Old Quarter – Heritage House at 87 Mã Mây

This is Hanoi's Old Quarter. From the Lý and Trần dynasties, a district of homes and trade grew up east of the Thăng Long citadel, stretching toward the Red River.

The Old Quarter is also called "Hanoi's 36 streets". The number 36, however, is a traditional name rather than an actual count. Today the Old Quarter covers about 100 hectares and has 76 streets.

Many street names begin with "Hàng", meaning wares. Craftsmen from nearby villages gathered by trade to sell their goods, and those goods gave the streets their names.

Most of the old houses are shophouses with sloping tile roofs, built in the 18th and 19th centuries; the street-facing room served as the shop. Earlier houses were mostly thatched. Many craft streets once had a temple to the founders of their trade. Most are gone, but the temple on Mã Mây Street survives.

Mã Mây Street was originally two old streets, Hàng Mã and Hàng Mây. Hàng Mây lay near the bank of the Red River, where boats from upriver unloaded forest products such as rattan and bamboo.

The house at 87 is an old townhouse dating from the 19th century. It has a narrow frontage and runs deep into the plot, and its structure is entirely wooden. The front room was the shop; behind it, a small courtyard lets in light and air. The upper floor holds the altar room and bedrooms.

The house was restored through cooperation between the cities of Hanoi and Toulouse in France, with work completed in 1999. In 2004 it was recognized as national heritage. Take a moment to imagine the life of a Hanoi merchant family in the past.