Hanoi Old Quarter
Thirty-six streets laid out by trade guilds, most still carrying the name of the craft they sold — Hang Bac for silver, Hang Ma for votive paper, Lan Ong for herbal medicine. It is dense, loud and genuinely residential, which is why it survives as a place rather than a set.
About Hanoi Old Quarter
Thirty-six streets laid out by trade guilds, most still carrying the name of the craft they sold — Hang Bac for silver, Hang Ma for votive paper, Lan Ong for herbal medicine. It is dense, loud and genuinely residential, which is why it survives as a place rather than a set.
Hanoi Old Quarter is one of the places most visitors to Hanoi make time for. A thousand-year-old capital that still runs on plastic stools, motorbike horns and the smell of charcoal — and the natural first stop for the north.
Before you go: Cross the road at a steady, predictable pace rather than waiting for a gap — traffic flows around pedestrians who do not stop suddenly. Never step backwards.
Read the full Hanoi travel guideOther places in Hanoi
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