Hà Nội’s Ancient Quarter And Old Streets (Part II)

The French occupied Hà Nội in 1883, and by 1886, a plan of the new Hà Nội was developed by the occupying government. At first, the area around Sword Lake was reconstructed. Today, the house at No. 3 Hàng Khay Street still bears the number of the year 1886. This reconstruction was followed by the destruction of the old citadel and the filling of the To Lich River and many ponds (Ỉ 894-1896).

Hà Nội’s Ancient Quarter And Old Streets

The ancient streets were “straightened” and the infrastructure was improved. Many of the old houses were reconstructed but their original architectural styles were kept. A number of new homes were built in Western architectural style, with two or three storeys, and European ornament.

As a result, the “Western” quarters emerged, one to the south of the Lake of the Restored Sword, one around the area where the old citadel had stood, and one in the Concession Area which was built earlier.
The Concession Area is a rectangle whose longer sides are Bạch Đằng Road, Lê Thánh Tông and Trần Thánh Tông Streets, and shorter sides are Tràng Tiền and Nguyễn Huy Tự Streets. The area was originally the naval base of the ancient Hà Nội province.

Hà Nội’s Ancient Quarter And Old Streets (Part II)

In August 1875, it was conceded to the French Army to be built into military barracks, villas and hospitals, which were considered “orthodox” architectural projects built in curved shape with black-stone roofs, and surrounded by peripheral corridors. The villa of the French Army’s Chief of Staff (now the Ministry of Defence’s Guest House) still bears the construction date “1874-1877”. The Lanessan Hospital (now the Vietnam Military Hospital 108 and the Việt Nam-Soviet Hospital) was built between 1892 and 1893.

The old citadel area consists of Phan Đình Phùng, Hùng Vương, Hoàng Diệu, Điện Biên Phủ,Lê Hồng Phong, Chu Văn An, and Trần Phú Streets. As the ground preparation work here was quickly done, the construction was also completed in a short time. This area is notable for its long and wide tree-lined boulevards with wide pavements. The imposing and majestic Palace of the Indochinese Governor General (now the Presidential Palace) was built from 1900 to 1902. It should be noted that the houses there have a slope roof and colorful and detailed ornaments at the doors and roof. They were originally owned by the residents from the northern part of France.

The architecture of this area resembles that of Northern France.

The area to the south of Restored Sword Lake is a rectangle bordered by Tràng Thi - Tràng Tiền, and Trần Hưng Đạo Streets (longer sides), Phan Bội Châu and Phan Chu Trinh Streets (shorter side). This area was built at the same time as the old citadel quarter, but it was completed later because many surrounding villages had to be dis-located for the project. The Great Opera House, which stands on the edge of this area, was constructed in 1902-1911. Tràng Tiền Street was mainly inhabited by French businessmen and some Chinese.

A number of large offices such as the Yunnan Railways Company (now the office of the Confederation of Trade Unions) situated at the intersection of Trần Hưng Đạo and Quán Sứ Streets were built in 1902; the National University in Lê Thánh Tông Street in 1904; and the Palace of the French Resident Superior (now the Government Guest House at the end of Ngô Quyền Street) in 1919.

In this quarter, the majority of buildings are villas with flat roofs and many doors, which are typical of the architecture of South France.

In the three above quarters, in the 1920’s and 1930’s there appeared constructions whose architec-tural style had both Western and Oriental features. Some have high aesthetic value like the Finot Museum (now the Museum of History) built in 1929- 1932, the Finance Service (now Ministry of Foreign Affaừs) in 1929-1931, Pasteur Institute in 1930, the great hall of Hanoi National University fin Lê Thánh Tons Street; in 1928, etc. The three above areas make up the old street quarter and a treasure of Hà Nội.