We were actually meeting another friend of ours in Vietnam, who had come a couple days early and stayed at the Sheraton with her SPG points. She gave good reviews of it, but it turned out that for the 3 of us, a local hotel was cheaper (even than the cash + points rate) and provided amazing hospitality. If you ever need to stay in Hanoi, I definitely recommend the
Charming II in the Old Quarter. I don't have any pictures, but the ones on the TA site are true to their pixels.
As for Hanoi itself ... we stayed here as a jumping off point for Ha Long Bay, though the city is great to visit in itself. Enough talking, more pictures:
Street-side Pho Ga
This looks safe
Water Puppet Show
Bikes everywhere
And I mean everywhere ...