Hai An Bookstore — Local services in Ho Chi Minh City

It was a more or less experience for me overall, and there are some points that need to be made in this review.

Plus: The security guys are nice. The bookstore space design is nice. The bookstore's space is large, and it contains a variety of book categories, ranging from domestic to international masterpieces, which is really attractive to bookworms. More than books, they include things such as, manga/anime culture, sculpture painting activity, plushies, stationery, souvenirs, accessories, etc. (If you want to buy things for your friends with present boxes and various choices to be made, then this place is for you). Between the floor, there is a reading space settled on the stair and that is a nice thing to have been done without standing to read. There is a locker to keep personal belongings as guided by the staff at the entrance. I like that. The air-conditioners function well, and it is cool.

Minus: To be honest, this is the first time I have ever encountered a bad customer service from the café of the bookstore. As I entered the café for the order, the staff was not really friendly even though there was a greeting at the beginning. When I put the money on the stall to pay for my drink, she took it without attitude, and I was wondering if I had done something wrong to the store. I was a bit confused due to the staff's attitude towards the customer. Secondly, when I tried to get a spoon, she took it from the jar and put it on the table just to get the job done. How sarcastic, right? The point is, I come there, I pay the money for the good sake. I do not come here for stealing or things like that. Moreover, do I look too poor to enter the bookstore or café? I do have money to afford for a cup of coffee, and yes. Should I be more classy or fancy to make the entry to the café, yes? This is not the service that I want. Minor thing inside the bookstore is the stinky smell from the toilet near the stairs. But I hope there would be no more smell when I come there once again, surely.

Overall, were the café experience not ruined before entering the bookstore, it could have been 5 out of 5. However, I still give this bookstore a recommendation...

Bad customer service ! The bookstore is nice and have a lot different sections for children. However , it’s extremely difficult when we don’t allow to carry bags but that can be understandable, not convenient for us but we are ok with that. Toilet is small and dirty, no changing room for younger kids. The worst part is that they don’t allow my kids to carry their soft toys which they are very attached to. It’s normal for children at young age have comfort toys which they are consider as their best friends and always carry around with them. My kid’s soft toys even have their name on it , and you can tell they are used toys, they don’t look brand new and the brand not even available in Vietnam , or at Hai An bookstore , it’s handmade special order one. So I informed and explained that to them, they finally let my kids carry their soft toy but wanting taking photo of my kids and the toys. I found it’s ridiculous , why they need to take photo of my kids, it’s against privacy rights.

Did I spend money there, yes I did , nearly 3million VND added up. Will I come back again ? No , I won’t . So many bookstore in Saigon and non have those weird rules, and staff member less judging and...

One of the biggest bookstores in town. I love how much variety of books, stationeries and gift stuff they have. The best part is the layout of the store with wonderful seats by the stairs for people to read, chill and just sit or sleep. They also have round chairs at the Ground floor for further sitting and cafe at the top floor. Another good thing is how everything is well-organized and well-labelled making it very easy to find what you need and access everything. Although, I would say this is perfect for locals as they don’t have as much and wide variety of foreign books and english novels and books as the Vietnamese ones. For foreign novels and books, Fahasa has still more than here. They also have stationeries that are only for kids and not really for proper journaling. But they have sufficient school and office supplies as well as gifts and accessories. You can also find good candles, fragrances and scents in here. So if you’re a Vietnamese or just looking for basic supplies, you have all you need here. Prices are a tad bit lower than Fahasa and Phuong Nam. The ambience and space is the...