uclarobin

Hello,
I'm trying to choose a hotel for my four- night stay in Hanoi in June. I see from the guidebooks and all the postings here that most lodgings are centered around the Old Quarter and/or Hoan Kiem district. Can anyone tell me, are these terms exactly synonymous? Or is one a subset of the other?
Does anyone have a recommendation if I should stay on the NORTH side of the lake, or the WEST side of the lake - in terms of walking around and finding a cafe, noodle shop, and convenience to sightseeing.
I got equal price quotes from the Elegance 2 Hotel and Golden Lotus Hotel, as a starting point for being on different shores of the lake.
"Too touristy" probably won't bother me.
Thank you,
Robin

MichaelBKK

The Old Quarter is the area on the north side of the lake, while the 'lake district' could be anywhere around the lake. Anything in the old quarter or east of the lake is a good base. There are restaurants and cafes everywhere.

Most of sights around the lake area are around the northeast corner, like the temple and water puppet theater.

uclarobin

MichaelBKK,
Thank you for the advice, I understand. You implied that the area EAST of the lake is lively. However, according to my Lonely Planet map, there is basically NOTHING east of the lake. All their cafes and inns are on the west bank and as you said, on the northwest bank. Could it be that Lonely Planet chose to ignore this part of the city...?

20schwarz

Hi ucla robin,

I was in Hanoi a couple of weeks ago. Not sure about the terminology, but I would say the north or the west side of the lake would both be fine places to stay. Both are lively areas jam packed with shops, cafes, street vendors, etc. The north side did seem to have more of the "theme streets."

I stayed at the Hong Ngoc 1 west of the lake on Hang Manh (38 USD/night nett booked through vietnamstay). It was a convenient location, right off of "Silk Street" (Hang Gai) and near "Coffee Street" (Hang Hanh or something like that). But, it's not on the lake and has no lake view if that is important to you.

I actually walked to sights like the Temple of Literature and Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, but I can completely see why a normal person wouldn't want to do that in this heat! (Both are a couple of km west of the lake.)

I never ventured over to the east side of the lake, so can't say what is over there.

janev

The east side is less "busy" certainly than to the north - on this side there are still a few restaurants (N.E.) and a little further back the Hanoi Sofitel, the opera house etc. The lake isn't so big - its easy to walk around so its no big deal really as to which side you are, but its true to say most of the small hotels & restaurants are north & east of the lake & as said the water puppets are to the north east.

matt817

to add to the chorus, when i stayed in hanoi last week i opted for a hotel south and east of hoan kiem lake called the desyloia hotel. it was recommended on this board and i liked it a lot. others may have a different view but my sense was the old quarter is higher density and busier than south and east of the lake. since it was only a 20-25 minute walk from where i stayed to the old quarter, i was quite content to stay in a quieter hotel/area where i could retreat after the noise and stimulus of a long day in central hanoi. however, others may prefer more uptempo areas. in any case, it's pretty easy to get around no matter where you stay.

pkight

The entire area around the lake is relatively small. In my three trip to Hanoi I have always stayed at the Classic 1 Hotel in the Old Quarter. Even walks to the area of the opera house take only 15 minutes and I never get tired of walking around that city.

If that's too far a cab is only a coupe of bucks. There is always a motorscooter waiting to wisk you away to just about anywhere for $1. Any "cycloman" is always lurking around. For $1 they will peddle you wherever you want to go.

Remember you are there to take in the city. Take a walk and just get lost.

MrAOK

I agree. the walk around the whole lake is less than half an hour. it's a small lake.

i stayed at the church hotel and strongly recommend it. it's a boutique hotel. not the cheapest. but at about $50 a night maybe slightly less, it's wonderful and in a great location and has sheraton like beds.

Neil_Oz

And wherever you stay, I strongly recommend getting up very early one morning and takng a lesiurely walk around the lake. It will be peaceful and uncluttered, with no postcard sellers etc. yet abroad, and you'll find hundreds of people on the shores doing tai chi, playing badminton and so forth. It's a great way to start the day - followed of course by breakfast, accompanied by that excellent Vietnamese coffee.

Neil_Oz

I meant to say that in response to your other question, the Hoan Kiem district is quite large and encompasses the lake and surrounding areas, including the Ancient Quarter. You'll find some city maps on the Web that will indicate the boundaries.