The old quarter

One of the reasons that Hanoi - the capital city of Vietnam, has attracted so many tourists over the years is its Old Quarter (36 old streets and guilds). It is an area well-known for the history, the architecture, the enormous amount and diversity of products and even the everyday life of its residents.



History
The Old Quarter marked its appearance in the 11th century, when King Ly Thai To decided to build his palace. That means By 2010, Hanoi as well as the 36 old streets turned 1000 years old. Originally a group of workshop villages surrounding the royal palace, the Old Quarter has gradually transformed into craft cooperatives, or guilds and soon gained its reputation as the business trading areas of the Red River delta.
Skilled craftsmen migrated to the Quarter to live and work together in the same guilds, which were made specialized for artisans performing similar services. The new allocation of production and service helped to create a cooperative system for merchandise transportation to designated streets. Soon under French colony, the Old Quarter increasingly became a marketplace for trade between the local and businessmen from China, India and France.
Despite the damages that Vietnam War left in Hanoi, the Old Quarter still retained much of the original traits that interests tourists, especially those with architectural passion. These houses are neither tall buildings as people normally see in cities nor stilt houses on lines of poles, which were popular in Vietnams' mountainous regions these days. They are also called "tubular houses" which are short and narrow but have great length.
In the past, the king stipulated that "citizens' houses could not be built higher than the height of the king's palanquin". And because of the dense population in a limited area, people needed to spend the front room for stores; the inside room is widened to its length in order to divide places for manufacturing, dining and living of each family.
The house is sometimes too narrow that only one person can pass by at a time. Standing close together, these tubular houses make up the ward along the soil streets; some streets were paved with stone or brick. Only until the later time, they were asphalted.

Walking
Visitors will certainly be eager to wander along the old streets to drop by stores and buy specialties. Here is an essential guide for tourists who would like to explore the Old Quarter, with some names of specialized streets: China bowls (Bat Su), roasted fish (Cha Ca), silver or jewelries (Hang Bac), women accessories (Cau Go), shoes and sandals (Hang Dau), silk (Hang Gai), mixed fruits (To Tich), combs (Hang Luoc), jars (Hang Chinh), tour services (Ma May), candies and dry apricot (Hang Duong), fried/roasted sour pork hash (Tam Thuong lane on Hang Bong Street), bamboo products (Hang Buom), etc.
In addition, visitors as well as city dwellers can go to the night market taking place along 4 walking old streets: Hang Dao - Hang Ngang - Hang Duong -Dong Xuan in the evening from Friday to Sunday with products on great sale. Read our article on Most Special Streets of Hanoi Old Quarter for more ideas.

How to get here
Hanoi Old Quarter is about 45 minutes away from Noi Bai International Airportand 15 minutes from Hanoi Train Station. Most hotels are located in or near the Old Quarter so you can easily walk to these streets without much effort.

Five things to do in the old quarter of Hanoi
If you’re looking for a true Southeast Asian city experience during your travels, there are few places better than the Old Quarter in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The Old Quarter is a true assault on the senses, with busy streets filled with motorbikes, taxis and bicycles zooming by, while little shops and eateries line the streets and locals carry on with their business on the sidewalks, all surrounded by old picturesque buildings.
Hanoi is a city where you can experience a whole array of Vietnamese culture and history. Here are five things that you should do when you visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter:

Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
Hoan Kiem Lake sits at the very heart of the city and locals and tourists alike flock here to sit and relax by the lake. This is a great place to grab a fresh baguette from a stall and have a picnic during the day. In the late afternoon, join the locals and take a walk around the lake, or simply sit on one of the seats and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere as the sun goes down.
Ngoc Son Temple sits on an island in the north of Hoan Kiem Lake and is connected to the mainland by a beautiful wooden bridge. This 19th century temple is lovely to walk around, and it contains a giant embalmed turtle from the lake that apparently weighed 250kg.

Drink a Bia Hoi or a Ca Phe Den
If you really want to get in with the locals, there is no better way than to sit down at one of the many little corner bars in the Old Quarter. Sit down and grab a Bia Hoi (cheap glass of draft beer) or a Ca Phe Den (Vietnamese black coffee). On a hot day, try a Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese iced coffee with sweet milk).

Dong Xuan Night Market


I think that night markets are one of the greatest things about Southeast Asia. In Hanoi, the Dong Xuan Night Market runs right along the street from the roundabout at the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake all the way up to the Dong Xuan Day Market building. Wait until about 8pm to see it in full swing. The market contains all kinds of interesting items to buy and there are a few street food stalls around as well. At the northern end of the market there are also a whole bunch of Lau (hot pot) restaurants to try out.

Hoa Lo Prison
If you love history and visiting places of the creepy kind, Hoa Lo Prison is a must see in Hanoi. This prison was built by the French in the 19th century to house Vietnamese political prisoners, and was later used for American prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Now a museum, the prison is a haunting place to check out and seems to focus mostly on French brutality during colonialism.

Eat Vietnamese food
If you are a food lover, you will absolutely love the Old Quarter of Hanoi. On every street that you walk down you will come across an eatery or restaurant or food stall of some sort. There are almost unlimited options, but you should try to eat some of the delicious Vietnamese cuisine that is available. Try some Pho Bo (rice noodle soup with beef), Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls) and some Bun Cha (marinated pork and meatballs with salad and vermicelli noodles).



These are just a few of the many amazing things to do in Hanoi, but it should give you a great introduction to this interesting city.
Explore the history, sights and delicious eats in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Start planning your trip by browsing these Hanoi short term rentals.