Hang
Bac Street
A
majority of the street names in the Old Quarter start with the word hang. Hang
means merchandise or shop. The guild streets were named for their product,
service or location. Hang Bac, one of the oldest streets in Vietnam, dates from
at least the 13th century. Bac means silver, and appropriately, this street
started as a silver ingot factory under the reign of Le Thanh Tong (1469-1497).
Village people, called the "Trau Khe silver casters," were brought
into the capital to cast silver bars and coins. After a ceremony to transfer
their craft from their village of Trau Khe to Hanoi, they set up two temples to
honor the founders of their craft. At one communal house, the silver was molten
and poured into molds. At the other communal house, the molds were further
processed for delivery to the Prime Minister. The crafters went to great
lengths to keep their methods secret to avoid counterfeit products.
At
the turn of the 18th century, the street took on more varied functions. In
addition to the casting of silver ingots, the street attracted more jewelry
makers and money exchangers. Money exchangers thrived, since in the old days,
paper money was not used. Instead, currency consisted of bronze and zinc coins
and silver ingots. When merchants needed a large amount of money for business
transactions, they would exchange the heavy metal bars on Hang Bac. During the
French time it was called "Exchange Street." Although paper currency
was later used, the word for it included the word bac.
Hang
Bac also has jewelers of different types: engravers, smelters, polishers, and
gold-leaf makers. The first jewelry makers were the Dong Cac guild, which
settled during the Le dynasty (1428-1788). They founded a temple dedicated to
three brothers who learned their art in China in the 6th century, and who are
considered the patron saints of the Vietnamese jewelry making profession.
There
are several famous buildings on this street. In the communal house on Hang Bac,
there is a stone stele, built in 1783, telling about a Mandarin who forcibly
took over the communal house. The locals took him to court and won back their
building. The Dung Tho Temple is dedicated to Chu Bi, a Taoist deity. At the
end of the French colonial period, this temple had been named Truong Ca, after
a person who watched over the temple and served the best noodle soup. One
building on this street is the pride of contemporary history-the Chuong Vang
(Golden Bell) Theater, which still hosts traditional Vietnamese theater
performances. The former traditional-venue theater, the To Nhu (Quang Lac)
Theater built in the 1920s, also is on this street but has been transformed
into apartments.
Hang
Be Street
In
the mid-19th century, the guild of bamboo raft makers was located on this
street outside the My Loc gate, one of the many sturdy gates to the city. The
cai mang raft consisted of 12 to 15 large bamboo poles lashed together by
strips of green bamboo bark. Their anterior was slightly raised by heating the
wood, and the aft was rigged with three quadrangular sails made of coarse linen
dyed with extracts of sweet potato skins.
Bamboo
rafts were sensible for Hanoi's shallow rivers, lakes and swamps, which can not
provide solid anchorage or natural shelter from storms. The flat design better
weathered the seasonal typhoons that lash the northern part of Vietnam, and is
better adapted to coastal and river fishing. The bamboo poles from which the
rafts were constructed were sold one block east on Hang Tre Street.
Cau
Go Street
Meaning
"Wooden Bridge," Cau Go Street is located one block north of the Lake
of the Restored Sword, and was in fact the location of a wooden bridge. About
150 years ago, the bridge crossed a thin stream of water connecting the Thai
Cuc Lake with the Lake of the Restored Sword. Dyers from the neighboring Silk
Street set out their silk to dry or bleached their fabric beside the bridge.
Under the French occupation, the lake and stream were filled as health measures
and to increase buildable land. The little wooden bridge became a regular
street.
On
the edge of the lake, women in wide brimmed hats once sold armfuls of flowers
to the French for a few coins. Today a flower market exists where the Cau Go
alley intersects with the main street. Other historical sites on Cau Go are the
secret headquarters and hiding place of the 1930-45 "Love the
Country" resistance movement.
Cau
Go today is a commercial street specializing in women's accessories.
Hang
Dao Street
This
street is one of Vietnam's oldest streets. It serves as a main axis running
from north to south, cutting the Old Quarter in half. In the French Colonial
time, Hang Dao Street was a center for the trading of silk products. On the
first and sixth days of the lunar month, there were fairs for the sale of silk
items. Shops also sold other types of fabric such as gauze, brocade, crepe, and
muslin. Almost all the non-silk products were white.
In
the beginning of the 15th century, this street was the location of the silk
dyer guild from the Hai Hung Province, which specialized in a deep pink dye.
Dao, the name of the street, refers to the pink of apricot blossoms, which are
symbolic of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The demand for this special color
was so high that the fabric had to be dyed at other locations as well.
By
the 18th century, the dye colors diversified. In the 18th-century work Notes
About the Capital, the author wrote that "Hang Dao guild does dying work.
It dyes red as the color of blood, black as Chinese ink, and other beautiful
colors."
In
the 19th century, Hang Dao was lined by about 100 houses, of which only 10 or
so were constructed of bricks. The rest were of thatch. On the side of the
street alongside the now filled-in Hang Dao Lake, the foundations of the houses
have visibly sunk lower than the road.
By
the turn of this century, Indian textile merchants opened shops for trading
silk and wool products imported from the West. This street now specializes in
ready-made clothing.
Dong
Xuan Street / Market Street
This
street originally belonged to two villages-the even numbered houses were
occupied by the Nhiem Trung village, and the odd numbered houses were occupied
by the Hau Tuc village.
The
Dong Xuan market, Vietnam's oldest and largest market, occupies half of the
street.
River
networks formed the economic hub of Hanoi by providing a system of waterways
which fed the city and markets. Located at the confluence of the To Lich and
Red Rivers, the Dong Xuan market was once one of the busiest urban areas in
Southeast Asia.
The
French required merchants to bring their goods inside the fenced perimeter of
the market in order to facilitate tax collections. When the number of merchants
swelled, the market was enlarged. In 1889, a structure was built over it, and
five gates were built leading to it. Each of the five market gates was used
only for specified goods. In 1992, the market was renovated and a new facade
erected.
Hang
Mam Street
Hang
Mam is the union of two old streets: an eastern offshoot called Hang Trung and
the original Hang Mam. The name is derived from the various kinds of mam, or
fish sauces, that are produced and sold here, as well as other sea products.
The street was originally on the riverside, close to the day's catch.
Nuoc
mam, or fish sauce, is made from fish
that are too small to be sold individually which are placed in clay vats with
water and salt. Boiled water is poured over the fish and weights are placed on
top of the mixture to compress it. The concoction distills for days, and the
result is a clear amber juice that is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.
With aging, the fierce ammoniac odors of the fish become mellow, and like
brandy, the flavor improves. The first pressing, which is the clearest and
purest, is called nuoc mam nhi, or prime. The sauce was stored in barrels made
on adjacent Hang Thung Street.
In
the 1940s, new specialties appeared on the street. A small ceramics industry
appeared along with those of memorial stone etching, coffin, and tombstone
manufacturers
Ma
May Street
This
street also is a union of two old streets. Hang May sold rattan products, and
Hang Ma sold sacred joss (paper replicas of money, clothing, even stereo sets)
to burn for the dead. Ma is burned in front of the altar of ancestors accompanied
by prayers. Around the turn of the century, the streets became one: Ma May.
In
the French time, this street was called "Black Flag Street" because
the soldier Luu Vinh Phuc had his headquarters here. Luu was the leader of the
Black Flags, a bandit unit operating around Hanoi in the late 19th century.
They were essentially pirates who made a living robbing villagers and
merchants. In the 1880s, the Black Flags cooperated with the Vietnamese
Imperial Forces to resist the French who were attempting to gain military
control of Hanoi.
In
the middle of the street is the Huong Tuong temple, established in 1450, which
honors Nguyen Trung Ngan (1289-1370), a governor of Thang Long, the former name
of Hanoi.
Hang
Thiec Street
Hang
Thiec is the street of tinsmiths. The craftsmen originally produced small tin
cone-shaped tips which were used to preserve the shape of the traditional
conical hats. A neighboring street, Hang Non, made the hats, and both streets
comprised the Yen No hamlet.
Hang
Thiec Street also produced oil lamps, candle sticks, and opium boxes. Tin shops
sold mirrors, which they still do today, along with sheet metal, zinc, and
glass. The street echoes busily with the clanging of hammers against the sheet
metal. Workers spread out on the sidewalk shaping metal storage boxes and other
objects to custom order.
Hang
Thung Street
In
the old days, on this block inside the Dong Yen gate, barrels were
manufactured. The barrels were used for storing and carrying water and fish
sauce. The communal house and the temple of the barrel makers' guild is located
at 22 Hang Thung, but is hidden behind newer buildings. The street is shaded by
the leaves of the xoan tree which has a fluffy cream colored cluster flower and
bright red berries. The tree has various English names: Margosa, Bead, or China
Berry tree. In May, the tiny flowers fall to the ground like yellow confetti.
The furrowed bark is often scraped off by local residents, who dry and boil it
to make a medicinal infusion as a vermifuge.
The
Old Quarter is a precious legacy of Hanoi's ancient past, but the area is
challenged by rapid changes.
Today,
handicraft production is increasingly replaced by restaurants, repair shops,
and mini hotels. Historic buildings have become mass living spaces and schools
as the population increases. Craft workers now constitute nine percent of the
neighborhood. Traders make up 40 percent.
With
the new economic policies, a dramatic building boom has begun, threatening the
charm of the district. Local, national, and international agencies are now
formulating plans to preserve the historic ambiance of the Old Quarter.
