Yes, we recycle! 

Pollution has become a serious problem in Hanoi and we want to do our part to help clean up the city.  Among the local community, a move toward greener businesses practices has taken off.  We're proud to say that we work to participate as fully as possible in this movement, including a recycling program at our hotel.  Our tours and travel services also promote green methods and approaches.  It's a slow process, but progress is being made!

Guests can separate cans, bottles, newspapers, cardboard, glass, and other plastics and papers into a separate bag just as you would do at home, but it's really not necessary.  Our staff will separate all trash and pull out anything that can be recycled.  It's a little-advertised service, but after many inquiries, we wanted to let our former and future guests know that our hotel does have a recycling program.

We also ask guests to turn off all power and appliances before leaving the room.  We try to conserve power not only to save money, but also to help preserve Vietnam's fragile environment.  Even small things like turning off the tv or ac when you leave the room can help a great deal.

Thanks for doing your part to conserve energy and recycle while in Vietnam!  For more information on local efforts to improve the environment, see  http://www.vsccan.org/vgbc/

A brief note on cultural differences you may experience in Vietnam, whether staying in private homes or in a hotel.

Recently a guest commented on Tripadvisor about the practice of leaving shoes outside of rooms as well as closing the gate at night and having staff sleep downstairs.  We realized that this may surprise some people coming from other parts of the world, so we thought that a little explanation could help those less familiar with Vietnamese customs.

First, shoes.  It is considered impolite (and unsanitary) to walk inside a home without taking off your shoes.  Public businesses normally (although not always) allow you to wear your shoes inside, but in the case of hotels, most Vietnamese and some other Asian peoples take off their shoes and leave them outside the door.  We welcome people from all parts of the world and encourage everyone to follow their traditions.  Our staff do take off their shoes before entering a room, as a courtesy.  If you are not sure about taking off your shoes when visiting someone in Vietnam, just take a look at the area outside their door - if shoes are piled around, start unlacing yours!

Next, closing gates at night.  Throughout Vietnam, all hotels strive to give their guests a safe experience and we are no different.  In the case of Rising Dragon, we close the outer gates at night, usually around 12pm for safety reasons, as do most hotels in the Old Quarter.  Our gate closes to protect guests (and staff) from unannounced visitors, outside noise, and possible theft.  Local police encourage this practice.  Any guests who return later or arrive on a late flight merely need to knock to be allowed inside. 

As for staff sleeping downstairs, usually one or two staff members stay overnight downstairs in case guests return or arrive late at night.  These staff members live on-site, which means they also work or go to school during the day.  The best solution for many Hanoi hotels has been to allow them to catch a nap between 12-5am.  This way they get a little sleep, have a free place to stay, and can still protect the hotel and help the occasional guest who may need something late at night. 

Hope this helps you prepare for a few cultural differences that you may experience in Vietnam.  If you have other questions or think we should blog about another aspect of life here, just let us know and we'll do our best to provide the answers!