artsy groovy hipster neighborhood for me to write some music in.

Luong Van Can st. is artsy fartsy.

artsy fartsy is right up my alley.
Thank you.
I see that it is north of the lake. Is there a particular name for this area? Something to help me get in the vicinity if I'm looking for apartments? I'm still in Malaysia for anther 3 weeks.

Thanks again.

Not a neighborhood, but check out zone 9, which is all the rage right now.  A while ago, all the artsy big names like tadioto and bar betta decided to move together into this one block. . A coffee shops collective/cooperative as they call themselves.

That is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Thank you very very much.

What area is Zone 9 in?
"5 minute drive south of opera house" it says on one website. Is it nice to live around here?

Zone 9 is at 9 Tran Thanh Tong street. It's easy to get if your apartment is in Hoan Kiem (not Hoen Kiem) district.

haha, sorry 'Hoan' Kiem. I guess I'll liok for a place in the area. Thanks for the help everyone, by the looks of it, this Zone 9 is very much the kind of inspiring place that I would like to be close to. I will be writing some music, and there's no better way to keep the creative motor running than being around other artists. Maybe I could even do a show and or give some lectures!
I guess I better start looking for an apartment now! See you in a couple of weeks Hanoi!
Thank you guys for the  advice. I really appreciate it!

Since I've got your guys attention, maybe I could sneak in one more question.
I've traveled around alot, and lived in Asia. I know how somethings work. One of the facts of Asia is I know I'm not going to get a 'local' price for an apartment. But I recently showed a serviced apartment advertisement to a Vietnamese friend of mine and she said "no way!, It's so expensive!"
The apartment was $500, with internet, and everything else included. And quite a cute place as well. Not posh, but cute. She said I was getting ripped off. So my question is, for my first month, what is a decent price, in the Hoan Kiem district, for a serviced apartment. Not fancy! I'm a musician, I don't need luxury. Just a a couch and a bed and some cooking things, and internet.

How long will you stay here?

well, right now, I've got the idea of about three months to complete my work.
But, I do love Hanoi, and I am sure I could be convinced to stay longer.