My friend and I stayed here one night during our trip (it was the last leg) and we wanted somewhere central with a balcony. The area was VERY backpacker oriented, but there is great shopping and really good pho just down the street. I would say though, that if you aren't young, you probably won't love the area. Because it was in an area with a lot of nightlife and bars, it was pretty loud, but it didn't bother us (we had a lot of beer) :) The front desk woman was incredibly friendly and helpful and the balcony off our room (I think the only room with a balcony, on the top floor) was HUGE. The room was pretty big also.

We stayed here for a few nights and were very happy with our stay. We paid $15 per night.

Rooms - not huge size but decent size and nicely decorated. The hotel has just has 10 rooms. Only downside is that when you leave the rooms, she switches off the electricity and fan. The aircon could be stronger but at 15$ a night, we weren't too bothered.

Location - really good location in backpacker land, and close to all the main sites with numerous restaurants close by. The indian restaurant next store is a real gem.

Food - they don't serve food or breakfast.

Cleanliness - spotlessly clean hotel. You could almost eat your dinner off the floor they are that clean - that is if they served food :-)!

Service - The lady on reception (who seems to be there 24/7) is really helpful. She also acts as security and sleeps on the couch during the night. This seems to be standard for the lower ranked hotels in Vietnam/Cambodia.

Free wifi - free wifi that actually works in the bedrooms. Good quality speed as well.

nice reception area with couches to chill out on.

Noise - there is building work going on in the building next door so there is some noise during the day. However, most people will be out and about and it's quiet in evening.

Bathroom - the shower holder was broken so you have to hold the shower head while showering. The bathroom is nice with a seperate area to shower with a door which is unusual for Vietnam. One drawback to the bathroom is that the top of the window does not close so you have to tape it closed to stop mosquitos coming in. Designed like that we believe so that the steam leaves the bathroom via the window.

Overall, we were happy with our stay, comfortable rooms, 10/10 for cleanlinsess and comfy beds with crispy white sheets. Great value for money we thought for the 15$ range.

The Happy Inn was a highlight of HCMC! The manager was incredibly friendly and helpful and at $20 a night for a double, the rooms were fantastic value.

Be careful -- after reading trip advisor, I was very confused, because reviews were either very positive or very negative, with little in between. I discovered that there are in fact 2 Happy Inns -- both with addresses on the same street. From what I can gather from previous reviews and photos that they have posted, one has recieved negative reviews and the other positive -- so be sure to stay at the right one. The GOOD one and the one I have reviewed here is ON THE MAIN STREET (next to Sozo cafe). The other one is an alley just off the main street (near Zen cafe) -- and seems to have less favourable reviews in terms of management.

My wife and I stayed here on our last day in HCMC. We were here for 6 weeks, and stayed at 2 hotels, 3 weeks each. They were nice enough hotels, but we couldn't get a decent nights sleep as there were unbelievably noisy people in the hotel all the time. We stayed here as it was near our bus pickup, and it happened to be between Sozo and Bio Cafe (2 of our favourite places). The room was basic, but very clean and a decent size compared to most rooms we saw in HCMC. I think I would have enjoyed HCMC more had we stayed here earlier. $18 for a double, but no breakfast. Still, food is cheap and we missed breakfast half the time anyway. Great spot and friendly staff. Highly recommend staying here on Bui Vien