Hanoi · Vietnam
Lake View Backpackers Hostel Rooftop Bar
Suspicious-review evidence
≈1089 possibly bought · 3547 top-rated reviews scanned
Explain how it works
We compare every 5★ review's word count against the global distribution. Hostels where unusually many top-rated reviews are suspiciously short — way under the typical length — start to look like the staff (or a boost-my-listing service) is padding the score with throwaway praise.
The detector flags reviews that are both top-rated and below a length threshold, then estimates how many of them statistically shouldn't exist. For this hostel we scanned 3547 top-rated reviews and 1% were suspiciously short.
Length z-score: 40.96. A z-score measures how far this hostel's distribution of 5★ review lengths sits from the global average, in standard deviations. 0 = perfectly typical. 1–2 = slightly unusual but within normal noise. 3–5 = strongly anomalous. Anything 10+ means the pattern is so far from the global norm that it's effectively impossible to get there organically.
This is a heuristic, not a verdict — it surfaces hostels worth a second look, not proof of fraud. Read the actual reviews below and judge for yourself.
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reviews is because if you give them a good one you get a free beer
The place is very dirty, only Eason it has so many good reviews is because if you give them a good one you get a free beer.
Ireland MALE 18-24 -
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reviews, they give discount
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review, so most of the 10s are bought
It’s a very good hostel, but don’t get irritated by the 10 Star reviews, they give discounts for extentions if you give a 10 Star review, so most of the 10s are bought
Germany MALE 18-24 -
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review you get a free drink
Fantastic location with plenty to do on site. The staff has plenty of recommendations for what to do in a day, overnight trips, or any sort of quick visits. Plus if you leave a review you get a free drink… stay here!
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for 5 star review
They ask for 5 star reviews to get 10% off your stay or a shot at the bar… also when booking direct or extending they don’t exclude Hostelworld’s extra fee as most other hostels do. It was a nice stay other than that.
Canada MALE 25-30 -
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incentive to give a 5 star review and receive a beer or shot if you give 5 star
Decent place. Had a private room. Bathroom could do with some care and there were flies around. Main reason for 1/5 is that this place is rated highly mainly due to the incentive to give a 5 star review and receive a beer or shot if you give 5 star.
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reviews for this place are only because they offer free drink
Sheets had hair and mold on them, toliet also had hair and water from someone using bidet. Room was filthy, also no window so it was like a jail cell and super small. It was gross and much more expensive than a lot of other places around here. I can’t speak on the shared room but I can’t imagine they are much better. Good reviews for this place are only because they offer free drinks to leave a good review. Rooftop bar is the only redeeming feature.
USA FEMALE 18-24 -
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rating is spiked I'm sure by the offer they make of a free drink
It's an okay hostel, but no more. Their rating is spiked I'm sure by the offer they make of a free drink for a 5 star review. There's nothing wrong with this place but it's not a 9 star accomodation or anything like it. Some staff were friendly, others unhelpful. It's a city hostel. Toilets were regularly unclean and I was bitten by bedbugs (it was my first stop on the trip, they couldn't have come from anywhere else). Lovely views over Hanoi and well located in the heart of the Old Quarter.
England MALE 31-40 -
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free drinks for anyone who posts a 5-star review, so the online review
We stayed in a private room that was overpriced for what we got. The room was mostly clean but had a bad smell that made the stay unpleasant. As well, we stayed on the 8th floor the noise from the upstairs bar and the stairwell was very loud and kept us up. The staff were nice but seemed ambivalent towards us. Be warned, they are advertising free drinks for anyone who posts a 5-star review, so the online reviews may be skewed and do not reflect the true experiences of customers. We do not recommend this hostel.
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5-star review, you get a free beer
I had a very disappointing stay at this hostel. There were ants in the bed, and the staff was unhelpful and even rude — they gave back the wrong amount of money, laughed at us when we pointed it out, and showed little interest in helping with anything. Our room key didn’t even work properly. The breakfast was poor quality, not fresh, and there were flies in and on the food. The bathrooms were dirty, with no toilet paper available even after the cleaner had been there. Overall, the cleanliness was very bad. On top of that, the hostel had signs saying that if you leave them a 5-star review, you get a free beer. This is very dishonest and clearly explains why their overall rating looks much higher than what the hostel actually deserves. I would not recommend staying here.
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in exchange for 5 star review
This overpriced and dirty hostel is situated centrally for old quarter. It's a loud party hostel - They give out free alcohol in exchange for 5 star reviews. The breakfast is pretty good. I had a private en suite, the bathroom was dirty - a piece of chewing gum was squished on the shower floor. There are weird brown flakes that look kind of like insects on the walls and the floor wasn't swept when I arrived. After having a horrible and circular conversation about gaining access to the locked safe in my room, I didn't think there would be any point complaining about the cleanliness. I'm including a photo of the button you press in the safe to reset it. For the incredibly rude volunteer staff member who told me that it was completely impossible to reset my room safe without "calling the security company" or using and returning the one and only master key for the entire hostel's safes whenever I wanted to open my room safe.
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review for a free beer
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Pressure to leave a review
TOLD THE GUY AT THE DESK I WAS GOING TO ROAST THIS PLACE ON REVIEW
Where do I start? This place is easily the worst hostel I have stayed in, anywhere in the world. The staff are absolutely careless, and with 0 sense of urgency to boot. They put me in the wrong room for the first night along with another guy who was in the same position (we both paid for a 4 bed and received a 6) but I was willing to let it slide and say nothing because I was so tired but sadly they totally let me down following this too. I was told to move my things into a 4 bed on the second night, but it wasn’t even because I made a complaint (I didn’t) , in fact because it suited them better? Work that one out. I told them I would be back to move my things after my food tour. I came back to find my microfibre towel and its container had been removed from the room, I was then told by the staff when I raised this to them that I would hear back about it the next day. If that wasn’t shoddy enough, by the time I did get my towel back, there was no container bag to take it away in because some charlatan had lost it. I was late for my bus out of Hanoi because 1 staff member was prioritising booking another customer’s ha giang loop even though I had asked him about the towel first, and I understand wanting to make money but his colleague stood there on his phone the whole time. I never am one to leave bad reviews but please do not waste your money. They have a sign at reception telling people to leave a review for a free beer or shot. Also, the lights are dingy and the rooms are tiny. ALSO, I’M HAVING TO POST THIS ON GOOGLE BECAUSE I TOLD THE GUY AT THE DESK I WAS GOING TO ROAST THIS PLACE ON REVIEWS AND HE CANCELLED MY TRIP ON HOSTELWORLD BEFORE I COULD POST THIS, AND HE WAS QUICK TO DO IT TOO. WORST EVER.
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5 star review for free beer
Decent hostel, hyped up by "5 star review for free beer"
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Reviews are affected by free beer
Staff was good but rooms, breakfast and everything else not. Reviews are affected by free beers in my opinion
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free drink with a review
Good hostel, free drink with a review. Ideally get a bottom bunk and not an en-suite room because they smell.
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rating comes from a free beer
Bathrooms are filthy and disgusting. They are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. The rooms are also small and have no natural light. Staff are dismissive. I also believe their rating comes from a free beer for 5 star review. Be warned! Avoid!
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for good review
Ridiculous and useless. Don’t reserve your room after Ha Giang Loop - group of us - some v young - wandering streets at 3am looking for accomm due to their mistake. No apology. Reason for good reviews are drinks bribes - don’t stay here
England FEMALE 25-30 -
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free drinks for a good review
The location is really good, you get what you pay for with the hostel in terms of quality. But the beds are decent and had clean sheets. Beware this hostel and a lot of other hotels in Vietnam offer free drinks for a good review.
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discount for giving a good review on Hostelworld. Otherwise, the review
Eberyone gets a discount for giving a good review on Hostelworld. Otherwise, the reviews would never hold up this well. It's a bit dirty and stinky here. The breakfast is amazing and the rooftop is a vibe though. Just an average hostel - nothing great.
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free beer for a 5 star review has definitely skewed the rating
it’s okay- a free beer for a 5 star review has definitely skewed the ratings overall. The dorm was good, en suite toilet was tiny and in the communal loos the majority seemed to always be blocked. breakfast was nice and the staff were friendly. nothing amazing
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discount for a good review
The location is great but I think the hostel is a bit overrated. They offer a discount for a good review fyi. A handful of the toilets were completely blocked, but there were others to use so it was ok. The people there were quite young, early 20s. The pub crawl is alright, but starts with clubs and dancing.
USA FEMALE 25-30 -
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reviews are because they give you a free beer
I guess most very high reviews are because they give you a free beer to review them highly. Hostel is overall ok, I stayed in a private room so don’t really know if the dorms are ok. Private was expensive for what you can find in Hanoi rooftop is ok but not very busy when I was there. Good laundry service.
Greece MALE 31-40 -
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reviews, as guests receive 10% discount
Sadly you can’t trust all of the 10 star reviews, as guests receive 10% discount if they rate the hostel 10 stars. That’s very dishonest from the hostel. Still a decent hostel with good breakfast and nice rooftop, but the bathrooms were always dirty and the staff sometimes quite rude, when they try to sell you a tour, such as ha giang loop
Germany FEMALE 18-24 -
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ratings I saw. Pros: The beds were comfortable and the free breakfast
The hostel is in a good central location but it didn’t live up to the ratings I saw. Pros: The beds were comfortable and the free breakfast is decent. Cons: The bathroom wasn’t the cleanest and I saw a mouse running down the stairs on 2 seperate days. The pool water was also quite dirty and murky so I didn’t go in it.
England FEMALE 18-24 -
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ratings is due to the promise of a free beer
Room was fairly dirty, no place to hang clothes up, and air circulation was poor Reception upon check in didn’t even check the booking, and the social events were lackluster comparatively to other hostels we stayed at Only reason this has so many high ratings is due to the promise of a free beer with a good review - don’t trust most of them
England MALE 18-24 -
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5 star reviews is because you get a free beer
This place is not great. The only reason it has so many 5 star reviews is because you get a free beer with it. Lame. It’s a cheaper hostel (and the breakfast does actually have great selection) but everything else is way over priced. Many other hostels offer more (towel, bathroom in rooms, and free beer) for the same or cheaper. The staff was nice and had good energy which made it alright
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HostelPunk native reviews
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Vibe Analysis
Lake View Backpackers Hostel Rooftop Bar is a central Old Quarter base with the lake, cafes, street food, and major Hanoi stops close by. The included breakfast is a real strength, with a bigger spread than the basic hostel norm. The rooftop bar is the main social hook. When open and running well, it gives the place its party-hostel energy, with drinks, music, a terrace, and sometimes a pool area. This is the reason to pick it over a quieter sleep-first spot. Rooms can be compact, dim, and windowless, especially dorms and some private rooms. Beds are often fine or comfortable, but storage, ventilation, bathroom layout, and noise insulation can be weak. This works better for a short, social Hanoi stop than for a private-room value stay. Cleanliness is the big tradeoff. Bathrooms are often wet from shower-toilet layouts, toilet paper can run out, and common seating may be stained or smoky. The rooftop, bar, or pool may also be closed, dirty, or restricted without much warning, so the best part of the hostel is not always guaranteed.
Signals to check
- Bathrooms and shared areas may be dirty, wet, smelly, or poorly maintained.
- Some rooms are small, dark, windowless, humid, or noisy.
- The rooftop bar, pool, and social areas may close early or be unavailable.
- Extra costs may appear for towels, keys, lockers, card payments, tours, or booking differences.
- Tour sales and room allocation can be messy, with occasional overcharging or last-minute changes.
- This is better for party energy than quiet sleep or private-room comfort.