Harmony Homestay - Hanoi Homestay in Old Quarter

Hotel

This place is insanely busy. Trying to cross the road is frightening. There are people moving about all around you, pick pockets are everywhere in this town. But most locals are still very friendly and street food is really good.

A busy bustling town that you have to visit to experience Vietnam. The roads are organised chaos but great fun. You especially have to visit the crazy railway for a drink and if anyone else has been there they will no exactly what I mean.

Very nice place to hangout with friends. Amazing street food, wonderful local market, crazy clubs are the best part of this place.
Must go once you are in Hanoi.

If you go to hanoi and don't know the language this the best place to start. You will find many other traveller's who can give you great advice on where to go next. It is of course a very busy place and if you are not accustomed to southeast asia it might be a bit overwhelming. I loved it and you will too if you approach it with an open mind.

Hanoi's Old Town is actually similar to Taiwan's old street, with the English name "Old Quarter", where vietnam's best restaurants are basically the best.
Hanoi's Old Town is home to many cheap hotels and a concentrated location, making it a backpacker's paradise. Most of the old colonial buildings in the Old Town are indeed very old street-style, but most of the goods sold are factory goods and have little Vietnamese character.

Neighborhood with a beautiful atmosphere. The dilapidated buildings are flanked by newer buildings and shops.
The alleys and narrow streets are charming, and so the local people who walk here, entertain themselves in bars or shops.
I recommend walking around it, getting lost in the various streets and enjoying every glimpse.

Wow what a crazy busy but awesome place to visit. My neck is sore from looking around so much. A lot is going on in this part of the world. Love it.

Great place, very alive and busy at night with an amazing atmosphere. Plenty of places to get good food and a drink, but I would give the massages a miss to be honest. You will get an irritating oil rub down at best and then be asked for a tip, even though you have over paid!

Hanoi you can't describe you have to live. From the thousand contrasts different in each corner. I recommend the wasp tour to enter the small alleys. Incredible people full of resources. You fall in love.

Over all lovely experience, chaotic maybe but vibearent, plenty to do and a good place for a hostile. Food from what I've tried is great. Watch out for shoe repair guys, some will try and start fixing them while you arm walking.

Busy district full of shops, restaurants, old buildings. It's fun to simply walk around looking at the stores and eating local food or drinking Vietnamese coffee in the sidewalks. There are so many motorbikes speeding by making it difficult to cross streets but in a way that's part of the excitement. There's a park with a lake nearby where you can stroll or simply relax under the shades of the trees. The night market during weekends offer a variety of clothes many of them knockoffs but of good materials.

Yes, it is crowed. Yes, it is a little bit dirty. Yes, there is a lot of noise and traffic But it is an amazing place full of surprises and unforgettable images.

To congested, noisy and busy for me. You definitely have to be in the right frame of mind and energy as it's very exhausting weavinng and bobbing in the scooter traffic, tying to go with the flow. Not my cup of tea, personally. I did however get to see an amazing culture show that I rather enjoyed at the Opera House.

To eat well, drink a cold beer HA Nói and finish on a Che. Magnificent.

Old quarter is the part of Hanoi city which exists since imperial time. Consisting of hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, tourist offices and massage parlours is the city’s best places to eat, drink and shop. Street food is available on every street corner. By night the Old Quarter comes alive, there is so much to see and do. Just walk around and enjoy the local life here.

C is the third year that I come and I still love the rhyme of this Villepi.

Hanoi, the mythical city teeming, confusing, noisy and living trace of an ancient world doomed to disappear. Fortunately not in the immediate! But, hang in there because we are far from our criteria of cleanliness and accessibility!

A lively place with night markets, street performance, hundreds of restaurants of all kinds, and full of tourists. All houses are shops selling different goods and services. The center area is reserved for pedestrian only in weekend evenings. A must go to for those who visit the city.

Crowded, dirty place, bustling with tourists and locals. The pedestrian alleys need urgent maintenance, as well as the buildings is all area. New buildings erected here and there are no architectural match with the rest of the neighborhood. No street cleaning, and the locals are throwing everything anywhere they please. There is no trash bin in the whole area. Stuff being sold in shops is low quality Chinese items. With a good management, this area could become a tourist icon, but currently it is left in ruin.

This neighborhood is really attractive. There are a lot of street food for you too try. A lot of street vendor sell quality items for cheap price, especially if you try to haggle the price. The neighborhood is hectic and full of life! Some people said that Vietnam is full of scam artist and robber, but I walked at night several times and it was safe. I will probably go there again if I got time.

And classic Asia. Noisy and polluted.

Vibrant location with cultural events happening all around you, on each little street. From the local aunties preparing local delicacies to artistically directed events… Great for shopping or just watch the world go by over a lemongrass tea or a coconut milk coffee. Fascinating in any season!

Easy to get around. Watch out for the traffic. Great food and fun. Beautiful lake.

The old quarter of Hanoi teems with life, colors, fragrances, light once the night has fallen. You have to get lost in the maze of the streets of the market, meet the street vendors, and don't forget to go to the "Long well Bridge".

Full of old traditional and new things to discover, buy, see, taste and smell, to get inspired and feel the old Hanoi and its artisans, creators and old architecture, busy streets and foods, colorful handicrafts, paintings, clothing, candies, music instruments, medicinal products, altar products and so much more. Have a drink on the street and meet tourists and expats, see a show or listen to live music, dance and go out in bars, Cafes, restaurants… Night markets at weekends and some pedestrian streets then. The old streets are unique and each specialized in some craft or product, which make them interesting and since they're narrow and change direction, it's easy to get lost and get a special feel, which changes depending on the time of day or night, and season. The presence of the lake, trees, birds and the many layers in what we can observe on the buildings give a sense of peace, beauty and cosiness, proper to interesting exchanges and source of inspiration.

Lots of car and motorcycle traffic.

Nice Old Town area with lots of small shops often with Chinese items. Highly praised was this area of Hanoi unfortunately we found it not exactly spectacular or particularly beautiful than other cities. Hoi An is much nicer and quieter. As in all major cities, pedestrians can often only walk on the street as pedestrian walkways are blocked by mopeds or the small areas of food block everything. There are a few nice buildings though often in a not so good condition. The traffic is felt better than in Saigon but still chaotic, crowded streets and hardly a safe way to cross the road.

Lots of cool restaurants, shops and cafés. Very cultural feel. Unfortunately, way too many motorcycles on the sidewalk so you have to walk on the road which is also busy with people walking, cars and motorcycles and lots of honking so it wasn't really enjoyable to walk around anymore especially having to navigate it all with my 6 and 7 year old boys. I'm in no rush to go back there anytime soon, whereas in 2005 without kids, Hanoi had been my favourite SE Asian city.

Experience Vietnamese culture live …

I always love the ambience of old quarter. Definitely come back to Hanoi. We also drink at the oldest coffee shop in Vietnam for the egg coffee and egg cocoa. It was sooooooo gawd.

The old quarters is where you should be if you are in Hanoi. Stay in one of the hotels right smack within the old quarters so that you can feel the beat and heat of Hanoi. The place is buzzing with energy and so much colours. It feels like a community and communal living seems prevalent as you see kids playing about at night across the streets. It's very charming and just by walking around. You could almost smell the Vietnamese culture. Visit the rail track community and you absolutely must take a picture by the Long Bien Bridge. We stayed at the Medallion Hotel which is great … good location. Great service and within walking distance to mice restaurants and roof top cafes. You must just chill by one of those corner cafes to just do the Frenchie feel of people watching. Had a lovely time though it was just for the wkend.

Very full but wonderful to experience a few days of Hanoi, eat at the street kitchens and explore the rest of the city on foot.

I found nothing that could be called tourist, exotic or original.

This place never stops. No need to be shy with haggling as the locals expect it. Crossing the roads can be challenging but the vehicles will find a way to move around you.

Very lively city and not lack of food at all. Fresh fruits, noodles, fried stuffs, anything u can think of. People are nice, however not very fluent in english. Patience with them. Loads of motorbikes, be very careful when walking on the street as they come from all directions.

Best part of Hanoi as it still retains most of its old buildings and a lot of streets are still doing the trade the street is named after. Shoe streets still selling shoes, hardware street still selling hardware, etc.

You gotta be here to understand the full extent of any reviews. This area has some real amazing gems and it's like nothing you've probably seen in North America.

One of the dirtiest, noisiest and overcrowd place i've ever visited. Putrescent smell, decaying organic remains of food you have to tread upon, a lot of garbage, no pavements, shrill horns, bawling people… Visiting Old Quarter is the best way to get the worst first impression of Vietnam.

My first in hanoi and second time in hcm. This place has similarities to hcm. Bad traffic. Many stalls at roadside. Hanoi is far away from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok in economy & facilities & efficiency.

I love the hustle and bustle and energy you find here! It takes a little bit to adjust but it's such a vibrant and exciting place to be. Be confident but careful when crossing the roads, and just learn to say NO to taxis and vendors trying to get your business. Definitely wander into some of the slightly 'dodgier' looking food stalls/cafes for some of the best food you will find! (Go where the locals go for the best! )

Many architectural and historical layers can be found in this old quarter: pre-colonial (18-19th centuries), colonial (19-mid 20th century), Vietnam War period (mid-20 th century), centrally planned (orthordox communism) economy… to the present day. A must visit to feel history of Vietnam.

If You are searching for the unique old Hanoi here You are right. Really unique atmosphere — very vibrant — a lot of Motorcycles and bicycles. Friendly people. A MUST being in Northern Vietnam. Good place to stroll through the small streets and feel the vibe of Northern Vietnam and taste various street food. Enjoy!

Best place in Hanoi, You will realize that your two eyes will not be enough to explore everything, including looking after yourself from motorbikes during rush hours. But I bet they will never be disappointed of the views around you, because they are treated with a mixture of people, culture, food, and traditions.

Initially I was staying near west lake, but later I moved to old quarter, on Hong Kong road, it was good experience of old and charming Hanoi.

Definitely one of the must-go places. Beauty in chaos, to put it simply!

Your visit to Hanoi will not be complete without visiting the Old Quarters. Vietnam does not have that many international retail chains so this place is where you can find all sorts of stuff to shop for — — — from the famous Vietnamese lacquer art, wood crafts, to North Face overruns and food such as cashew nuts, pistachios etc. Vietnamese hot meals are served just about anywhere in short tables and chairs so it's a whole new experience. The different scents from the boiling broth of the pho, spices, dried seafoods are just so amazing. The place is uniquely Vietnam… very charming:-)

The centre of the hussle and bussle. Emerse yourself and take it in. Unmissable.

Extremely friendly staff who helped me get bus tickets to Nanning and arrange a motor scooter rental. Id stay again in a heartbeat.

While we were checking in suddenly they offered us bigger and better（that's what they said）room for us. We thought we are lucky. But it was just the beginning of hell. The room was in the 7th floor. An aquarium is just beside the door. The aquarium stinks. Then then door. Not so easy to lock. Yes, no doubt that the room is big and the veranda has a good view. You will find toilet tissue behind the commode which is very hard to reach. No place to keep shampoo and soap in the shower. I kept it on the floor. Water pressure is low. You will find the mirror of the sink in your left. The coffee maker smells bad. And the worst is the refrigerator. That smells so bad that whenever you open it the whole room smells for 30minutes. My wife almost vomitted. Now staffs were good and helpful. And the location is very good. Don't know about other rooms but just don't stay in room 471.

Great hotel in a good spot.