The Old Quarter: the 36 streets

About The Old Quarter: the 36 streets

By the ULTIMATE Hanoi Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

North of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, the Old Quarter is a grid of narrow streets still named for the trades once practised on them: Hàng Gai for silk, Hàng Bạc for silver, Hàng Mã for paper goods. Its tall, narrow tube houses hide courtyards, temples and family shops, and its pavements are the city’s dining room.

Sights

St Joseph’s Cathedral, the Bạch Mã Temple, Đồng Xuân Market and the guild streets.

Eating and drinking

Phở Gia Truyền, Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư, Bún Chả Ta, Chả Cá Thăng Long, Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền Thanh Vân and Miến Lươn Đông Thịnh (all Bib Gourmand); Chapter and Senté (in the MICHELIN Guide); Café Giảng; Tạ Hiện after dark.

Walk it in the morning, eat it at lunch, and come back for the evening.

Staying

The Peridot Grand, the Hotel de Lagom and La Passion Premium Cầu Gỗ.

Our advice: the quarter is at its calmest early in the morning; at weekends the night market runs down Hàng Đào.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Old Quarter: the 36 streets before you go.