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Searching for a hotel in Hanoi was, without exaggeration, the most overwhelmed I have ever felt trying to book accommodation anywhere. The results are endless. There are hundreds of hotels, most of them with nearly identical photos of white walls and wooden furniture, clustered into an area of the city that I didn’t yet understand well enough to evaluate. I had no idea which streets were loud or quiet, which ones were close to what we wanted to do, or why one hotel at $80 a night looked basically the same as one at $250.
We spent five nights in Hanoi in October 2025 as part of a longer trip through Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam. We stayed near Hoan Kiem Lake, right on the southern edge of the Old Quarter, and after getting a feel for the city, it’s the area I’d suggest looking at first.
If you’re trying to figure out where to stay in Hanoi for the first time, this will help you narrow it down quickly without falling into the same rabbit hole.
Where in Hanoi, exactly?
Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and is bigger and more spread out than most first-timers expect. For a short visit, the choice really comes down to Old Quarter versus somewhere slightly further out. Most of the alternatives, Ba Dinh, West Lake, the French Quarter, come up in searches, but aren’t really great for a first trip.
The Old Quarter is the historic centre of the city. The ancient 36 streets, dense and walkable, food and cafes at every turn, motorbikes weaving through narrow lanes. It’s where the lively energy of Hanoi lives. On its southern edge sits Hoan Kiem Lake, which is both a landmark and a genuine focal point of daily life. People exercise there in the mornings, walk it in the evenings and on weekends the surrounding roads close entirely to traffic. The lake area is technically part of or adjacent to the Old Quarter, but it doesn’t feel like it exists purely for visitors.
The beer street area around Ta Hien Street is the Old Quarter’s backpacker hub with loud bars, cheap drinks, tables on the footpath and someone outside every venue trying to get you in. It’s loud, fun and vibrant though perhaps not suitable for families.
Ba Dinh and West Lake are further from the main sights and better suited to longer stays or people based in Hanoi long-term than a first visit. The accommodation can be good value, but you’d spend a fair amount of time in Grab getting to the things you came to see. The French Quarter is quieter and more upscale, so it’s a great option if you specifically want less noise and don’t mind a slightly removed location. It doesn’t have the street-level energy that makes Hanoi so special though.
For us, the Old Quarter was the clear choice but we wanted to find somewhere as close to the lake as we could, while being out of the beer street area.
If you’re leaning the same way, I’d start by looking around the western end of the Old Quarter near the lake. It’s the easiest base for a first visit, and you can compare options in that area here.
Why we chose the lake end specifically
This was our first time in Hanoi, and we wanted to be properly in it. Not observing from a quieter street two suburbs over, but actually surrounded by the city from the moment we stepped outside.
The specific location we landed on was two minutes from St Joseph’s Cathedral, a minute walk to the lake and well clear of the beer street end. We found our bearings within a couple of hours of arriving and by day two we had stopped opening Google Maps for most things. We walked to the Water Puppet Theatre, to Banh Mi 25, to the lake and around it and to Train Street, all without needing a Grab.
The beer street area around Ta Hien Street is really popular and worth walking through to see what it’s about. It’s mostly bars, cheap drinks, tables spilling onto the footpath, someone outside every venue trying to get you in. If you’re a sociable drinker who likes that kind of atmosphere, you’ll probably love it. My husband would have happily pulled up a stool and stayed for the evening. For me, and for us as a family, it didn’t fit. It’s a party street that could be anywhere in the world and navigating it with a nine-year-old while being pressured into every pub doorway gets old quickly. I was excited to visit it, but was also so relieved we didn’t listen to the internet’s advice and stay there.
The most important tip I would give is to time your trip over a weekend. The roads around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic and the whole area becomes pedestrian. It amplifies its already social, lively energy and there are plenty of vendors, performers, events and families out walking and playing.
Where we stayed — Solaria Hanoi
The Solaria Hotel Hanoi is a 4-star hotel. We paid $1,522 AUD for five nights which is around $300 a night. This is on the higher end for Hanoi. You can pay half that and still find excellent hotels in this area. We chose it because my husband specifically wanted connecting rooms and a bit of space after the previous week of three people sharing a single hotel room in Hong Kong and Macau. It was a purposeful decision to splurge, and I’ll say upfront that I initially questioned whether it was worth it. It was.
If you’re considering it, you can check current prices and room options here.
Location and getting there
The Solaria sits on a busy little tree lined side street. There are food stalls, motorbikes, a mix of tourists and locals, with the lake visible from the front door.
From the front door you’re three minutes walk from St Joseph’s Cathedral and about one minute to the lake. We walked to almost everything we wanted in central Hanoi from here without needing Grab during the day.
We came in by Grab from the airport which took around 30 minutes. The driver dropped us on the main road rather than turning down the side street, possibly a one-way situation. Either way it was 30 metres with the bags, and before we’d worked out which direction to head a staff member had spotted us, pointed us the right way and taken the luggage.
The street is well-lit and easy to find at night. If you want to walk everywhere and be close to the lake without being on the tourist strip, it’s a straightforward base.
The rooms
Solaria is a stunning hotel. The rooms are beautifully designed and genuinely spacious. They are big enough to open suitcases without doing a shuffle, with room to spread out after a long day. There was a closet and a cabinet for storage which was plenty. The beds are king-sized, comfortable and firm without being too hard, with large pillows.
The connecting room was what made us choose Solaria over other hotels at a similar price point. We had two separate rooms joined by an internal hallway with a door that locks from both sides. Our son had his own room, his own bathroom, his own space and was extremely pleased with himself about this. After a week of three people sharing a small room in Hong Kong and Macau, it felt quite luxurious.
The bathroom is clean and well laid out, with a separate toilet and shower, good water pressure and enough bench space for toiletries. The toilet did have a glass wall that I didn’t love, though it was within the bathroom rather than facing the bedroom so not as bad as it sounds.
The one disappointment was that the room was listed as having a balcony. One of my favourite memories from a previous Vietnam trip was sitting on a balcony in Hoi An each evening, watching the world go by along the river and the locals setting up their stalls below. Recreating this with a balcony by the lake sounded ideal. There is a door, but it cannot be opened and, even if you could have got out to it, it was more like a ledge than a balcony. Fortunately, it was a beautiful room and had lots of natural light from the windows.
We were on level 6, which helped with external noise. There was a low hum from the street audible in my son’s room but the windows blocked most of it. It was not a bad level of noise for central Hanoi, but worth knowing as lower floors may be different. The air conditioning was cold and effective, exactly what you want after a humid day outside. Everything felt clean and fresh throughout and it looked just like the photos.
The service
The staff are what I remember most about the Solaria.
We arrived at 10am, well before check-in. They sat us down with cold drinks and a plate of watermelon, ran us through check-in, and talked us through a few things: bartering, food stalls worth trying nearby, transport tips, and handed over a little cheat sheet to take with us. Once that was done, they settled us into the one room that was already available and we relaxed there for a little while until the second room was ready about an hour later.
The same thoughtfulness ran through the whole stay. The evening before our Ninh Binh day trip, the hotel staff mentioned we should bring snacks and drinks as it’s a long day with limited food stops. The tour company had already told us this so we were prepared. However, the morning of the pickup, the hotel had put together a complimentary bag of sandwiches, fruit and water bottles for us anyway. It was such a nice touch.
They were always sure to chat to us as we passed through, offer advice or check in on how we were going. They even noticed when I was unwell with a stomach bug and continued to check in and offer special meals, via my husband.
On our last morning they gifted us a Vietnamese phin coffee filter and some local coffee beans to take home. We still have it.
Breakfast and the rooftop
Breakfast had both a buffet and an à la carte menu, which we liked. The buffet was kept nice and simple, but having the option to order off the menu as well gave us some flexibility depending on how hungry we were or what our food plans were for the day.
The rooftop bar is worth a visit. It was quite expensive, even by Australian standards, but was a great place to hang out for some down time after a day out in the streets, before heading back out for dinner. The views are good and you can spot lots of other rooftop bars around. There is plenty of comfortable seating and it wasn’t too noisy.
Would we stay here again?
Absolutely. For a first trip, having everything within walking distance made a bigger difference than we expected. If you want something similar, this is the exact listing we booked.
Living in the Old Quarter for a week
We felt at home in Hanoi faster than anywhere else we’ve travelled in South East Asia. There was no usual settling-in period. We just stepped outside and were immediately comfortable here.
The lake area is lively with motorbikes, street food and people moving in every direction, but it doesn’t feel relentless. You’ll see locals out exercising in the mornings, families at the water on weekends, cafes filling up by 8am. It did feel like a tourist area, but not exclusively. It felt more like a real neighbourhood than a tourist attraction.
Food and coffee are literally at every turn, which is not an exaggeration. We are terrible at deciding where to eat at the best of times. In the Old Quarter it didn’t matter, there was something good on every corner and we just stopped wherever looked right.
Other hotels near Hoan Kiem Lake
When searching, the most useful filter is which end of the Old Quarter you’re looking at. The cathedral and southern lake area is prettier and quieter than the beer street end, and still a very short walk to everything you came to see.
A practical note on the search itself: Hanoi has more hotels in a condensed area than almost anywhere I’ve searched, and I say that as someone who usually happily scrolls through every option before narrowing down. Here I had to actually use the filters such as area, room type, number of beds, breakfast and so on, before the results became manageable. It’s worth knowing your priorities before you start, or you’ll still be scrolling a week later.
Room configuration is worth checking before you book too. Many Hanoi hotels are tall, narrow buildings and “family room” doesn’t always mean what you’d expect. If noise matters to you, check reviews specifically for lower floor mentions before committing.
Pricing shifts significantly throughout the different seasons in Hanoi. Here are three options worth looking at across different price points.
Homestay CHẤP Lake Side
The budget end of this area, and the closest to the lake. It’s literally steps from the water. Private apartments in a building rather than a hotel, with self check-in and a responsive host. The Family Room with Terrace is the best pick: two double beds, a private patio, full kitchen and laundry on-site. Good for couples or families who are comfortable with apartment-style accommodation and don’t need hotel service on arrival. There is no elevator, upper floors by stairs only.
Splendid Star Grand Hotel and Spa
Mid-range for this area, 4-star, about 450m from the lake and close to the cathedral. Family rooms have two large double beds and soundproofed windows (great benefit if you are a light sleeper in Hanoi). Breakfast is highly rated. There is a spa on-site and while there is a pool, it is located at a sister site about 10 minutes away which is worth knowing. This hotel is a good all-rounder for families or couples wanting proper hotel amenities without paying Solaria prices.
Family Hanoi Hotel
Further into the Old Quarter toward the beer street end, which means more noise and more atmosphere. Specifically designed for families, there are multiple room configurations including rooms with balconies and consistently praised by travelling families. I feel like the three-star rating undersells it. If you’re travelling with kids and want the most flexibility in room setup, it’s worth a look. Just go in knowing it’s livelier at night than the cathedral end.
This map shows the exact area we’re talking about, the western edge of the Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake.
When we were booking, this is what helped the most: seeing where hotels sit relative to the lake and the quieter streets. You can zoom in, compare prices and get a feel for what’s available. If you’re trying to orient yourself, Beer Street sits just north of the lake, while the French Quarter is down to the south-east.
Before you go
One thing that made day-to-day spending much easier was using a Wise card for payments and ATM withdrawals. It saved us a noticeable amount in fees, especially with lots of small purchases and Grab rides, while also not having to be worried about connected bank accounts. We also grabbed an Airalo eSim to keep us connected.
If you’re still working out whether Hanoi fits into a bigger trip or how to connect it with Hong Kong and Macau, we put together exactly how we planned the full three-city route here and the thinking behind how we structured a multi-city Asia trip here.
The Old Quarter is noisy and busy and smells like coffee and motorbikes. We were in love with it by the end of day one.
