Old Quarter, Hanoi

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The Old Quarter or 36 streets is a charming area of narrow streets (36 of them!) which is home to the oldest trades of Hanoi. Each street specialises in one particular trade such as shoes, steel-ware, prayer items, art etc. Although some of them have taken on new trades different from what the name of the street may suggest.

It is easy to explore all the 36 streets on a trishaw ride and later concentrate on probably a few of interets to you. Either way, exploring the old quarter is a nice way to explore this city. Mind the madness of the motorcyle traffic though.

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It is nice to wander through the Old Quarter of Hanoi and see the busy street markets. The streets are named after various crafts or specialities such as Paper, Silk and Basket Street. See the narrow and long "tube shops" selling everything you would need and watch the women sellers go by carrying their panniers full of food.

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The Old Quarter in Hanoi is an interesting place to walk around. There are so many things to see and lots of merchants located near Hoan Kiem lake, including a night market Friday thru Sunday. There are lots of shops to buy souvenirs, clothing, shoes and other inexpensive items.

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Hanoi’s Old Quarter dates back to the 13th century and is a shopper’s heaven. Anything and everything you could hope to find is on sale here down one street or another. Even if you aren’t a shopper the area is worth exploring, as the people watching and architecture are both sublime.

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The Old Quarter (Pho Phuong) is an ancient merchant quarter of Hanoi city developed during the 13th century. There is a total of 36 streets and each is named according to the merchandise on offer. For example, Hang Buom Street means "sails merchandise street" and Hang Giay Street means "paper merchandise street". This entire area is located at the northern portion of Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of Restored Sword) and is an interesting maze of small streets and old traditional buildings with temples, markets dispersed among them. There are also lots of shops here selling a variety of stuff ranging from clothings, shoes, souvenirs, groceries, food, drinks etc etc. The traffic is chaotic with lots of motorcycles, bicycles, cyclos, cars etc and you need to know how to cross the road properly (see warning section of this VT page). The important thing when exploring the Old Quarter is to bring a good map along as you will get lost, but not to worry because this is one place which you will always remember. More photos of the Old Quarter are at the travelogue section of this VT page, and I will introduce the various attractions at the Old Quarter at the later tips of this page.

Located at Hang Be Street around the Old Quarters, this market starts at 6pm. Worth visiting if you're up to looking for local street food. Found a noodle seller that could cook up a good dish of noodles for 1,000 Dong per bowl, the cheapest I've paid for a meal in Hanoi.

Located at Hang Be Street around the Old Quarters, this market starts at 6pm. Worth visiting if you're up to looking for local street food. Found a noodle seller that could cook up a good dish of noodles for 1,000 Dong per bowl, the cheapest I've paid for a meal in Hanoi.

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The Old Quarter is an amazing array of streets filled with tourists, hotels, cafes, markets, bia hois, and traffic. This area is also packed with local shops filled with craftsmen and sales people. You can spend hours here walking around, shopping, eating, and chatting with the locals. Our hotel was in this area, and here we spent much of our time.

The Old Quarter is located just north of Hoan Kiem Lake.

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The Old Quarter of Hanoi is perhaps the most picturesque and characteristic part of Hanoi. Life goes on at a slow and leisurely pace, with the Hanoians tucking into pho (noodles) or com (rice) at a roadside foodstall or having a haircut at the street corner while motorcycles and cars zip pass. The best way to explore the Old Town would be on foot. Alternatively, you could hire a cyclo for 30000 VND for an hour's ride through the Old Quarter.

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It is actually a maze. You can either do it on a trishaw or more interestingly, do a walk tour. Stop and look at the wares/goods displayed and you will be amazed how many types can be found within the circuit of the Old Quarters - bamboos, steel, pottery, shoes, clothes, leather, copper, thread, incense, sundries, blacksmiths, silversmiths, goldsmiths, medicines, baskets, pots and pans, papers, coffins, pickles, tid-bits, - you name it, they have it. Each "Hang" ie meaning "Street" will denote the trades they are selling. Between alleys and intermediates of shoplots, you will find some interesting local food being sold. Have a go on the local food and drinks whenever you are hungry or thirsty.