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The Old Quarter is said to be arranged
according to 36 main avenues, each
dedicated to a particular trade
Clockwise from top: A restored antique
house on Ma May St. gives a glimpse
of life in old Hanoi; Vietnamese
traffic holds a kind of charming
chaos; traditional tombstones adorn
a craftsman’s shop on Hang Bac St.;
stuffed toys aplenty on Hang Dieu St.
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Ser 4
TheOldQuarter
Nowhere is this better experienced than
in the heart of downtown, where aging
wooden homes stand beside centuries-
old Buddhist temples. Here, crumbling
French colonial-era mansions watch
over streets bustling with activity.
Amidst the endless parade of hawkers,
craftsmen and passers-by, one gets an
intimate view of timeless Hanoi.
The Old Quarter is said to be
arranged according to 36 main
avenues, each dedicated to a particular
trade. Although the occupations on
these streets have changed over the
centuries, their original names have
endured. At Hang Dieu (“the street
of tobacco sellers”), for instance, we
now see rows of mattress and bedding
shops. The rolls of cloth formerly
displayed at Hang Vai St., on the
other hand, are now replaced with
freshly-cut bamboo poles – no doubt
sold as scaffolding for the city’s many
construction sites. Oddly enough,
gravestone sculptors and travel
agencies dominate Hang Bac St., while
Thuoc Bac (herbal medicine street) is
home to all kinds of metalware shops.
Not too far from here, however, we
bump into an antique gem: a traditional
Hanoian house on 87 Ma May St., its
elaborate roofs and grand hallways
lovingly restored to their original state.
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