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We will be coming to Hanoi for 2 nights in November. Can anyone recommend a hotel close to Hoan Kiem Lake where you don’t have to cross the street to get there? 3-4 star. Thanks.
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Walking around at night l find easier, the pavements have less motorbikes parked on them and traffic is lighter. The south part of the old quarter l found fairly easy to walk around. The western side was more difficult.
Motorbikes also go everywhere, narrow alleys, in markets etc.
Beware, they like to use their horns.
Watching a few videos will give you an idea.
Edited: 7:02 am, January 22, 2026
Thanks for the reassurance and tips. We are from a small rural town and while we have travelled quite a bit, we have never stayed in a busy city like Hanoi.
Scott- I will search crossing the street for some helpful tips.
Spopey15 – That is one thing I really want to do is the tour with Hanoi Kids – such a great idea and I will book early. I will look up your hotel recommendation.
As we will be arriving on a Friday do you recommend staying at a hotel where the streets are closed to traffic for the night markets? Then they will be right out our door. I have found a few places near the lake and right by the night markets.
Thanks
As others have said – you can’t escape crossing the road to get to the lake, well anywhere really! If you feel you need some guidance, you could think about booking a walking tour with Hanoi Kids as soon as you arrive (but have it booked earlier because they’re popular). One thing they always seem to do is to give some help with how to cross the road; they’re lovely young people and a tour with them is highly recommended, even if you do know how to cross the road. Steady confidence wins!
We stayed in L’Hotel du Lac on our recent trip and loved it. Great location, wonderful service AND a good roof-top bar. I guess it’s about 5 mins walk to the lake (hence the name).
“I guess we will brave crossing the street, lol!”
Stick something like ‘crossing the road’ in the search box, and you’ll find plenty of threads, with helpful posts, on the subject.
It will / may feel a bit daunting at first, but honestly, you’ll pick it up pretty quickly.
And, you’ll want to, as you’ll fast run out of interesting stuff to see, if you remain ‘stuck’ on your block. 😉
Scott
Thanks. I guess we will brave crossing the street, lol! Thanks for clearing that up for me.
As mentioned, the lake is literally surrounded by a road. You need to cross the road to walk beside it.
Crossing the road in Vietnam can seem daunting, but it quickly becomes second nature. Just keep a steady pace and you’ll be fine.
It is not that difficult to cross the road.
Don’t have to cross the street to get to the lake?
There are no hotels right on the lake, but plenty of options nearby.
Scott
We will be coming to Hanoi for 2 nights in November. Can anyone recommend a hotel close to Hoan Kiem Lake where you don’t have to cross the street to get there? 3-4 star. Thanks.
We will be coming to Hanoi for 2 nights in November. Can anyone recommend a hotel close to Hoan Kiem Lake where you don’t have to cross the street to get there? 3-4 star. Thanks.