Hanoi Architecture

#traveltuesday

My fascination for architectural design of the houses in Hanoi and how they came about prompted me to do some reading….

The Old Quarter where I stayed at in Hanoi is the retail center of Hanoi and as I’ve mentioned in my last post each street reflects the name of the merchandise it sells (e.g.  Hang Non for a street that specializes on their conical hats etc,).  It’s not unknown to you as well how fascinated I was with the architectural designs of the houses in Hanoi so in a gist, here is what I gathered...

It all started in the 15^th century when those skilled craftsmen who stopped working for the king set up their shops in those streets.   These residents used to be have a traditional two-storey shop houses only.  But when Vietnam’s economy opened up, there were some individuals who prospered and demolished their two-storey buildings in favor of a four, five or even six-storey shop-houses.  And in general, the size of the buildings is all about expressing wealth and prestige. And what best expresses improved economic circumstance than applying a foreign style facade to design these shop-houses.  Then under the control of France, the popularity of the French style has been transformed to create a contemporary local architecture. So there, a bit of history for you! Haha!

So in pictures....

I didn't have time to post them one by one but I did have the time to collate them!  LOL!  Anyway if they appear too small, you can always click on the image to make it bigger! Or you could go to Hanoi for a better view! =P

One last post for Hanoi probably next week?  In as much as I'd love to compile it all here, time wouldn't allow me to.  'Til next week then! ;-)