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Story: Bui Kim Anh
Photos: Dan Toan
While some Hanoians may have heard the old chant – “Take a stroll all over the Thăng Long Citadel/Thirty six streets lie ahead in total” – few have actually explored all 36 streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
Shaped like a chessboard, Hanoi’s Old Quarter has existed for over a thousand years. Some streets are still home to businesses plying the same trades as when the streets were founded. Many old Hanoi street names start with the word “Hàng” – which means “Wares”. This word is followed by the name of the specific product on offer, such as Hàng Tre (Bamboo Wares) , Hàng Bạc (Silver Wares), Hàng Thiếc (Tin Wares), Hàng Mã (Votive Offerings), Hàng Chiếu (Mats), etc.
According to historians, when the Ly dynasty moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thăng Long, Hanoi had no streets but was comprised of clustered villages. After the court moved nearby, the area became rapidly urbanized. Craft villages in Sơn Tây, Thường Tín, Phú Xuyên, Trạch Xá, Hưng Yên and Hải Dương developed to supply goods to the court. Fellow villagers specialized in producing similar merchandise.
Maps of Hanoi from 1770 and 1810 show that the Red River was still connected to Hoan Kiem Lake, which was a dead-end branch of the river. The To Lich River still flowed to the Red River and was linked to West Lake and the Thien Phu River and downstream to the Nhuệ River. The Red River had alluvial water that appeared red, while the water in the Tô Lịch was clear. This river was busy with boat traffic. Boats could sail into the Old Quarter to trade.
Mã Mây Street was formed by two older streets – Hàng Mã (Votive Offerings) Street and Hàng Mây (Rattan)Street. Hàng Mây Street bordered Hàng Buồm (Sails) Street by the Nhị River, where boats carrying bamboo, rattan (mây) and reeds moored.
During French colonial times, the lakes and marshes were filled and the Old Quarter refurbished. Many Indian and French traders did business here. Two smaller markets were cleared to found Đồng Xuân Market. The Sword Lake – Thụy Khuê tramway was built across the Old Quarter.
The merchants are no longer from the same village but hail from all over northern Vietnam. Many traditional wares have been replaced. Hàng Khoai (Potatoes) Street now sells kitchen wares. Hàng Đường (Sugar) Street is famous for dried fruit. Hàng Gà (Chicken) Street offers printed wedding cards.
“The Geographical Record” by Nguyễn Trãi referred to Hanoi and its 36 streets, divided into two wards with 18 streets each. However, there were more than 36 streets with names starting with “Hàng”. These “Hàng” streets are also found in Nam Định, Hải Dương and Hải Phòng.
In Hanoi, some of the streets sold items unique to the capital, such as Hàng Lọng (Parasols) and Hàng Kiệu (Palanquins). These items were only used by mandarins serving the feudal court of Thăng Long.
Long ago, most of the houses had thatched roofs. Only a few wealthy Chinese merchants could afford tiled roofs. In the 18th and 19th centuries, tube houses with steep roofs proliferated. Some of these old houses may still be seen on Mã Mây (Rattan) and Thuốc Bắc (Traditional Medicine) Streets. Many streets still have some old connected French colonial shophouses.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a lot of history. If we can preserve it, we can keep part of the old Thăng Long Citadel intact, in tandem with a modern and developed Hanoi. As Hanoi grows bigger, it abounds with tall buildings. Yet Sword Lake and the narrow Old Quarter streets remain, along with their nostalgic names.
