Pros: The hotel is located in a very centralized part of Hanoi...it is about a 10 minute walk to the Hoan Kiem Lake and the water puppet theatre but it is not in the backpacker district with nightclubs, etc. There is a multitude of restaurants and street food vendors within a couple block radius. The included breakfast is wonderful (7-10:30am)! You get to choose an entree (banana pancakes, pho, scrambled, over easy eggs or omelette amongst other options) plus a beverage (teas, coffee, juices) and there is self-serve fresh pineapple and watermelon. If you want an additional entree, it is $2 USD.
The staff are just amazing! If you need help with tours, how to get to a certain part of town, etc. My boyfriend was feeling ill so we extended our stay in Hanoi by a night and unfortunately the hotel was full so we booked one a couple doors down. After we had checked out of the Culture Hostel and were waiting at a nearby hotel for our room to be ready, we were tracked down by the Culture Hostel manager and were invited to eat lunch with all the staff so he could have a home cooked meal. They went above and beyond and would definitely stay here again and highly recommend them!
Cons: If you get a room closest to the street, it is noisy with the sounds of street vendors, honking, etc.