Hanoi
has an old quarter of 36 streets, each being closely attached
to a traditional trade that is clearly shown by its name, such as
Hang
Muoi (salt) Street selling salt, Hang Manh (curtain) Street
selling bamboo
curtains, Hang Bac (silver) Street selling silver jewellery, etc.
Mentioning
the
old streets of Hanoi, the essay “Notes taken on rainy days” by
Pham Dinh
Ho writes: “Dien Hung ward (present-day Hang Ngang) and Dong Lac
ward
(present-day Hang Dao) are places where many cloths and silk
products are
sold.” According to Hanoi researcher Nguyen Vinh Phuc, all kinds
of
papers, such as
Giay ban (tissue paper),
Giay moi (inferior
tissue paper)
, Giay boi (coarse paper) and other popular
papers
made by people in Buoi and Cot Villages were sold on Hang Giay
Street in
the past.
Some streets were named after a legend or special ana,
such as
Hang Chao (rice porridge) Street which was the place selling rice
porridge
to candidates who came to the capital to attend “Thi Hoi”
(National
Examination) and “Thi Dinh” (Court Examination) or Trang Tien
Street near
Hoan Kiem Lake where once existed a coin casting workshop of the
Nguyen
Dynasty (the 19
th
century).
At
present, the number of old streets in Hanoi is a matter of
controversy
because someone said that 36 is only a symbolic number. However,
it is
correct to say that people on each old street engaged in a trade.
In the
past, people from all parts of the country flocked to the capital
to set
themselves up in business. Following the trade motto “It needs
friends
when trading and it needs to establish guilds when selling”, they
lived
together in one place and gradually established guilds
specializing in
trades and products.
Due to
this unique feature, Hanoians usually think of one street where
they can
buy what they want. For example, the locals usually venture to
Hang Manh
Street to buy bamboo curtains, Thuoc Bac Street to buy medicinal
herbs,
Hang Chieu Street to buy mats, etc.
Hanoi is
undergoing drastic changes daily and the old quarter with “Hang”
streets
are also affected by the process of development. Hotels,
restaurants,
coffee shops, etc., have mushroomed on these streets, so only a
few
streets with the traditional trades remain, such as Hang Bac, Hang
Ma,
Hang Manh, Hang Chieu, Hang Dong, etc.
The others have engaged in
other
trades, for example, Hang Than Street now sells
Banh com (green
rice flake cakes), teas and
cigarettes in service of wedding ceremonies; Hang Vai Street sells
bamboo
products; Hang Chao sells mechanical and electric products to meet
the
demand of customers in the modern life. In addition, many new
streets with
new trades have been established in Hanoi, such as Hai Ba Trung
Street
selling electronic products, Ly Nam De Street selling computers,
Luong Van
Can Street selling children toys, Hoang Hoa Tham Street selling
ornamental
trees and Dang Dung Street selling second-hand mobile
telephones.
Strolling
through the old quarter or “36 streets” of Hanoi one can perceive
the
beauty as well as typical feature of these streets which should be
preserved by not only the authorities but also the locals./.