Our first night in Vietnam, didn't bargain, should have done that. Paid $30 for the first night, $25 for the second. Really nice breakfast in hotel just next door. Bathroom was old, but clean. We got 2 complimentary bottles of water a day and fruit.

I stayed for 2 nights. rooms was large, clean, felt safe, location perfect. I would recommend this place if you are not looking for luxury but location with friendly staff. Breakfast is just ordinary but the breakfast room is not with any ambience so just go sit somewhere at a street cafe to take in the scenes. airport pickup all fine.

Moved to this place from the Sunshine Palace a few doors down. Had a look at the room before checking in and all was ok. Returned in the evening to find there was a problem with the hot water i.e. there wasn't any. Not even enough to have a shower let alone a bath.
After complaining, they denied there was an issue before finally offering me another room which was grottier and noisier. I said I wasn't very happy at which point the guy on the reception became astonishingly rude and aggresive. He said he wasn't going to talk to me and wanted to speak to my friend?! I asked what he meant. He reiterated he wasn't going to talk to me anymore and wanted to talk to my friend. Which amazed me as I wasn't rude just simply requesting a different room.

When I told him I was travelling alone he told me to get out and find another hotel. He was really quite aggressive and kept telling me to get out!

I would've quite happily done so just to avoid the confrontation except it was10.15pm and I had a tour that was collecting me from the hotel at 7.30am the following morning and I had no way of letting the company know my new location. Plus a woman on her own traipsing around the alleys of the old quarter with bags at that time of night is not an ideal scenario.!

Still shocked at the reaction. Had been living in Vietnam for 6 months prior to this and never encountered anything like it. Couldn't wait to leave. Avoid at all costs, especially if travelling alone.

If you are looking for a mid-range hotel, in the very lively Old Quarter of Hanoi, I think Sunshine 1 Hotel is a good choice. I was there in the winter, with record-breaking colds, so the windows were closed at all times, and the heating system was efficient. If you want less noise from the street, try the rooms in the back. In winter, people go to bed around 11H PM so it was quiet to sleep. The beds are very good, and the room is very clean, I saw no bugs of any kind (again, maybe they were frozen). The bathrooms are a bit outdated, but there was plenty of hot water, there was a bath also, and a hairdryer. There is a flat screen TV with cable. But the best feature of the room is the computer with internet wich you can use as long as you want, it is included in the price. Since I started my trip to Vietnam in Hanoi, it was so useful to organize sidetrips to Halong, Sapa, etc...I really enjoyed the location. The breakfast is in another hotel from the same chain, about 3 doors away, and it was a bit boring. If you get tired of it, you can grab a pho bo anywhere on the street, it is sooo good! As for service, I always had a quick and efficient response when I asked for something. But the personnel was not particularly warm, I think they were shy because I am a women in her 50's travelling alone. Great value hotel, would go back.