43 people comprising of 30 doctors checked in at First Hotel on Nov 21 st night. All were more than 55 years of age. We started our Vietnam tour at Hanoi on 17th . The hotel was Lacasa Hotel. The check-in procedure took only 5 minutes as all our passport copies and visas were already recorded in their reception computer. On 19th we checked in at Blue Sun hotel Danang. The check-in was smooth. We reached the First Hotel in Ho Chi Minh city around 11.pm 21st November. Two men were in the reception. He asked first to show our Visas and wanted to keep all the passports. For a moment, we thought that they are Immigration officers disguised as receptionists. They were rude and said that this is the Hotel’s management policy. We called our tour operator, who assured that everybody’s passport copies and visas were sent in advance to the hotel and the hotel acknowledged the receipt of the same. We did not keep the visas at hand as our passports were already stamped at the immigration counter. We tried to explain, but they were not ready to listen. We had to spend sometime to take out our visas and passports. They took photos in their mobile! and took nearly one hour before getting the keys of our rooms. Very pathetic reception. We know that we have to show our passports for security reasons. But they had copies in their computer and was needed only to counter check. In this digital world, making a group of 43 people in their sixties wait for more than one hour is not acceptable. Management should teach the receptionists, how to behave, how to see visa and passport files in the computer. Since we entered our rooms at midnight, we did not know the facilities of the hotel. For Breakfast, we had to cross the road and it was just ordinary. Hope management will look into the matter seriously. We do not recommend this hotel for any...

I recently stayed at this hotel and decided to try out their spa across the street. Upon asking the receptionist for directions to the spa, he directed me to their extension building across the street. Once at the spa, I requested a massage, and the male receptionist informed me that the massage cost 390,000 VND, plus a mandatory tip of 500,000 VND. Initially hesitant due to the expensive tip, but I eventually agreed because I was exhausted and in need of relaxation. As the hotel is rated 4 stars, I expected excellent service. However, when the massage therapist arrived, I was surprised to see a woman dressed inappropriately (very short skirt and tight shirt showing cleavage). Despite my confusion, I proceeded with the massage since I had already paid for it. Unfortunately, the massage was terrible; the therapist rushed through it and didn't properly apply oil or target pressure points. At some point, I told her the massage was not okay, but she didn't understand me. Having experienced massages in various countries, I found this one to be a waste of money and time. It was disappointing to receive such low-quality service from a supposedly reputable establishment. The hotel and spa staff were unreliable and failed to communicate the type of service provided accurately. They should have specified that the service was only available for men, considering the massage...