If you are looking for the ultimate luxury escape in the heart of Vietnam's capital, I don't think you need to look any further. Fairmont Hanoi is the very first Fairmont in Vietnam, a new property by Accor that opened in early 2026, and honestly, it left us a little awestruck from the moment we walked in.
The hotel sits at 10 Tran Nguyen Han in Hoan Kiem, just a few steps from Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. We stayed two nights in a Fairmont Gold King room, and after this stay I can say one thing for sure. This is the best swimming pool and bathhouse I have ever experienced in Hanoi. This is a long read, because I want to walk you through every little corner we passed. Every photo can be clicked to enlarge for a closer look.
This is my own personal experience during a stay we paid for ourselves, not a sponsored post. Service and prices can change over time, so please confirm with the hotel before booking.
Location and First Impressions
What I love most about Fairmont Hanoi is the location. Right in central Hoan Kiem, you can stroll to the lake in the evening and wander the Old Quarter for street snacks, yet the moment you step back into the hotel the noisy city melts away behind the door. The hotel has 241 rooms plus eight restaurants and bars. Even though it is brand new, the team is already professional and warm, the kind of service where you feel genuine care rather than going through the motions.
The Fairmont Gold Experience
Booking a Fairmont Gold room means unlocking a hotel-within-a-hotel experience that is private and cared for down to the smallest detail. Our room welcomed us with warm tones, a cloud-soft bed and soft golden light. The bathroom has a freestanding tub and a pretty round mirror, and one small detail I adored is the Le Labo amenities. The Le Labo scent here is blended exclusively for Fairmont Hanoi and found nowhere else, so after every shower you carry a signature fragrance that I still remember now that we are home.
The Fairmont Gold Lounge
The heart of the Gold experience is the Fairmont Gold Lounge. The lounge feels like an oasis of calm, full of natural light, with elegant mid-century furnishings and plush seating. It became the place we returned to most through the day, for afternoon tea and again in the evening for a drink while watching the streets below.
As for the food in the lounge, I rate it highly on both the space and the quality. The selection is not as large as a big buffet, but in return everything is fresh and beautifully done. The fruit was wonderfully fresh, including strawberries and, notably, Korean Shine Muscat grapes, the sweet kind that count as a treat even when you eat out. Small touches like that made us feel genuinely looked after.
The seating area and the snack-and-pastry corner, right in the Gold Lounge.
Afternoon Tea
In the afternoon, the lounge serves a tiered stand of dainty pastries. We sipped tea while watching the streets below, and a whole afternoon drifted by gently.
Evening Drinks and the Story of a Bloody Mary
As the sun goes down, the lounge serves canapés and evening drinks. My favourite moment was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching Hanoi light up with a chilled glass of wine in hand. But the most memorable story came from my husband.
He asked for a Bloody Mary, but it was not on the lounge menu at the time. I thought that would be the end of it, but the lounge team surprised us by calling the hotel bartender up to make one specially for him. And he loved it. It is exactly these unexpected gestures that set a hotel apart. Click the photo below to zoom in on that deep-red Bloody Mary.
Evening canapés and a glass of wine by the window as Hanoi lights up.
Breakfast at Bacco
We had our hot breakfast at Bacco, the hotel's Italian restaurant. The blue-and-white tiled wall here is so beautiful I had to stop and admire it before I could move on. Honestly though, the breakfast was not very varied, and over our two days the dishes were almost identical. The noodle dishes were not really for us, especially the mi Quang, whose noodles felt a little odd, and the pho was billed as Hanoi pho but did not quite taste like proper Northern pho, which was a shame since my husband only really eats Northern pho.
On the upside, being an Italian restaurant, the pizza at Bacco is pretty good. We did not eat much, just a small slice when a waiter kindly invited us to try, but the flavour was great. As for service, I would give the Bacco staff around 7 out of 10, while the Gold Lounge team is a solid 9 out of 10. That thoughtful service at the Lounge is what we remember most.
Cirua Bathhouse: The Best Spa in Hanoi
I do not say this lightly. The Cirua Bathhouse and Spa is the best wellness facility I have ever experienced in Hanoi. Spanning a massive 3,500 square metres, this sanctuary makes the city outside disappear completely. We were there for only two nights, yet we went down to the bathhouse three times, a number that says it all.
The private bathing area is spotless and complete, with a sauna, a steam bath, standing showers, Japanese-style seated baths, and both cold and hot plunge pools. My husband even joked that he no longer needs to fly to Japan, that whenever he feels like it he can just come here to enjoy it instead. Haha. The indoor pool and thermal circuit are genuine works of architecture, with beautiful blue mosaic tiles and a warm glowing onyx wall that makes the whole space come alive.
I have to single out the jacuzzi pool, because my husband fell in love with it. It has a waterfall, hyper jets that massage your shoulders, and a neck-massage spot. His favourites were the waterfall and the neck massage, standing under the warm cascade letting it pour over his shoulders and neck until every bit of tiredness melted away. I rarely see my husband relax for so long. This one feature alone was worth the whole stay.
Meditation Pods and the Relaxation Lounge
Between the hydrotherapy pools sit the meditation pods, egg-shaped cocoons with soft lighting. The lovely touch is that each pod has meditation music to listen to, with three different tracks depending on how long you want to meditate. I just picked a track, curled up, closed my eyes and breathed slowly, completely cut off from the noise outside. It is something I rarely find in other hotel spas in Hanoi.
The post-bath relaxation area is beautifully designed too, with plush loungers under a ceiling that sparkles like a starry sky, and a view over the city. We often lay here for a long while, wrapped in soft robes, with no desire to leave.
The Rooftop Pool
If you prefer to soak up the sun, the outdoor rooftop infinity pool offers a completely different but equally luxurious vibe. The infinity edge opens onto sweeping, panoramic views of the Hanoi skyline. Relaxing in a private cabana with a couple of chilled local craft beers on a silver tray is the ultimate way to spend an afternoon. The contrast between the energetic city below and the peaceful, elevated retreat above is simply perfect.
Final Thoughts
Fairmont Hanoi has set a new benchmark for luxury in Vietnam. Even though breakfast at Bacco did not quite win us over, between the thoughtful service of the Fairmont Gold team, that surprise Bloody Mary for my husband, and the unmatched relaxation of the Cirua Bathhouse and rooftop pool, the stay as a whole was hugely memorable.
If you are planning a trip to Hanoi and want to treat yourself to a complete escape, I believe Fairmont Hanoi is well worth it. As for my husband, I am quite sure that the first thing he will do when we come back is head straight down to the jacuzzi to stand under his beloved waterfall.
Hotel: Fairmont Hanoi (Accor) — the first Fairmont in Vietnam
Location: 10 Tran Nguyen Han, Hoan Kiem — near Hoan Kiem Lake
Opened: early 2026
Our room: Fairmont Gold King (2 nights)
Highlights: Fairmont Gold Lounge, Bacco restaurant, Cirua Bathhouse (3,500 m²), rooftop pool
