Chain hostel in Hanoi's Old Quarter with reliable standards, bar, and social events. Clean facilities, security, and good location for exploring. Dependable budget option with consistent quality.
Vietnam Backpacker Hostels Downtown is located at 9 Ma May Street in the Hoan Kiem District — the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter and one of the highest-density budget accommodation and travel agency zones in Southeast Asia. Hoan Kiem Lake is a 5-minute walk south along Hang Be and Dinh Tien Hoang streets. The Temple of Literature is reachable in approximately 20 minutes by taxi or GrabBike, and the Long Bien Bridge with its French colonial iron structure is a 10-minute walk to the northeast.
The hostel is part of the Vietnam Backpacker Hostels chain, one of Vietnam's most established budget accommodation networks, operating properties in Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City. The Downtown Hanoi location is the chain's northern flagship, maintaining the network's consistent standards for cleanliness, security, and social programming.
Dormitory rooms are available in mixed and female-only configurations, ranging from 4-bed to 12-bed layouts. All bunks include individual power points, reading lights, and lockers at each bunk position. Private rooms are simple doubles with en-suite bathrooms, providing a quiet option on the same social infrastructure as the dorms.
The in-house bar serves drinks and light snacks and doubles as the staging point for the hostel's organised evening events, which run on multiple nights per week. Breakfast is available each morning from the kitchen. The hostel does not operate a full restaurant but staff direct guests to well-regarded pho, bun cha, and banh mi stalls within two minutes' walk on Ma May and Hang Be streets.
The tour desk covers Ha Long Bay cruises, Ninh Binh day trips, and longer northern Vietnam circuits. Motorbike rentals, airport transfers, and bus tickets onward to Hue and Hoi An are also bookable from the front desk. Noise from the bar area can carry to nearby dormitories in the evenings; guests who are light sleepers should request upper-floor rooms away from the bar when booking.
Amenities
- bar
- breakfast
- lockers
- common area
- tours
Location
9 Ma May, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam
21.0350, 105.8528 View on map
Highlights
- Ma May Street address in Hanoi's Old Quarter, 5 minutes' walk from Hoan Kiem Lake
- Part of Vietnam's most established backpacker hostel chain with consistent cleanliness and security standards across all properties
- In-house bar with organised social events several nights per week, tour desk, and motorbike rental
Tips for visiting
- Request a room on the upper floors furthest from the bar if noise from evening events is a concern
- Book Ha Long Bay cruises through the front desk — they typically offer competitive rates and have vetted operators on their list
- The Ma May and Hang Be streets surrounding the hostel have some of Hoan Kiem's best street food stalls for pho and bun cha