Hanoi Old Quarter

About this place

The Old Quarter is the historic trading heart of Hanoi, a dense grid of streets between Hoan Kiem Lake and the Red River that grew up outside the Thang Long citadel under the Ly and Tran dynasties. It is often called the 36 Streets, after the craft guilds that gave the streets their names: most begin with Hang, meaning wares, as in Hang Bac (silver) or Hang Tre (bamboo). Some still sell the same goods; others have moved on, like Hang Buom, the street of sails, now known for sweets and biscuits. The protected quarter's limits, fixed in 1995, take in about 100 hectares and 76 streets. Its typical building is the tube house: a narrow shopfront under a tiled roof that runs deep into the block, the old ones mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Look for the Quan Chuong gate, the only one of the old city gates still standing, Dong Xuan Market, built in the French period on the site of two smaller markets, and small temples set above the shops. On Hang Luoc, on the north-western side, is Al-Noor Mosque, with halal food beside it. Walk it early in the morning or in the evening, when the heat eases and street-food stalls set up on the pavements. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic and a night market runs from Hang Dao up to Dong Xuan. Motorbikes are everywhere, so cross slowly and steadily.