The ageing Saigon Hotel dates back to 1968 and if you give the friendly receptionist a chance, she'll rattle off the entire convoluted history of the place. Very much an old-style hotel, the Saigon has a bit of a dose of character, but feels like it's had hardly a lick of maintenance since the US left town -- going by the guests, it looks like some never left at all. Rooms are really large but sparsely furnished with no frills whatsoever, but those at the rear have quite good views over a stretch of Saigon. The location is diagonally across from the Sheraton where the rooms are a similar size but cost about triple the price. The Saigon Hotel has massage and sauna facilities along with a karaoke bar and the ninth floor restaurant with a reasonable outlook towards the Saigon River. Overall the hotel isn't great value, but if you get them on a slow day you should be able to wangle a pretty sizeable discount without trying too hard -- making it a more reasonable, colourful choice. All rates include breakfast and taxes and surcharges.