Hanoi
Where to lay your head
Where to lay your head
This neat triangle shaped area is delineated by the west coast of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hang Bong and Hang Gai to the north and Trang Thi to the south. It includes the popular cluster of places around Bao Khanh near the lake.
The original Hanoi branch of the Vietnam Backpacker Hostels chain (previously Hanoi Backpackers Hostel) is a decade old but still a popular choice among backpackers -- and it’s easy to see why. Inviting reception. The reception area is colourful and lively with guests always milling around, either on the internet stations, checking-in or booking tours — a promise of good new friends and... Read our full review of Vietnam Backpacker Hostels: Hanoi - The Original.
From the outside, the Golden Lotus look much like any other mid to upper-range place in Hanoi: narrow frontage, gold signs, big-glass doors and a uniformed doorman, but these would be our affordable luxury choice in Hanoi and would suit a couple with a mid-range budget or looking for a treat while in town. The location is convenient, within a few minutes’ walk of Hoan Kiem Lake, around the... Read our full review of Golden Lotus Hotel 2.
Golden Rice Boutique Hotel is a well-established player in the Hanoi hotel scene, having been around since the 1990s. Fortunately it’s been refurbished since then and is a solid midrange choice in an excellent central location. Traditional but appealing. The hotel has gone in for heavy wood furnishings and reception feels a bit dated in its design. Rooms are immaculately turned out, however,... Read our full review of Golden Rice Hotel.
With 70 bedrooms, Hanoi Pearl Hotel is a very large new addition to Hanoi’s hotel scene. Dominating the skyline on narrow Bao Khanh, this modern hotel — with a Vietnamese twist — offers pricey but excellent rooms close to the action. Many of the new top-range hotels in Hanoi go crazy on shiny marble, sparking chandeliers, gilded picture frames and heavily upholstered furniture, so... Read our full review of Hanoi Pearl Hotel.
A stone's throw from St Joseph's Cathedral on quiet Au Trieu Street, 2017-renovated Impressive Hotel is immaculately decked out and a great midrange pick. The hotel is in what was originally two buildings and has around 30 modern and fresh rooms, with very comfortable bedding, faux wooden floors, lantern-style lamps, stylish furnishings, wallpapered feature walls, fridge and minibar. Our double... Read our full review of Impressive Hotel.
No-fuss Joseph's Hotel offers 10 simply decorated, comfortable rooms at excellent prices in a quiet location on Au Trieu St, near the cathedral and away from the hectic pace of central Old Quarter. Rooms in the 2009-opened hotel are spotlessly well maintained and while they won't win any latest style awards, they are tastefully decorated, with faux wooden floors, springy beds decked in quality... Read our full review of Joseph's Hotel.
Maison d’Orient combines a peaceful and convenient location with charming, spotless rooms and professional staff, all at a reasonable price. Despite the fancy name, Maison d’Orient lacks pretension. Reception is a low-key affair, lined with black and white mosaic tiles and furnished with some low solid wooden chairs and a small outside terrace, handy for waiting for your GrabBike. Staff are... Read our full review of Maison d'Orient.
Central Backpackers’ Hostel offers both dorms and private rooms, all with air-con, at rock bottom prices to suit the real budget crowd — with free beers for an hour each night thrown in. The focus here is cheap, cheap, cheap. Located between JOMA coffee shop and Pho Ly Quoc Su on Ly Quoc Su itself, Central Backpackers’ Hostel should be easy to find — unless you’re looking for the... Read our full review of Central Backpackers' Hostel.
Church Boutique Hotel on Nha Tho is the original Church Boutique, but is now one of a chain of six in Hanoi. It’s a bit on the pricey side compared to what you can get for your money in terms of space on nearby Hang Trong, but if contemporary styling is to your taste, it’s a good option. Enough to give you a headache over breakfast. The hotel is located on Nha Tho, a (hefty) stone’s... Read our full review of Church Boutique Hotel: Nha Tho.
Especen Hotel is in a great Hanoi location, near to St Joseph’s cathedral, the lake and heaps of shops and food spots, and offers bright and well decked out rooms at really good value. It’s a good choice for those prepared to spend a little more than backpacker rates for extra comfort and space. Rooms differ slightly depending on whether they’re in the original building or the annex,... Read our full review of Especen Hotel.
Rooms at Hanoi’s Hibiscus Hotel come in three shapes and sizes: the front, the back and the attic. Standard rooms are spacious and reasonable value, but the attic room is the best we’ve seen for the budget price and the whole reason we are reviewing this place. Be warned though: there’s only one. Rooms at the front have the most light and overlook Ngo Huyen. Unfortunately the balconies... Read our full review of Hotel Hibiscus.
Joseph’s Hang Da is a no-frills hotel but has all the right ingredients to make it an excellent Hanoi flashpacker to midrange choice: convenient location, professional staff, comfortable rooms and a tasty breakfast, all at a reasonable price. The bright and cheerful hotel is on un-touristy Duong Thanh Street, and is a lower priced, yet still quality, alternative to its midrange sister hotel,... Read our full review of Joseph's Hang Da Hotel.
Little Hanoi Hostel 2 is a sister hotel to Little Hanoi Hostel (or Hotel, depending on where you look) on Hang Ga Street, which we’ve always liked, and though very different in style, we like this one too: it’s clean, comfortable, welcoming, quiet and less than a minute’s walk from Hoan Kiem Lake. Little Hanoi Hostel 2 is probably the most tucked away hotel in Hanoi I’ve reviewed.... Read our full review of Little Hanoi Hostel 2.
While Sans Souci IV may stretch its claims somewhat on its website — “unbeatable service combined with unparalleled accommodations” and “our rooms are the best-looking and best-equipped in the Old Quarter” made us smile — this is a solid Hanoi hotel choice in its price range, with smart, well-equipped rooms, good staff and a lively and convenient location. Sans Souci IV stands... Read our full review of Sans Souci IV.
Does The Artisan Boutique Hotel in Hanoi live up to its name and art deco-style business card? First impressions don’t disappoint: the reception area is spacious and stylishly decorated — Tiffany-style lamps always go down well – and the rooms follow through. The hotel was refurbished in 2012, rather than being a new build, and remnants of the previous tenancy remain in the hallways,... Read our full review of The Artisan Boutique Hotel.
First Choice Hotel, on Au Trieu street and near St Josephs Cathedral, is run by the same management as nearby Impressive Hotel, but offers a slightly lower priced alternative to its Hanoi neighbour and is worth considering if you want to save a few bucks and don’t mind a room without a window. At first glance you may wonder why First Choice rooms come priced a little less than at... Read our full review of First Choice Hotel.
This covers southern Hanoi - everything south of Hoan Kiem Lake, or more specifically, everything south of the road that abuts the southern tip of the lake, marked by the road that is referred to as Trang Thi, Hang Khay and Trang Tien from west to east. It also wraps around the southeast corner of the lake to include the Metropole.
If you love to travel in comfort and luxury, and have the money to pay for it, you don't need to shop around: this is the place. Dating back to 1901, the Hanoi Metropole is without doubt Hanoi's colonial classic, with a grandeur and timeless charm unmatched in the city, or elsewhere in the region. Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene and even Jane Fonda have padded their way through the hotel's... Read our full review of Hotel Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.
Opened in June 2011, this is a noteworthy addition to the Opera House area, introducing some bling between the classic style of the Metropole and the conventionalism of the Hilton. All the features and furnishings, from the velvet padded walls and gold tassels in reception to the pearlescent floor tiles in the bathrooms, are exquisite and as soon as you enter you are transported away from the... Read our full review of Hotel De L'Opera.
This covers the area roughly to the north and east of Hoan Kiem Lake, so everything north of Hang Bong, Hang Gai Roads and everything east of the lake. This is the heart of the backpacker district. For more mid-range places, see Old Quarter - midrange.
It’s impossible to miss the most recent addition to the Hanoi Backpackers’ Hostel stable, with its seven-storey, eight-metre wide frontage slap-bang in the middle of the most tourist-orientated area of Old Quarter. The original Hanoi Backpackers’, on Ngo Huyen near St Joseph’s Cathedral, is still going strong, but the new venue combines more modern styling and facilities with a... Read our full review of Hanoi Backpackers Hostel Ma May.
Located in a quiet area of Old Quarter, Stars Hotel is a well-priced option in the flashpacker range. It's a narrow place but rooms are sizeable enough and the sense of space in those at the front is helped by large glass doors opening onto quaint balconies packed with plants. Furnishings are of the dark wood variety, and the stripey wallpaper and curtains aren't exactly the height of fashion,... Read our full review of Stars Hotel.
With a bright yellow and red sign and windows adorned with travel offers, the exterior of Camellia Hotel 6 has nothing to differentiate it from the countless other budget hotels in the area, but it’s an expat and traveller favourite for good reason. Cheerful frontage. Located down a vibrant alley off Dinh Liet, a few minutes’ walk north of Hoan Kiem Lake, Camellia 6 can be... Read our full review of Camellia 6 Hotel.
Being used to an escorted viewing of rooms, along with the statutory Where you from? we were surprised to be given the keys and let loose on the rooms here, but it made for a more relaxed look around and the friendly and helpful staff were chatty enough when we returned to reception. While the cheaper doubles are reasonable value, it's worth spending a bit more for a superior double at the front:... Read our full review of Little Hanoi Hotel.
May de Ville Backpackers Hostel opened about a year ago and wasn’t shy about it: it’s 10 storeys tall and has a large lit sign on the roof, visible from afar. The name is somewhat deceptive as although it has some features of a backpacker hostel, such as dorm rooms and lounge area, the reception has more of a hotel feel to it and there are plenty of quality private rooms on offer... Read our full review of May de Ville Backpackers Hostel.
Phu Hoa “Tourist Guest House” is one of our top budget picks for Hanoi, offering 10 decently sized rooms with windows for just $10 for singles and $12 for couples — it’s one of the cheapest places to stay in a private room in the city. You’re not paying for interior design. While Phu Hoa upgraded their street signage recently to a dazzling yellow and red number, the interior remains... Read our full review of Phu Hoa.
Sandwiched among some middling, tourist-oriented hotels, the Dong A has been offering the cheapest dorm beds in Hanoi for years. Strangely, they have had surprisingly few takers. The beds are basic and nowhere near the standard you'll find in other hostels, but they're comfortable enough and each comes with its own fan and electrical outlet, and a curtain for privacy during the night. They keep... Read our full review of Dong A Hotel.
Green Street Hotel on Ma May Street is a good budget choice in Hanoi if you want to go a step up from a dorm room; it’s not fancy, but it does the job competently for under $20 and plops you in a good location.Does the job.Green Street isn’t much to look at from the front: it’s narrow and weatherworn, with bikes crammed outside, travel posters lining each side of the door and remnants of... Read our full review of Green Street Hotel.
Hanoi Lucky Guesthouse 2 in Hanoi’s Old Quarter offers a very warm welcome, with good value, clean rooms plus comfortable dorm beds, making it a great option for budget travellers. The bedrooms lack frills — no pictures, fridge nor safe, and certainly no robes or slippers — but they do come with a modern wall-mounted TV and a good-sized wardrobe and bedding is clean and adequate.... Read our full review of Hanoi Lucky Guesthouse 2.
While luxury may be overstating it, Luxury Backpackers does indeed offer comfortable and stylish dorms and private rooms in the Old Quarter's popular backpacker area. Just two of the 28 rooms in this 2016-opened hotel are actually dorm rooms, so it's more of a hotel than a hostel. The stylings are definitely more snazzy than other backpacker joints, and you're paying a premium for... Read our full review of Luxury Backpackers.
Nexy is a funky, immaculate hostel offering dorms as well as compact private rooms in a good Hoan Kiem location, with friendly, professional staff giving them an edge over other hostels in town. The vibe at Nexy is sunny and colourful, with playful murals lifting the atmosphere to the next level. Dorms come in 14- or eight-bed flavours, mixed or female only, with double bunks running parallel to... Read our full review of Nexy Hostel.
A hotel in the centre of Hanoi’s Old Quarter that positions itself on a platform of “US$12 double room” is bound to cause a few cynical looks: after all that’s almost as cheap as it gets in Hanoi nowadays, so surely either it’s a clever ploy to entice punters in or the rooms are really bad. Fortunately, neither are true. I have stood, staring at Thuy Nga Hotel on a number of... Read our full review of Thuy Nga Hotel.
This family-run spot, on a hidden alley that's both quiet and full of local colour, has friendly staff and rooms that are spacious and clean – although one we were shown had a distinct smell of cigarette smoke. Rooms are at three price levels: the most expensive have balconies and rather pleasant views over the surrounding houses, the midrange rooms are at the rear without veranda and the... Read our full review of Tung Trang Hotel.
You'll find some of the cheapest rooms in Hanoi at the Thu Giang Guesthouse, but you need to be prepared to get what you pay for. The entrance feels more like someone’s front room than a hotel, with cooking smells to boot, and rooms are tucked away up narrow stairs, have the smallest beds we’ve seen, no other furniture, and could do with a coat of paint. The bathrooms are tiny and the... Read our full review of Thu Giang Guest House.
This covers the area roughly to the north and east of Hoan Kiem Lake, so everything north of Hang Bong, Hang Gai Roads and everything east of the lake. This is the heart of the backpacker district. For more budget places, see Old Quarter - budget.
Tucked away between a travel agent and a clothes shop, the entrance to Hanoi Cozy Hotel 2 is as intriguing as it is hard to spot. With no street frontage apart from a doorway, it’s difficult to imagine what hides within. Located at the southern end of busy Hang Be Street, Hanoi Cozy Hotel 2 is within easy reach of Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 streets of the Old Quarter, as well as plenty of... Read our full review of Hanoi Cozy Hotel 2.
With a strapline of Touching emotion you'd expect something special, and it gets close. While the rooms don't all come with the flowers, heart logos and cakes shown on the website, they are quite tastefully done up -- if you can ignore the curtains and traditional paintings -- with feature walls, downlights, comfy furnishing and modern bathrooms. Charmingly the double rooms are categorised as... Read our full review of Art Hotel.
Art Trendy Hotel is similar in style to its sister hotel, the Art Hotel on Hang Dieu — which is one of our top picks for the midrange hotel category in Hanoi — but it’s located in a more peaceful yet still central spot in Old Quarter. Get in touch with your feminine side. The hotel was opened in 2013 and is clearly a refurbishment job, as the stairwells and doors are a bit rough around... Read our full review of Art Trendy Hotel.
Opened in early 2015, the Old Quarter’s La Siesta Hotel offers very smart rooms with a personal vibe, making it a good choice for those who want a central location with a touch of luxury — and it’s particularly good for those travelling with kids. Smart and comfy. With 60 rooms, La Siesta is one of the larger hotels in Old Quarter, but with a focus on small parties rather than tour... Read our full review of La Siesta Hotel.
This is one of those rare places in Hanoi that has a real travellers' home feel to it. On our last visit reception was buzzing, with some guests on the internet stations, others enquiring about Ha Long Bay tours and a couple sitting in the bar/restaurant at the rear, chatting and working on laptops. It also looks like home -- or the home of a movie buff anyway – with replica paintings of... Read our full review of Rendezvous Hotel.
If you’re after a centrally located modern hotel away from the hubbub of Old Quarter — and in the hubbub of Ba Dinh — Anise Hotel may be for you. Although we weren’t completely wowed by the rooms, its convenient location and facilities make it worth a look. Rooms at Anise are standard modern midrange affairs, kitted out with comfy beds, quality furnishings and the added extras you’d... Read our full review of Anise Hotel.
Au Coeur — or The Heart — certainly captures the location of this new hotel on Hang Be street as it’s about as central as you can get to the Old Quarter tourist hub, but does it have one? With comfortable rooms from $40, we think so. Rooms at Au Coeur d’Hanoi Hotel are on the small side but very warmly decorated and comfortable, some with seating as well as beds. Choose from five... Read our full review of Au Coeur d'Hanoi.
It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but midrange Classic Street Hotel — also known as Pho Co Hotel — on Hanoi’s lively Hang Be Street in Old Quarter hides some well-furnished comfortable rooms within. From the street, you can see straight into a gloomy basement dining area and reception is up a short flight of stairs, so there’s no smiling receptionist or doorman to... Read our full review of Classic Street Hotel (Pho Co Hotel).
Centrally located in Old Quarter, Essence Hanoi stands out along Ta Hien with its white frontage, stylish signage and uniformed doorman, which all hint at the quality within. Essence is within easy reach of the delights of the 36 streets as well as Hoan Kiem lake and the French Quarter. It’s also easy to pick up a cyclo, hire a motorbike and find a taxi, so getting around from here is no... Read our full review of Essence Hanoi.
Hanoi Asia Star Hotel, located on Hanoi’s busy Dao Duy Tu Street, is a reasonable value midrange hotel with a almost-too-good-to-be-true Halong Bay special offer. It’s another narrow one. First impression on our visit was that the hotel was well staffed. The reception area was full of activity, with uniformed staff milling around at the door, behind reception and at the travel desk. As... Read our full review of Hanoi Asia Star Hotel.
We were tempted to check out Hanoi Moment Hotel 2 for two reasons. Firstly, it shares its name with a very enticing gift shop on Hang Gai, and secondly, the large plate glass windows provide a glimpse of what looked like a very stylish interior. The door was opened by a uniformed attendant and we were warming welcomed by Jimmy at reception. Whether reception actually is stylish or not depends... Read our full review of Hanoi Moment Hotel 2.
Finding this place was the result of a quest. Is there a hotel that's affordable, close to the lake, not in the dead centre of the Old Quarter, that's comfortable, well run, and doesn't participate in the frenzy for tourist dollars? Yes, there is. Now under a new name (it was Tien Thuy Hotel on our first visit) this gem still delivers. Friendly, English-speaking staff will show you room after... Read our full review of New Star Hotel Hanoi.
The spacious reception area and sweeping staircase may have seen better days, but at least it makes Prince I light and airy, which is a pleasant change from some of the joints we see. The cheapest rooms are in the middle of the hotel and have no window, though are just about big enough not to feel claustrophobic. If you want space, go for a room at the front, which are as big as the suites we've... Read our full review of Prince 1 Hotel.
With the biggest beds we’ve ever seen in a hotel, and a rooftop pool to boot, Tirant Hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a modern yet characterful mid-luxury option. The impressive facade looks somewhat out of place on Old Quarter’s narrow streets and the decor doesn’t disappoint in the luxe stakes either: chandeliers, leather chairs, heaps of marble and gold await in reception. The hotel... Read our full review of Tirant Hotel.
From humble beginnings has risen an empire of Old Quarter hotels: Rising Dragon now has seven hotels in Hoan Kiem District, from cheaper Rising Dragon Hotel in Hang Be Street through to the creme de la creme of the dragons, Rising Dragon Palace. Most recently, we checked out midrange Rising Dragon Grand on Hang Ga. Rising Dragon Grand has 40 rooms spread over nine floors and yes, there is... Read our full review of Rising Dragon Grand Hotel.
Pretty much everything else that doesn't fall into either of the other areas.
With a name like “Grand” and a description on the website that reads “we have created this Hotel masterpiece and can safely assure an experience like no other” you might be expecting something special from Hanoi Grand Hotel. And that’s what you’ll get, though not in the way you might be thinking: it’s just simply good value. A headboard for very tall people. The entrance... Read our full review of Hanoi Grand Hotel.
Scorning the trend to build tall, the sprawling low-rise InterContinental Hotel in Hanoi stands quietly proud alongside its high-rise neighbour the Sheraton. Jutting out into the northern edge of West Lake, the Intercontinental makes up for its distance from the atmosphere of the Old Quarter with its lake views and its proximity to the restaurants and bars along Xuan Dieu. It’s also only... Read our full review of InterContinental Hotel.
Since its room refurbishment, The Hanoi Club is a solid choice if you like a big hotel feel, want somewhere to relax when you’re not stomping the streets of Hanoi or have kids to entertain. One of its selling points (and it’s better on a sunny day). The Hanoi Club is a well located hotel and members’ club, overlooking West Lake while being close to lively Yen Phu Street and Tran Quoc... Read our full review of The Hanoi Club.
Not everyone wants to stay amid the chaos of Hanoi’s Old Quarter — some prefer to stay in the chaos elsewhere in the city. If you’re looking for an alternative location then Wild Lotus Hotel, next to West Lake, is an excellent mid- to top-range option. Wild Lotus Hotel is on Xuan Dieu Street, in the heart of expat land and therefore well located for a number of good bars and... Read our full review of Wild Lotus Hotel.
The Travelfish newsletter is sent out every Monday and is jammed full of free advice for travel in Southeast Asia. You can see past issues here.