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| Hanoi Old Quarter |
1. History of Old Quarter
Hanoi
was, and still is, locally referred to as the city of Ba Muoi Sau Pho Phuong,
36 streets and districts. In fact, there are more – some 160 of them- so the
question arises: why the number 36?
The
discrepancy arises from two sources. First of all, the word Pho which refers to
commercial streets and Phuong meaning districts which refers to both
professional guilds and administrative districts, helped to cause the initial
confusion.
This
was later compounded by two folk poems popular throughout the country in the
country in the late 19th century. These both praised the beauty of
Thang Long ( Ascending Dragon) Hanoi’s ancient name, referring to it as the
city of Ba Muoi Sau Pho Phuong, 36 streets and districts, although at the time
Hanoi already had 60 commercial streets, 60 professional guilds and 40 administrative
districts.
However
this misrepresentation was not simple a casual error. Many people believed that
36, the exact number of streets in Hanoi from the 15th to 18th
centuries, was a lucky number and no-body among the superstitious Vietnamese,
particularly the poets, who further propagated the discrepancy, wanted to
change it.
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| Bach Ma temple |
Today,
walking through the streets in this ancient heart of the old city, you will
find they still bear the name of the trades and commodities plied in them many
generations ago and in some the tradition carries on to this day: cotton, sail,
rice, sugar, vermicelli ( hang bun), Jute ( Hang Gai) .
Thus
the name, ba Muoi SAu Pho Phuong, like the name of the old streets recalling
the professional guilds, national heroes and heroines, historic places and
political leaders, remains unchanged to this day.
2. Hanoi old quarter now
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| The old quarter |
Exploring
the maze of back streets is fascinating; some streets open up while others
narrow down into a warren of smaller alleys. The area is known for its tunnel,
or tube, houses – so called because their small frontages hide very long rooms.
These tunnel houses were developed to avoid taxes based on the width of their
frontage onto the street. By feudal law, houses were also limited to two
storeys and, out of respect for the king, could not be taller than the Royal
Palace. These days there are taller buildings (six to eight storeys high) but
there are no real high rise buildings.
Some
of the more specialized streets include Pho Hang Quat which has red
candlesticks, funeral boxes, flags and other temple items; and Pho Hang Gai
which is somewhat more glamorous with silk, embroidery, lacquer ware, paintings
and water puppets – the silk sleeping bag liners and elegant Vietnamese ao dai
are very popular with travellers. Finally, no trip to the Quarter would be
complete without a trip to Dong Xuan market, on Pho Hong Khoi and Pho Dong
Xuan, which was rebuilt after a 1994 fire.
A
stroll through the historic Hanoi Old Quarter can last anywhere from a few minutes to
the better part of a day, depending on your pace and how well you navigate the
increasing motor traffic plaguing the streets. However long, or whatever detours
you might take, the following course will provide you with a good dose of
Vietnamese culture, and some insight into the country’s long history.
A
logical starting point is the Ngoc Son Temple in the northern end of Hoan Kiem
Lake. After crossing back over the bright red Huc Bridge, stop for a quick look
at the Martyrs’ Monument, erected to those who died in fighting for Vietnam’s
independence. Head north on Pho Hang Dau past the Water Puppet Theatre (see the
‘Punch & Judy in a Pool’ boxed text in this chapter) and you’ll soon be
surrounded by shoe shops selling every shape, size and style, demonstrating how
serious Hanoians are about their footwear. Crossing over Pho Cau Go, pop into
the colourful flower market which occupies the narrow eastern terminus of Pho
Gia Nhu.
Back
on Pho Hang Be; continue north to the ‘T’ intersection with Pho Hang Bac. Near
here are several shops that carve intricate gravestones (most bearing an image
of the deceased) by hand. A short detour north on Pho Ma May will lead you to
the Memorial House at number 87 (see the main text entry earlier in this
chapter), an exquisite Chinese merchant’s home that was recently restored and
opened as a museum.
Return
to Pho Hang Bac and head west past a strip of snazzy jewellery shops, then
right onto Pho Hang Ngang past a row of clothing shops, and right again onto
Pho Hang Buom; this will take you past the small Bach Ma Temple (White Horse
Temple). As you pass the pagoda, with its red funeral palanquin, look for its
white-bearded temple guards, who spend their days sipping tea. Legend has it
that Ly King used the pagoda to pray for assistance in building the city walls
because they persistently collapsed, no matter how many times he rebuilt them.
His prayers were finally answered when a white horse appeared out of the temple
and guided him to the site where he could safely build his walls. Evidence of
his success is still visible at Cua O Quan Chuong, the quarter’s well-preserved
Old East Gate at the eastern end of Pho Hang Chieu, near the intersection with
Pho Tran Nhat Duat.
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| Hanoi Old Quarter |
Head
west, back along Pho Hang Chieu past a handful of shops selling straw mats and
rope to reach one of the most interesting streets, Pho Hang Ma (literally
‘counterfeit street’), where imitation ‘ghost money’ is sold for burning in
Buddhist ceremonies – it even has US$5000 bills! Loop around and follow your
ears to the sounds of skilful blacksmiths pounding away on metal on the corner
of Pho Lo Ren and Pho Thuoc Bac. Moving south on Pho Hang Duong, head right
past the towel shops onto Pho Lan Ong, a fantastic row of herb sellers filling
the street with succulent aromas.
Finally,
head south past the tin box makers (opposite the mirror shops) on Pho Hang
Thiec, then left toward the interesting shops selling Buddhist altars and
statues along Pho Hang Quai. Time permitting, loop around and zigzag west over
to check out the leather shops along Pho Ha Trung, working east again to end
the tour at the superb, neo-Gothic St Joseph Cathedral (see the main text entry
earlier in this chapter). If you’re feeling a bit knackered from the walk, a
few steps from the church along Pho Nha Tho there is an alluring cluster of
stylish restaurants and cafes.
Although
many of the streets no longer sell the products after which they were named, some
still do. Today, the Old Quarter has become the unique classical feature of
Hanoi, and the inspiration of numerous writers, poets, and painters, and one of
the desired tourist destinations in Hanoi.
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