Hanoi Old Quarter of Vietnam: Everything You Need to Know

Hanoi capital is located in the North of Vietnam, and is one of the country’s best tourist attractions. The Old Quarter of Hanoi offers French-colonial architecture, a rich food culture and a very long history.

1. Where is Old Quarter of Hanoi Located?

Hanoi Old Quarter is located next to Hoan Kiem Lake (Returning Sword Lake), the Long Bien Bridge, and a citadel wall. Hanoi Old Quarter (formerly consisting of 36 old streets) started at the time from around 1010 when King Ly Thai To selected Thang Long as the country’s capital, the streets have over 1,000-year old history and became crowded and more lively from 15th century.

What makes the Old Quarter unique is that many of the streets remained in their very ancient architecture of the 15th century. It has been the oldest continuously developed area of the Country.

2. What Does The Name Origin from?

Due to their long-lasting history, they are called “Haoi Old Quarter” or “36 Old Streets of Hanoi” (as consisting of 36 old streets). Ha Noi’s 36 Streets is Vietnam’s version of the guild concept. In the old day, as artisans from all over the country moved to the capital city to do business, they gathered together in the Old Quarter to share the resources. As a result, many of the streets were later named after the traditional crafts sold at that individual street. For Example: Pho Hang Bun (for Vermicelli), Pho Hang Ma (for Paper Product), Pho Hang Bac (for Silver Products), etc.

The phrase “36 Streets or 36 pho phuong in Vietnamese” often causes much confusion for most of tourists; “Phố” means a street in Vietnamese or a place for locals to gather for business, while “Phường” means “Town” or a Village of artisans specializing in a particular.

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