You could check out Bookworm at 4b Yen The in Ba Đình. They have a good-sized selection of books ranging from thrillers to romance novels, business and leadership to philosophy and spirituality. I'm sure you could find something that's been approved by Vietnamese censorship guidelines to perk your interest. :)

Their phone number is +84 4 37478778 and their email address is bookworm@fpt.vn, in case you might want to ask them about certain titles, genres, etc. Oh, and they're also listed on NH.com:

http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/venue/show/2141/Bookworm

Hi
There is also a new bookshop at 39 Kim Lien by Hanoi Star Bowl in Dong Da. They have a very large English section there and I am sure they would order something specific if you are willing to pay for it.

The other obvious answer is Love Planet Travel at 25 Hang Bac. Good selection of mainly fiction, lovely staff, and the added bonus of cats - which no good book shop should be without.

You could also walk down Trang Tien, right before the Trang Tien Plaza, if you're coming from the Opera House. Both sides of the street have bookshops. Selections are mostly general fiction (with some sci-fi on one or two occassions I've been there), classics, coffee table books, magazines and newspapers (usually a day old).

ok, i'm a dork and looking for the book "Twilight". i've looked in a few shops, but no luck. anyone seen it around?

If you are planning a trip anywhere for the holidays or for Tet and popping into Saigon or KL are options, you can easily load up on books at either place. In Saigon, the chain store Fahasa has am ample supply of every subject you can think of, in English. In KL there are two nicely sized Borders and I am sure other smaller bookshops that are there but I didnt have time (or space in my luggage) to hunt down.