TNH

I have actually been a student at UNIS since this new campus first opened up. The showers didn' come till a few years later so they are a huge improvement to the school what with all of the sports facilities (tennis courts, bball, soccer fields, swimming).

The showers, toilets, changingroom are all under the same roof. I must say that it can get really smelly in there due to lack of cleanliness of the toilets and the floors are usually not cleaned well which makes it unpleasant.

There are wall fans in the changing area which is nice, although on very hot days they don't seem to make a difference. Overall, these showers are very high standards in Hanoi.

After partaking in some afternoon sports at UNIS last Saturday (where the choices were frisbee, rugby, football or some other weird game like football but where people seem to not only kick the ball but also punch it with their wrists – the people there said it was called gaylick football, or something like that), and because I was going out straight on the town afterwards, I decided, for the first time, to use the showers in the men’s toilets next to the basketball court.

I can tell you now that these are the best communal showers I have ever encountered in my life (obviously excluding the ones I had at boarding school, but that’s another story). Aside from having your own cubicle, with a lockable door, what makes these special is the sheer power of the shower, which makes the dirt and grime come off your skin without really needing soap at all (which is just as well, because they don’t provide soap anyway). The temperature handle is also pretty good, with really smooth transitions between refreshing cold and steaming hot. And if you forgot your towel, there are plenty of hand-driers around.

So if anyone else plays sports at UNIS on a weekend, I recommend that you bring a towel, shampoo and soap and a change of clothes and jump straight into the shower afterwards. See you there!

(By the way, there are also ladies showers, but obviously I can’t review them as I’m not allowed in. But they are probably just as good)