I highly recommend this place via AirBnB that sits right in front of Hoan Kiem lake. I had a balcony overlooking part of the lake.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3747605...7-75bc87d39e0d

What is cool about this place is that during the daytime the entrance to your room is via the on-ground tourist store. Sometime in the evening, perhaps 9pm or 10pm, the tourist store closes. You are given a key where you can open the security gate and then pass through the store to the back entrance to the stairs and small elevator to the upper floor rooms.

When I was there I exclusively used the BLUED app to meet my Vietnamese guys. What was hilarious was when I would give them the address and they would find a closed tourist store. I would tell them - just wait - I will open the roll up security gate and let you into the store. They would say, are we going to have sex in this store? I would reply - NO, we are going to go upstairs to my AirBnB room. When they would leave, I would then accompany them into the store and then open the roll up security gate to let them out and to relock the gate - and also to make sure that they did not take anything from the store - as all of the merchandise was out on display.

In all of my years of frequenting AirBnB places - I never had full access to a store after it was closed. Truly fascinating and trustworthy of the owners - who are great people by the way. Plus the location and view (partial because of some trees) onto Hoan Kiem lake make it ALL worth it.