The Drift Backpackers Hostel

Unclaimed

We stayed at the Drift Hostel for a couple nights and had a good experience. I will say, the highlight was the breakfast buffet, providing great value for money; there was fried noodles and rice, pak choi, fresh corn, bread and bananas, ketchup, butter and jam, among other things… The reception staff were okay, but not the friendliest I’ve encountered on my travels. The cleaning ladies however were the sweetest! The rooms themselves were okay. We stayed in a double bed-bunk bed and we loved that we had that option. The bunk bed curtains though were very noisy and ripped, compromising your privacy. You could massively upgrade the room if you hung up some more shelves and hangers for storing your stuff. The floors space quickly got very crammed - and that’s so easily avoidable if you just put up a bunch of shelves and hangers for people to put their stuff! The acoustics could also have been better. There was an ensuite bathroom which was pretty nice! And cleaned multiple times a day! There was unfortunately no towels included and they should seriously change to a better toilet bin, one that doesn’t have a flip lid, but besides that - great! There was a small balcony connected to our dorm room (ours had an amazing view over St Joseph’s church), which was great, but it really needed more chairs and tables to be fully functioning. I wish there had been more and better communal areas. The reception area wasn’t a great hangout spot and the upstairs balcony, where the breakfast buffet took space, was too crammed to be cozy. And also damp and cold most of the day. They did have a pool table though, which was great if you’re into that kind of thing! We would have loved if they arranged events or activities for the guests. There was little communal atmosphere, probably because of the lack of good communal spaces to meet people + lack of activities. Would have been great with a hostel guitar and a couple of couches! We were happy it wasn’t a party hostel though, it was very chill and calm. Location was good - but also noisy. A few streets down you could get much quieter accommodation. They offer a 10% discount on your stay if you leave a positive review on Hostelworld, which I think is a contributing factor for their very high rating on that platform. We overall had a pretty good stay, and think it provided good value for money and with a few improvements, it could really be the best place in town! As of now, you can also find similarly great hostels right around the corner :) ?

Absolutely outstanding experience with Drift Backpackers Hostel in Hanoi! Not only is it a welcoming and well-run place to stay, but the staff go way above and beyond when it comes to hospitality. I had accidentally left my jacket there and only realized it after I had already left the city. The team not only found it and kept it safe for two full weeks, but they also packaged it with care and held onto it until someone could come and pick it up for me. Truly exceptional service. Highly recommend staying here — not just for the location or vibe, but for the incredible people who run it.