Hanoi Old Quarter (36 Streets)

The Old Quarter of Hanoi, known as the 36 Streets, lies north of Hoan Kiem Lake in the Hoan Kiem district of Vietnam's capital. It grew up around the Thang Long citadel as a craft and trading settlement, and many streets still carry the names of the guilds that once occupied them: Hang Bac for silversmiths, Hang Ma for votive paper, Hang Thiec for tinsmiths and Hang Gai for silk. Although the trades have partly shifted, several streets still specialise in one product, so visitors can walk from a street of lanterns to one of tin boxes to another of religious offerings within a few minutes.

The defining architecture is the tube house, narrow at the front and deep behind, a form associated with frontage-based taxation. Many combine a shopfront on the ground floor with family living space and a shrine above, and some have inner courtyards that can be glimpsed from the street. Historic sites inside the district include the Bach Ma Temple, the Ma May and Kim Ngan heritage houses, and the Dong Xuan Market at the northern edge. Traffic is dense and constant, with motorbikes on every street and sidewalks often used for parking, cooking and seating, so walking usually means sharing the road.

The quarter is also the city's main concentration of street food, budget hotels and bars. Bun cha, pho, banh mi, egg coffee and grilled snacks can be found from 30,000 VND, and the backpacker area around Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen is busy late into the night. From Friday to Sunday, from about 18:00 to 23:00, Hang Dao and adjoining streets host a night market with clothing, souvenirs and food stalls, and the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic.

A sensible visit takes two to four hours on foot, with longer needed for a food-led route. Mornings are best for the working markets, for photography and for cooler temperatures, while late afternoon and evening are the most animated. Crowds and noise peak on weekend evenings. Visitors should keep phones and bags secured against snatch theft from passing motorbikes, agree fares before boarding cyclos, and use the crossing method of walking steadily so riders can steer around them.