Hanoi Attractions: #21 The Old Quarter

In some ways it may seem a little strange to name a whole area of the city as a single attraction, but no visit to Hanoi could ever be compete without wandering round this fascinating part of the city. The Old Quarter was originally just 36 streets all named after the trades which were carried out there. Hence there is Silk street, leather street and so on. In fact the area is sometimes still referred to as the 36 streets.
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A typical street shop selling halloween stuff
Officially the true Old Quarter’s boundaries were set by a decree in 1995. These borders are outlines by the following streets: Hang Dau to the north, Hang Bong, Hang Gai, Cau Go, and Hàng Thùng to the South, Phung Hung the west and Tran Quang and Tran Nhat Duat. The Old Quarter sits in the Hoan Kiem District of the city and covers and area of almost 250 acres. It now constitutes 76 streets.
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The narrow streets of the Old Quarter
During the days of the Ly and Tran dynasties, people moved into the city from outlying areas and settle in what is now the Old Quarter. The French colonists moved in and changed quite a bit of it. There was even a tramway at one point. It is though the old trades that made it famous. Craftsmen and women moved in from surrounding villages and gathered together as is common in Asia. The word “Hang” which is in the title of many streets simply means “wares”. So, for example, Hang Tre is Bamboo wares street.
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A train squeezes through one of the streets in the Old Quarter
A famous type of architecture here is that of the Narrow or Tube Houses. These were built during 1700s and 1800s. During the Indochina war fighters of the Vietnamese forces tunnelled between the houses,meaning they could travelled the whole length of many streets without being detected.

The Typical narrow houses of the Old Quarter
There is much to see and do here. Apart from shopping there are temples and pagodas to visit, the famousSt Joseph’s Cathedral, and famous cafe’s like the Aldo which sits on the banks on Hoan Kiem Lake.

!steemitworldmap 21.037229 lat 105.850782 long Hanoi's Old Quarterg D3SCR

Other Hanoi Attractions can be found here:

#1 Cua Bac Church @inseasia/hanoi-attractions

#2 Hoan Kiem Lake @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-2-hoan-kiem-lake

#3 Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-3-ho-chi-minh-mausoleum

#4 The Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-the-vietnam-museum-of-ethnology

#5 Truc Bach Lake @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-5-truc-bach-lake

#6 Quan Thanh Temple @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-6-quan-thanh-temple

#7 Vietnam Museum of Revolution @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-7-vietnam-museum-of-revolution

#8 Hanoi Opera House @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-8-hanoi-opera-house

#9 Vietnam Military History Museum @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-9-vietnam-military-history-museum

#10 St. Joseph’s Cathedral @inseasia/hanoi-attractions-10-st-joseph-s-cathedral