The Hanoi night view from the rooftop. The lights go on forever

Sheraton Hanoi West: One-Night Review. Rooftop Sky Bar Stole the Night

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One night, August 16, 2025, with my girlfriend. Around $136-160 a night (August 2025 rates). A summer poolcation in My Dinh.

Disclosure: This was a self-paid stay. Opinions below are our own.

Hanoi in August is hot. Humid, sticky, the kind of heat that drains your battery if you walk around at noon.

So our strategy for this trip was simple. Sightseeing to a minimum, hotel to a maximum. Swim in the pool, watch the night view from the rooftop, rest in an air-conditioned room. You know how it goes with summer Southeast Asia. You say “this time we will really rest” and end up wandering around anyway. This time we committed to poolcation mode.

The destination: Sheraton Hanoi West in the My Dinh area. Twin 25-story towers, 510 rooms, a big business hotel. To be honest, the location is awkward as a sightseeing base. For a poolcation, though, it turned out to be exactly right.

Exterior

The 25-story twin towers. The SHERATON sign on the roof is visible from far away
📷The 25-story twin towers. The SHERATON sign on the roof is visible from far away(Photo: agoda.com)
The entrance at dusk, with the canopy and the SHERATON sign lit up (Photo: Trip.com)
📷 The entrance at dusk, with the canopy and the SHERATON sign lit up (Photo: Trip.com)

By day, the glass curtain-wall twin towers look crisp and cool. By night, the rooftop sign lights up. It has that upright business-hotel look, but the lobby is all warm wood tones, so the first impression was good.

Room

The standard room. Bed, TV, wardrobe, and the minibar corner all in one glance
📷 The standard room. Bed, TV, wardrobe, and the minibar corner all in one glance
The bed up close. Plenty of pillows and crisp bedding
📷 The bed up close. Plenty of pillows and crisp bedding
The room at a glance. Wood-tone furniture, a wall-mounted TV, and a calm mood
📷 The room at a glance. Wood-tone furniture, a wall-mounted TV, and a calm mood

The standard room is about 34 square meters. Not big, but never cramped for two. The wood-tone furniture keeps it warm, and the bed is in great shape. Big points for the generous pillows. (If two pillows are never enough for you, come here.)

The TV was showing an Italian channel. Rai Italia. Watching Italian TV in Hanoi, that is part of the fun of traveling too.

Rooftop Sky Bar

Inside the sky bar. Sofa seating, the bar counter, and the wooden ceiling louvers
📷 Inside the sky bar. Sofa seating, the bar counter, and the wooden ceiling louvers

Here it comes. The star of this review: the rooftop sky bar.

The sky bar is open daily from 5:00 pm to midnight. It looks out toward My Dinh National Stadium, wide open. Go up around sunset and you get the sunset and the night view from a single seat.

Two cocktails we ordered. One drink against the night view
📷 Two cocktails we ordered. One drink against the night view
The rooftop deck at night. Red light across the deck, Hanoi glowing below
📷 The rooftop deck at night. Red light across the deck, Hanoi glowing below

There is nothing like a cocktail with a night view. This is the essence of a summer Hanoi poolcation. The memory of complaining about the heat all day melts away at night. This is where my girlfriend and I said “let’s come back next year.” (We say it every year. This time we meant it.)

The Hanoi night view from the rooftop. The lights go on forever
📷 The Hanoi night view from the rooftop. The lights go on forever
The highway side at night. Car lights stretching in long lines
📷 The highway side at night. Car lights stretching in long lines

On the view: one side is the city skyline, the other side is a procession of highway lights. Whichever way you look, it never gets boring. We almost wished our photos could capture more of it.

Pool

The outdoor pool, with the hotel building behind it
📷 The outdoor pool, with the hotel building behind it
The pool edge. The 1.3 m depth marking and the anti-slip line
📷 The pool edge. The 1.3 m depth marking and the anti-slip line
The poolside bar and tubes. A good setup for a drink after a swim
📷 The poolside bar and tubes. A good setup for a drink after a swim

A hotel without a pool in August Hanoi is not something we want to imagine. This one has a roomy outdoor pool, 1.3 meters deep, comfortable even for adults. There is a poolside bar, so when you get thirsty mid-swim, a drink is right there. We approve of this layout.

Swim in the afternoon, nap in the room, hit the sky bar at sunset. One night and two days vanished on this routine. If you are coming for a poolcation, this hotel will not disappoint.

Fitness Center

The fitness center. Life Fitness machines lined up
📷 The fitness center. Life Fitness machines lined up
The treadmill zone. Windows to look out of, so running feels less dull
📷 The treadmill zone. Windows to look out of, so running feels less dull

One of us is a running maniac, so the gym always gets checked. It is neatly equipped with Life Fitness machines, and the treadmills sit by the windows so you can run looking outside. It is open 24 hours, so a dawn run is possible too.

The weight zone, ringed with mirrors. Plenty of space, never crowded
📷 The weight zone, ringed with mirrors. Plenty of space, never crowded
Bananas and the QR registration notice at the fitness entrance. A thoughtful snack for before and after
📷 Bananas and the QR registration notice at the fitness entrance. A thoughtful snack for before and after

The most impressive detail was the bananas at the entrance. Register with the QR code and bananas are waiting for you. A little fuel before and after the workout, courtesy of the hotel. We are suckers for this kind of thing.

Grab Delivery: Bun Cha on a Rainy Day

The bun cha set delivered by Grab. Lunch spread out on the window table on a rainy day
📷 The bun cha set delivered by Grab. Lunch spread out on the window table on a rainy day

August in Hanoi is rainy season. Downpours come and go all day. When going out feels iffy, the answer is Grab delivery. We ordered a bun cha set and spread it out on the window table. Charcoal-scented pork, tangy nuoc cham, and the Hanoi cityscape through a rain-streaked window. Delivery bun cha eaten in a hotel room on a rainy day: this combination is the correct answer to August in Hanoi.

Location

My Dinh is a business and residential area, far from the bustle of the Old Quarter. Hoan Kiem is 20 to 30 minutes by car. As a sightseeing base, the location is honestly a bit awkward.

Instead, we got to watch a Vietnamese Independence Day rehearsal near the National Theatre, and a short walk brings you to a street of local restaurants. A bowl of pho at a place for locals, not tourists: that is another flavor of traveling. Everything you need is close by, so if you want a poolcation plus a little extra, it is more than enough.

Bottom Line

Summer Hanoi, a couple’s poolcation at Sheraton Hanoi West. If you drop the sightseeing ambition and focus on resting at the hotel, we wonder if there is a better pick at this price. Swim in the pool, watch the night view from the sky bar, order bun cha. We would go again next summer.

What we liked

  • The rooftop sky bar night view: sunset to night lights from a single seat
  • The spacious outdoor pool plus the poolside bar: the heart of a summer poolcation
  • The 24-hour fitness center with Life Fitness machines and the banana detail
  • The clean standard room with a comfortable bed
  • Walkable local restaurants, plus the Independence Day rehearsal as a bonus
  • Solid value at around $136-160 a night

What could be better

  • The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem are 20 to 30 minutes by car: iffy as a base for a sightseeing-heavy trip
  • The August heat and humidity: a Hanoi problem, not a hotel problem

More hotel reviews: [Chiang Mai Marriott] [Jeju Shinhwa World Marriott]

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