VTK Homestay — Hotel in Phan Si Pang Ward

The Viettrecking Homestay can boast with a great view into the valley and some social media worthy decor and ambience. However, if you are a little unlucky and get to Sapa during rainy days and can't be distracted by the view, the place falls short at almost everything else.

Room: 1 / 5 The staff is lacking in english. Many easy things were very hard to communicate. We booked the cheapest room cathergory and mostly chose the hotel for the wonderful views. However, after our routine mattress check (we had an issue with bed bugs once and have been checking every bed since then) we discovered several very bad stains, numerous hairs and our personal favorite: 2 dead bugs of questionable origin. How they manage to crawl into the bed and not be found even though the linens get changed regularly is beyond us. We couldn't clearly identify them as bed bugs but the general state of the mattress was just disgusting. Even in the cheapest room category (which is still mid to high price range for vietnamese conditions) this is unacceptable. We communicated to the staff that we wouldn't be comfortable sleeping the bed and asked for a change of rooms or a refund. Since all of the rooms in our category were occupied, they offered an upgrade - under the condition that we pay the additional amount of 25€ per day. Considering that we were not at fault here, we kindly refused and asked for a refund instead, which was not given. This was explained by the inability to give a refund when the stay is booked via a third party website. Probably valid, but still frustrating, since again, we were not at fault for the condition of the room. Eventually, they offered us the room upgrade for free, which we took for a lack of options. The new room, Tropical Garden view is indeed beautiful, though the "Garden" is a one meter wide artificial jungle. The entire ordeal was frustrating and not what you would expect from a hotel that claims high standards. Also, the rooftop pool, also a big reason for the choice, didn't work during our entire stay. The rooftop in general looks nothing like the pictures and is quite messy. The manager sought us out on the next day. He seemed genuinely interested and we wish the entire staff had this attitude.

A few times during our stay we heard some noise through the ceiling and believed it to be another guests pet. During the last night though, we were woken in the middle of the night by a scratching sound, like paws running agitatedly over wood, followed by high squeaking. A sound combination which from experience we know to be associated with rats. It was so loud and irritating that sleep eluded us the rest of the night. We told the staff at check out and the manager (a different one than the first time) again seemed very apologetic and promised to check it immediately, but the issue that there are probably rats in the vents still stands.

Restaurant: 1 / 5 We can hardly understand the good reviews. The service was abysmal. The menus were passed off to us after entering to bring to the table ourselves and we waited almost 15 minutes for our order to be taken (and we were the only guests at that time).The food itself was disappointing and, compared to the rest of Sapa, quite expensive. We chose a rice dish and asked about the topping. After a lot of explaining and the use of Google translate, the waiter told us it contained "salmon". Okay so far. But when the food arrived (again after about 20 minutes while being the only customers), the water failed to mention the extensive use of wasabi. Of course that's a personal preference, but such intense tastes should be mentioned on a menu specifically. The salmon we also ordered lacked flavor and honestly any taste. For a dish that costs 11€, disappointing. I have had better fish and chips at a mobile food cart. For a restaurant that claims to serve high quality dishes with expensive pricing, the service and food was absolutely not worth the money.

Café: 4/5 Only good thing worth mentioning. Very good, interesting flavors for many kinds of drinks and very...

A SOCIAL MEDIA FACADE

We had been traveling Vietnam and Thailand for 3 weeks prior to coming to Viettrekking Sapa and were really excited for our stay as this was meant to be one of our nicest accommodations. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

ROOM We arrived on a bus from Hanoi really late, extremely tired and ready for a shower and a good nights sleep, but upon entering the room we were met with an extremely foul smell and quickly realized that the toilet was leaking water. We went to reception to inquire about switching rooms - worried that this could be a health hazard and huge inconvenience because our feet were literally in the water when using the toilet, but they asked if we could use the public bathroom and stay in the room for the night until morning when facilities could come check on it. They insisted there were no other rooms available and that there was nothing they could do. It was almost 2:30 in the morning at this point and we just wanted to sleep, so we went to bed and tried to ignore the smell. We looked for the classic “do not disturb” sign every hotel has but there wasn’t one to be found. Of course - we were woken up by housekeeping pounding on our door at 7:30 in the morning asking if they could come in and clean the room which was frustrating. They ended up moving us a few rooms down which was nice but when we got to the other room the toilet was also leaking a bit which we didn’t even mention because it felt like a lost cause. We had to request a “do not disturb” sign so that we didn’t get woken up again.

Both rooms were incredibly muggy and by the end of our 3 night stay, our clothes were wet to the touch just from being in the room. This is definitely due to the fact that there is no ventilation to the outside (windows) and extremely poor ventilation in the bathroom. If there were a fire in the hallway, this room would be a deathtrap as there is no access to the outdoors.

POOL The pool looks stunning on social media but when we went up there not a single person was there. Probably due to the fact that it’s an unheated pool which usually wouldn’t be a big deal but it was cold in Sapa so we couldn’t really use it. There’s not a lifeguard or towels or literally anything up there it was a no mans land and just didn’t look good in person.

BREAKFAST Our booking included breakfast which was nice. Only issue is that it ran from 6:30 - 9:30 which isn’t too bad but when you’re on vacation it kinda sucks to have to set an alarm and run up there. One morning we went up at 9:15 to grab a quick coffee and toast from the buffet breakfast and the host at the restaurant said “you have 10 minutes” rather than greeting us nicely. Overall it was bad vibes in there.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Overall not great. Everyone seems pretty unhappy and it almost seems as if you are annoying them when asking questions. There was one extremely nice staff member who helped us with a flight issue we had. She literally called the airline for us multiple times and really went above and beyond to help us figure out our issue which was extremely kind. She was the best part of our stay and genuinely showed that she cared to help us and make sure we were comfortable and taken care of. So we really appreciated that and she made the stay a bit better.

Again this is a social media facade that is saved by the view. We felt that without the view it wouldn’t have been worth it at all and just felt like there were probably much nicer places we missed out on in Sapa....

A Nightmare in Sa Pa: Avoid This Hotel at All Costs.

After two weeks of traveling across Vietnam, my girlfriend and I were eagerly anticipating our stay at what was supposed to be our most luxurious hotel yet. We had already experienced five other hotels in cities like Da Nang, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, and Hoi An. We booked three nights in a room with a bathtub and mountain view, expecting a relaxing retreat. Unfortunately, our excitement quickly turned into disappointment. Here’s a rundown of our horrific stay:

Day 1 (Arrival): Upon arrival, we were welcomed warmly, and our bags were carried to our room. Things seemed promising. The bathtub faucet was unstable and poorly installed. Adjusting the temperature was a two-handed task to prevent the faucet from toppling over. The shower was a disaster—water splashed everywhere, including on stones placed beside the tub, creating stagnant pools without proper drainage. No windows could be opened, and there was no ventilation. We heard rats scurrying in the ceiling. A quick look at Google reviews revealed that other guests had similar experiences. There was also a grate hanging open in the ceiling. The hallway reeked of a foul odor, reminiscent of rotting meat. Mold was visible on the silicone around the windows.

Day 2: We woke up with sore throats, feeling groggy and tired. We discovered a large mold patch on the ceiling near the window, and the bathroom curtains were dotted with mold. The hallway stench persisted. Breakfast was a health hazard—cheese and other toppings were left unrefrigerated for hours, and the bread was stale. The restroom in the restaurant was poorly constructed, with one stall door unable to lock and a noticeable gap that allowed anyone to peer inside. The rooftop pool was a cold, dirty mess, filled with dead insects and debris. Clearly, it hadn’t been cleaned. The room smelled musty, likely due to the mold and lack of ventilation. We had to sleep with the bathroom light on to keep the exhaust fan running. The noise insulation was almost non-existent. We could hear every door open, every conversation, and every step in the hallway.

Day 3: We woke up feeling even worse—headaches, congestion, sneezing, and sore throats. During breakfast, a dead cockroach lay near our table. We asked to switch rooms, citing mold and rats. The hotel blamed the mold on the rainy season but didn’t address the rat issue. The receptionist was polite and helped us move to a new room of the same class. We didn’t use the restaurant voucher worth 200,000 VND, fearing for our safety. In the new room, water bottles cost 20,000 VND each, contrary to our initial assumption that they were complimentary. This wasn’t indicated in our previous room. The new room’s insulation was just as bad. Our neighbors chatted and laughed until 2:30 AM. The room phone was broken, so we couldn’t call the reception to complain.

Day 4: We woke up still feeling ill and checked out as quickly as possible, relieved that our ordeal was over.

Do not stay at this hotel. It’s a health hazard and will ruin your stay in Sa Pa. For the 1,900,000 VND per night we paid, you can find far better options. Don’t be fooled by the appealing photos and website. We are still sick a week later. Save yourself the misery and...