Best Places to Stay in Hanoi: Not the Old Quarter

Hanoi has a wide range of accommodations to suit different budgets and travel styles. Although the Old Quarter frequently appears at the top of “best places to stay in Hanoi” lists, as locals, we’d like to provide a different perspective. While it is certainly worth visiting once, we don’t recommend booking your stay in this area. This post will explain why as well as where you should consider for your trip instead.

Why Not The Old Quarter

In the past, Hanoi’s famous 36 guild streets showcased unique architectural features: narrow lanes, winding alleys, and tube houses with gently sloping tile roofs and modest height. This area was once a bustling hub of commerce, where specialized craft streets and busy shops attracted countless merchants and visitors.

Today, the Old Quarter has evolved to meet the demands of modern life while retaining some traces of its past. Some historic homes remain preserved in their original style, but newer and taller buildings have also appeared. Many of the traditional crafts have faded, leaving only a few streets that still sell the goods once associated with their names. More commonly now, you will find mini or boutique hotels, generic souvenir stores, travel agencies and restaurants catering to foreign tourists.

Additionally, the streets of the Old Quarter are extremely narrow, with sidewalks often taken over by parked motorbikes or street vendors, making it quite annoying to walk around. The high volume of street vendors also leads to a significant buildup of litter.

In short, the Old Quarter is still worth a visit for its history, architecture, and lively street scenes. However, if you value peace, space, and more authentic local experiences plus want to avoid dirtier, overcrowded, and tourist-centric areas (and potentially scams), you may prefer staying in other districts and simply exploring the Old Quarter during the day. For us, the best time to visit the Old Quarter is early morning before 10 a.m. when the whole area is still rather sleepy and touristy spots are mostly closed.

For us, the best area to stay when visiting Hanoi is the French Quarter, including the area south of the Sword Lake around Lý Thường Kiệt and Hai Bà Trưng streets. This area will give you a calmer, cleaner, and more refined experience of Hanoi while still being close to cultural landmarks. Whenever we go back to Hanoi to visit families, we always stay in this area. Even back when we still lived in Hanoi, we much preferred the French Quarter and Ba Đình over the Old Quarter.

You will be within walking distance (or a short taxi/Grab ride) of many attractions like the Old Quarter, Sword Lake, Hoả Lò Prison, Quán Sứ Pagoda, Thăng Long Citadel, and various museums without being in the heart of the tourist hustle. Unlike the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, the French Quarter streets and sidewalks are a lot wider. This makes walking around much more pleasant. These streets are also less likely to have traffic congestion.

The French Quarter still has quite a few elegant colonial buildings and tree-lined avenues. Along some of these streets are offices, embassies, and government buildings. As a result, streets and sidewalks are often better maintained, resulting in a cleaner feel overall. Another advantage is the balanced atmosphere as you can see locals go about their day. There is also no shortage of local eateries, cafes and upscale restaurants. Check out my list of top restaurants to try in Hanoi for recommendations.

For a nice balance of good location, reasonable prices and decent services, I recommend the Melia Hanoi Hotel. We have stayed there many times and although some aspects can be more polished, it is still a solid choice for travelers. For a luxury stay, the Sofitel Metropole and Capella Hanoi are top contenders though in our opinion, you might find it more worthwhile to splurge on these amazing resorts in Vietnam instead.

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