For a long time, the Old Quarter Hanoi (Pho Co Hanoi) has always been known as the home of shopping streets and old architecture. When visiting this place, tourists will feel like they are exploring Vietnam’s capital in the ancient period. Although locals renovate buildings, streets, and shops nowadays, the beauty of the old traditional architecture remains.
If you are about to travel to Pho Co Hanoi, this article will be helpful to you. Here, we give an overview of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. You can also see our recommendations on what to do and where to enjoy Hanoi cuisine in this area! Let’s scroll down and have a look!
An Introduction To Old Quarter Hanoi
Where is Hanoi Old Quarter
The Old Quarter Hanoi belongs to the Hoan Kiem district. This area is located west of the Red River and Long Bien bridge. If you are at Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, the Old Quarter is to the east of your location.
This place is near Ho Guom (Hoan Kiem Lake) in Hanoi’s center. From the lake, you can go north. Pho Co is between Hang Ga street and Tran Nhat Duat street.
History of Hanoi Old Quarter
In the 11th century, the emperor Ly Thai To made a big decision: to move the capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Hanoi. Soon, more and more people came to Hanoi to live, trade, and open their shops. The Old Quarter was then established as the center where many skilled craftspeople made their livings. Over time, new shops, temples, and pagodas are opened in this area.
How Big is the Hanoi Old Quarter?
On the total count, the Old Quarter Hanoi is about 100 ha big. Although locals often say the term “Ha Noi 36 Pho Phuong”, which means “36 iconic streets in Hanoi,” to describe Pho Co, there are about 76 streets distributed in 10 wards in this area at the moment.
How Old Is The Old Quarter?
As the Old Quarter was established in the 11th century, it is known to have lasted for over 1000 years. From then till now, Pho Co has never stopped attracting traders and tourists. It is still the most popular shopping center in Hanoi now.
Things To Do In Hanoi Old Quarter
Explore The Ancient Streets
Pho Co is famous for small houses with old architecture. It is a miss if you don’t take a walk and admire the beauty of the vintage-style buildings, quaint alleys, and unique street vendors. Also, if you don’t want to go on foot, get on a cyclo to have a full tour of the Old Quarter.
Go Shopping
As mentioned, the Old Quarter Hanoi is the biggest area for trading and selling. So, why don’t you spend time going shopping in this area? There is a lot of traditional and unique stuff that you may not find anywhere outside Pho Co.
In the past, each street in Pho Co focused on selling a particular type of product. That’s why every street is named after the goods sold on it. You may notice many streets start with “Hang” (shop) and end with the type of products, for example, Hang Bac (jewels street).
Nowadays, new shops are opened, which make goods in each street more variable. Shops do not focus on selling specific types anymore. However, you may still find many vendors who sell the same items on the same street.
- Hang Bac: many vendors sell valuable stones, jewels, diamonds, golds, silvers, etc.
- Hang Gai: many vendors sell silks, scarves, suits, clothes, and garments.
- Hang Ma: many shops selling paper lanterns, and colorful decoration items for festivals
- Luong Van Can: many shops selling toys and souvenirs
- Lan Ong: many vendors selling Vietnamese medicine.
Visit Dong Xuan Market
If Saigon is famous for the Ben Thanh market, Hanoi attracts visitors to its Dong Xuan market. It is a wholesale market that provides materials, items, and food to all other shops in Hanoi and other provinces. The most common items you will find in this market are sweets, candies, fish, meat, vegetables, and flowers. Also, the outside of Dong Xuan market contains multiple shops that provide electronic products, clothes, handbags, and accessories at a low price.
Visit Hanoi’s Night Market
The Night Market is open only on Saturday and Sunday nights. If you stay in Hanoi during your weekends, we totally recommend you visit this market.
In the Night Market, all vehicles are not allowed to enter. Therefore, visitors can freely walk without worrying about getting crashed. The area for this market is from Hang Dao to the Dong Xuan market. You can see a lot of stalls selling jewellery, toys, clothes, food, electronic tools, and accessories for smart devices (headphones, earphones, covers, and chargers).
Keep in mind that some sellers may push up the price of their products. Of course, you are free to bargain for a good price.
Top 3 Best Restaurants In Hanoi Old Quarter
Highway4 Restaurants Hoan Kiem
- Opening Time: every day from 10a.m to 11.30p.m
- Address: 25 Bat Su street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
The Highway4 Restaurant Hoan Kiem is a luxury restaurant with great Vietnamese styles and features. This place is decorated with unique traditional furnishings. Also, rest assured that communication is not a problem because all the staff is fluent in English.
Highway 4 offers a diverse menu with many options for traditional cuisine. Each dish comes with local herbs. Customers visiting this restaurant can choose a regular table on the first floor or sit on the top floor to enjoy a panoramic view of Hanoi.
Cafe de Paris Hanoi
- Opening Time: every day from 8a.m to 11p.m
- Address: 12 Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Cafe de Paris Hanoi is a cafeteria with French-style food and furnishings. A large number of European tourists visit this restaurant every day. It is a great place for you to temporarily escape the noisy life and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
The food here is impressive in European and western styles. You can find common dishes such as salads, snacks, flank steak, potatoes, and hamburgers in Cafe de Paris. There are also options for vegetarians, cheese salad and tartiflette, for example.
Essence Restaurant Hanoi
- Opening Time: every day from 6.30a.m to 10p.m
- Address: 22 Ta Hien Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi
The Essence Restaurant Hanoi offers multiple options for food. Customers can choose between authentic Vietnamese cuisine or Western specialties. Also, the restaurant serves visitors delicious coffee, smoothies, beer, and alcohol.
The staff of Essence Restaurant welcomes customers from the early mornings. Right from 6.30a.m, customers can already have breakfast in this place. We totally recommend Essence if you come by a group. The wide variety of food will please the taste of different people.
What Can You Buy In Old Quarter Hanoi?
The Old Quarter of Hanoi is popular with different shops. As a market center, Pho Co supplies all kinds of stuff you need. The most common types of products in this area are:
- Art
- Silks
- Toys
- Artwork
- Jewels
- Embroidery
- Food
- Coffee
- Watches
- Electronic devices
- Equipment and accessories for smartphones
- Ice creams
- Clothes
Final Thoughts
With all the information we provided above, you can now set up a suitable travel plan by yourself. Pho Co is not too large, but you still need a good itinerary to enjoy its entire beauty within a few days.
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>> Read more: Hanoi Travel: A Perfect Guide For Your Trip 2022
