Hang Quat is one of the most colourful streets in Old Quarter and its time for coverage in our 36 streets series has now finally come. Quat means fans, and that is of course what was traditionally made on this street, be they from bamboo, paper or palm leaves. Villagers set up shop in the … read the full post

A search for “Hang Manh” unsurprisingly brings up a raft of sites which mention the well-known bun cha joint at number 1. Well-known it may be, but good value it is no more: the dish under-delivers on flavour and it’s seriously over-priced compared to other bun cha places. Thankfully, there’s a more to Hang Manh … read the full post

While I often make a case for Hanoi’s Old Quarter having retained its charms and local life despite the influx of tourists, I am willing to admit that some streets have completely given themselves over to tourism. Hang Be is one such example, and despite my best efforts I have struggled to come up with … read the full post

In London, Brick Lane is famous for its Indian food; in Hanoi, it used to sell bricks. Ngo (lane) Gach (brick) is a small road that runs between Hang Giay and Hang Duong and is one of those streets very easy to miss, but a shame not to visit. While there’s nothing unmissable along its … read the full post

Hàng Giầy is right in the centre of Old Quarter: running from Luong Ngoc Quyen to Hang Chieu. Giầy means shoes — if it were giay it would be paper, which is why I’ve added the tones — but nowadays there are very few shoes on sale along its stretch. There may not be shoes, … read the full post

Try as I might, I can’t find out what “Ta Hien”, one of Hanoi‘s 36 streets, originally sold, although according to a friend’s father, it sold food when he was young and during his parents’ generation — whether that was the original wares sold here or not, I’m not sure. Perhaps this lack of information … read the full post

Continuing on from where I left off on my last “36 streets” post, Lan Ong (traditional medicine street) turns in Hang Buom. While the streets around the edges of Old Quarter tend to be oriented towards local life, Hang Buom smoothly makes the transition into tourist-land. Hang Buom originally sold sails. There’s little demand for … read the full post

Hang Vai, which runs off Phung Hung, was traditionally Hanoi’s main textiles street. Nowadays its main attractions are twofold: firstly, it’s got a pleasant vibe about it, with few tourists and little traffic but plenty of onstreet action such as sugar cane juice spots, pho restaurants, tea stands and street vendors; secondly, it’s home to … read the full post

Hang Dieu comprises a strange melee of stores. Running north from the six-way junction at Duong Thanh until it turns into Hang Ga, it sold cigarettes in the 19th Centure and, more recently, leather shoes and sandals. Neither of these wares are in evidence anymore and now I think of it as “bedding street”, in … read the full post

Our 36 streets series looks at streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, originally settled by artisan guilds, to see what is produced there today. Coming through the arch of Hanoi’s Old City Gate, the road straight ahead is Hang Chieu. A dozen or so shops have stayed reasonably true to the street’s original wares – Vietnamese grass tatami mats — … read the full post