My wife and I just returned form a twenty one day tour of Vietnam and Cambodia. We stayed at four and five star hotels throughout with the exception of one three star hotel - the Hoabinh Palace. To say we loved this hotel is an understatement. The staff were first rate, the rooms very comfortable and cozy and the location in the heart of the Old Quarter was, for us, perfect. We stayed in room 401 which gave a great view onto a busy street and overlooked the market in that area. All locations important to us (the big lake, Water Puppet theater, good restaurants and great food) were within easy walking distance. The restaurant on the eight floor gives a great view of the city and my wife says the key lime pie served there is the best she's ever had. But it was the staff that made the important difference. Very friendly, always smiling and always accommodating.
As I said, most of the hotels we stayed at during our tour were rated higher, but the hotel we both agree would be the one to return to would be the Hoabinh Palace.

There are two hotels in Hanoi called Hoa Binh - this one is called the HoaBinh PALACE hotel and is located on Pho Hang Be the other does not have the word PALACE in its name and is an older hotel with only three floors.
This hotel which is located across the road from an amazing local food market and right next door to a fabulous pub (Le Pub) is just fantastic. We booked a suite and I would recommend this, the room we had on the 4th floor was huge.
Bed was comfortable (not the usual hard slab that you tend to get in Asia).
Breakfast was average - you can get better in numerous cafes close by.
Hotel was clean and bathroom was clean and of a good size. In room safe was appreciated.
All the great shopping (Pho Hang Gai is a good place to start) is within easy walking distance.
Staff were all helpful and friendly

My wife and I stayed at the Hoabinh Palace for 4 nights from April10 to April 14th 2008. I chose the hotel on the basis of its location in the old quarter and the good reviews from various internet sites. I also opted for a pick up by private car from the hotel although you can take a local taxi at a lower cost. The first test came at the airport and it was reassuring to find a driver holding a placard with my name on it as we exited the customs.

The old quarter is well named because it is very old and on first impressions a little intimidating but it is in actual fact very safe and in a short time you feel comfortable to walk the streets. The location of the hotel on Hang Be street is good just opposite a large local market with restaurants ( recommend the Green Tangerine ), gifts shops and tour operators. The hotel met our expectations in many ways. The room was a good size, it was clean, there was very little street noise, the aircon worked quietly and didn’t disturb us in the night, the shower was always hot with good pressure, we had fresh fruit every day and finally the staff were very helpful, friendly and spoke good English. The restaurant is on the 8th floor where breakfast and dinner are served. Breakfast was buffet style both Western and Asian offering a good selection. We decided to have dinner there on the first night opting for the Vietnamese food which was very good and reasonably priced. On our return to the airport the hotel owner Mr Tuan and his wife personally drove us to the airport. I would definitely recommend vistors to stay in the old quarter and would have no hesitation in recommending the Hoabinh Place to them. We talked to others on the tours and none seemed to have a hotel they were happy with.

For tours there are plenty of operators along the main streets of the old quarter but we opted to use APT Travel who had a desk in the hotel lobby. The same tours are operated by all the companies so I’m not sure it makes much difference who you use. Day 1 we opted for the city tour (at USD25 each inc lunch) which was good until after lunch when we were taken to a ceramic factory. This wasted the afternoon so if you can bale out after lunch. Don’t do the Halong bay in a day tour as this involves 31/2 hours drive each way via the obligatory ceramic factory with only a three / four hour cruise including lunch. Whilst Halong bay is well worth seeing the journey spoils the day.

I have stayed here twice & I have had consistently good experiences. The hotel is conveniently located in the old quarter and not too far from Hoan Kiem Lake. The rooms are pretty good by worldwide standards and fantastic compared to a lot of Vietnam hotels. I didn't have the breakfast, but it's included and served on the top floor of the hotel - from all accounts it's pretty good.

The rooms at the front of the hotel are slightly noisier than the rooms at the back - though not a problem unless you are a very light sleeper. On my last visit to Hanoi, I also tried out the Rising Dragon Hotel - this place costs more, but it's a much much nicer hotel and easily worth the extra charge.