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Ancient houses in Hanoi |
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Location: The ancient quarter is located on an area of about 100ha, within the territory of Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
Characteristic: Geometrically,
the ancient quarter has a shape of triangle, whose peak is constituted
by Hang Than Street, eastern side by damp, western side by the streets
of Hang Cot, Hang Dieu, Hang Da and based by the axis of Hang Bong, Hang
Gai, Cau Go Streets.
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According to the assessment of some historians,
the ancient quarter made its appearance immediately after the Thang
Long's establishment, i.e. nearly a thousand years ago. Most of houses
presently existing within the ancient quarter's borders have, however,
their age of only more than 100 years. In this quarter, those houses
that keep an air of anxiety are no longer so numerous. It is just the
phenomena of extension that has sharply and negatively deformed its
spatial appearance. Under such circumstances, the embellishment and
preservation of this quarter has required great efforts.
The houses at 87 Ma May and 38 Hang Dao are two projects of embellishing ancient houses, launched at the occasion of 990th
anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi. They became now a tourist spot to be
presented to visitors in terms of architectural value of Hanoi's
ancient houses.
The house at 87 Ma May is a place to present the
typical architecture of Hanoi�s ancient houses. The ancient houses
have generally a small, pretty form and appearance like the Vietnamese
people themselves. Following the former feudal ideology, houses were not
allowed to be higher than the shoulders of the King�s palanquin,
because when the King was in his palanquin, nobody was allowed to see
the face of His Excellency.
The ancient houses had a tube - like
shape. Their width is usually narrow, sometimes only of 2m, while their
length can amount up to 60 - 70m. Under such circumstances, to get
enough light and fresh air, there is always a yard between houses. The
principal construction material used is wood. However, during 100 recent
years, people began to use bricks and traditional mortar made from
honey and leaves to build walls or stick tiles on slope roofs. The
window bars, doors and roof rafters are all decorated with dragon - or
phoenix - shaped vignettes, and other designs.
The house at 87
Ma May was identified to be about 110 years old. Originally, Ma May
Street consisted of two shorter streets: the first section was Hang May
street, where goods made from rattan were marketed, and the second one
constituted a part of Hang Ma Street with things for sacrifices made
from paper. In this street there were numerous businessmen, both
domestic and foreign. In 1954, five Chinese families came and installed
themselves in this house. That is why the house was strongly deformed,
and the traditional architecture was damaged.
Originally, the
ancient house at 38 Hang Dao was constructed as communal house of Dong
Lac - a communal house of the former marketplace for silk brassieres. It
was built under the Le Dynasty (17th century). During the
years of war, it was heavily damaged. Around 1856 (year of Binh Thin
under the King Tu Duc reign), it was restored for the first time. In
1941 (15th year of the King Bao Dai reign), the communal
house was rebuilt as a two - floor construction. The owner�s family
lived and made their business in the ground floor, while the first floor
was reserved for the altar. In 1953, the house became a shop with
miscellaneous goods.
The
latest restoration was conducted in the period from February 2000 till
April 2000. The house at 38 Hang Dao was chosen as a place for
presenting the traditional construction techniques combined with modern
restoration techniques. The construction materials used here are
composed of reinforced concrete and wood: floors are made from concrete,
while stairs are made from concrete and covered with wood.
The
doors were designed in such a manner that the central one is higher,
while the side ones are lower, following the architecture of ancient
pagodas and communal houses: the central door was reserved for the
nobles (members of the royal family, mandarins, officials), while the
side ones for the mobs. The sanctuary on the first floor was restored
just as its origin.
The vignettes on the handrails were kept the
same as the available original patterns. The house at 38 Hang Dao has
become not only a tourist spot but also a location of the headquarters
of the Management Unit of Hanoi�s ancient quarter. At this address you
can also get more information on ancient streets and ancient houses of
Hanoi.
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