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passed since the arrival of the French.
Today, the stunning structures of the
past — the fabled Hanoi Opera House
and the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
—
provide a perfect backdrop for young
couples to pose for their pre-wedding
photo album.
“
First, Hanoi witnessed the northern
style of French houses, with big roofs
and small windows, and later the
southern [French] style,” says Linda.
“
After the First World War, Hanoi was
booming, with lots of money pouring
in. Hanoi saw a lot of 1920s French-
looking houses owned by wealthy
Vietnamese with ornate façades, bigger
windows and bigger balconies.”
BaDinhDistrict
Going west to Ba Dinh District, you
will step through a time capsule to
the Soviet era. Giang Vo Street, in
particular, is an enclave for drab,
Soviet-inspired collective housing
units or microrayons. If French colonial
architecture were to be an elegant lady,
the Soviet architecture would be a rigid
army commander — and it shows.
These dwellings are blocky, grey,
decaying and almost teetering on the
brink of collapse. With houses stacked
on top of each other and prison-like iron
fences blocking the frontages, they look
every bit like pigeonholes. The houses
were reserved for the leaders of the
nation, high-ranking party officials and
veteran revolutionary activists.
Socialist architecture came to Hanoi
during the transition from colonialism
to Communism from 1954 to 1986.
“
After the forced withdrawal of the
French in 1954, Vietnam’s friendship
In the 1920s,
wealthy Vietnamese
built French-
influenced houses
with big windows
and balconies;
(
below) a French-
style building in the
middle of a bustling
market
H I S T O R I C A L H A N O I
Capital assets
The Old Quarter (Ma May–Hang
Bac–Hang Dao St)
The restored traditional tube house
at 87 Ma May St, Hoan Kiem District
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi: 15
Ngo Quyen St, Hoan Kiem
Hanoi Opera House: 1 Trang Tien St,
Hoan Kiem
Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower:
E6, Pham Hung St, Tu Liem
