The
Old Quarter began to acquire its reputation as a crafts area when the
Vietnamese attained independence in the 11th century and King Ly Thai To built
his palace there. In the early 13th century, the collection of tiny workshop
villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft
cooperatives, or guilds. Skilled craftsmen migrated to the Quarter, and artisan
guilds were formed by craftsmen originating from the same village and
performing similar services.
Members of the guilds worked and lived together, creating a cooperative system for transporting merchandise to the designated streets in the business quarter.As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hanoi's Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. Located between the Lake of the Restored Sword, the Long Bien Bridge, a former city rampart, and a citadel wall, the Old Quarter started as a snake and alligator-infested swamp. It later evolved into a cluster of villages made up of houses on stilts, and was unified by Chinese administrators who built ramparts around their headquarters. The area was named "Dominated Annam" or "Protected South" by the Chinese.
Because
inhabitants of each street came from the same village, streets developed a
homogeneous look. Commoners' homes evolved out of market stalls, before streets
were formed. Because storekeepers were taxed according to the width of their
storefront, storage and living space moved to the rear of the buildings.
Consequently, the long and narrow buildings were called "tube
houses." Typical measurements for such houses are 3 meters wide by 60
meters long.
The
Old Quarter has a rich religious heritage. When the craftsmen moved from
outlying villages into the capital, they brought with them their religious
practices. They transferred their temples, pagodas and communal houses to their
new location. Each guild has one or two religious structures and honors its own
patron saint or founder. Therefore, on each street in the Old Quarter there is
at least one temple. Now, many of the old temples in the Old Quarter have been
transformed into shops and living quarters, but some of the old buildings'
religious roots can still be recognized by the architecture of their roofs.
Although
the old section of Hanoi is often called the "36 Old Streets," there
are more than 36 actual streets. Some researchers believe that the number 36
came from the 15th century when there might have been 36 guild locations, which
were workshop areas, not streets. When streets were later developed, the guild
names were applied to the streets. Others attribute the 36 to a more abstract
concept. The number nine in Asia represents the concept of "plenty."
Nine times the four directions makes 36, which simply means "many."
There are now more than 70 streets in the area.
Some
streets have achieved fame by their inclusion in popular guidebooks. Han Gai
Street offers silk clothing ready-made and tailored, embroidery, and silver
products. Hang Quat, the street that formerly sold silk and feather fans, now
stuns the visitor by its brilliantly colored funeral and festival flags and
religious objects and clothing. To Thinh Street connects the above two and is
still the wood turner's street. Hang Ma glimmers with shiny paper products,
such as gift wrappings, wedding decorations and miniature paper objects to burn
for the dead. Lan Ong Street is a sensual delight of textures and smells
emanating from the sacks of herbal medicinal products: leaves, roots, barks,
and powders.
Let
us turn now to nine of the lesser known streets in the Old Quarter that possess
a unique character worth exploring.
