One of the oldest parts of Hanoi is the Old Quarter or Pho Co as it’s known in Vietnamese. Although the area’s street plan is 500-year old, many of the houses in the area were constructed in more recent times,from the beginning of the 20^th century.

The area is a popular tourism destination even though there are only a handful of cultural sites. The Old Quarter is a cultural attraction. It is a thrilling place to just walk around with no particular destination. But it is also one of the most congested areas in the world (with over 800 people per ha) and although from the street, everything might look okay, much of it is rundown. In fact, some families live in squalor.

As a result there are plans to clean up the Old Quarter. One of the most well-known streets, Ta Hien will be renewed as part of a VND10 billion-project funded by the Hoan Kiem district authorities with additional financial and technical support supplied by France, who will provide Euro 40,000 and send specialists from Toulouse to oversee the project.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter Management Team is charged with carrying out the plan along with the Vietnam Institute of Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning (VIAP) under the Ministry of Construction, in a design and consultancy role.

Old Quarter

Ta Hien is part of Hanoi’s unofficial old quarter, so frequented by foreign backpackers that it is now called Pho Tay (Street of Foreigners) by some locals. There are a string of handicraft shops, restaurants, bars and fake DVD shops competing for the tourist dollar. At the Luong Ngoc Quyen junction you will also find bia hoi (draught beer) in a corner where a numerous street bars sell the city’s cheapest beer, attracting a vibrant mix of backpackers, young expats and curious locals.

In French colonial times, the 266m-long street was dubbed La Rue Geraud though locals often called it Quang Lac alley after a famous tuong (classical theater troupe) of the same name. After the August Revolution, it was renamed Ta Hien after General Ta Quang Hien (1841-1887), who served under the Nguyen Dynasty.

According to Pham Tuan Long, deputy head of Hanoi’s Old Quarter Management Team, Ta Hien is one of the few streets to have maintained its original architecture, which is why the street was selected in the first place. Therefore, this is a project that will help set the standard by gathering experience for further renovation elsewhere in the Old Quarter.

The project will tackle just one small 52m-long section of Ta Hien street, which was constructed in the early 20^th century. In this section, the 10 odd-numbered houses all feature sloping tiled roofs, influenced by French architecture. On the opposite side, the even-numbered houses were designed according to a more classical Vietnamese style. Both rows seriously dilapidated. In certain cases, the house owners have altered the original design when modernising, revamping or expanding their homes. Vietnamese houses traditionally have a second floor back from the ground floor. But most homeowners eventually extended second floors forward to create a whole new room.

Renovation project underway

The renovation project is also a chance to update the Old Quarter’s outdated infrastructure system. A new electricity system will be installed, street lighting will be improved, homes will have better water supply and drainage system will also be upgraded. Ta Hien will also have more trees and the sidewalks will be re-paved.

“Balconies and windows that have deteriorated will be repaired, walls will be repainted, and advertising boards and air conditioners will be rearranged,” says Long.

The project manager, Nguyen Hoang Long from VIAP, says that the management team would also be open to hearing local resident’s ideas on how to renovate the street, before work gets started.

Financial concerns

The biggest hurdle is that most of the Old Quarter’s households earn a living by trading out in the street. Therefore, the renovation process will have a negative impact on local resident’s incomes. So the renewal project has to be tailored to workaround this problem. For example, Hoang Long said houses would be done on different days and local people in the targeted houses could also choose the date for repair work.

“We will try to get the work done as fast as possible in order not to disrupt their business,” says Long.

But Mai Van Trung, a 35-year old street restaurant owner, says that each house would be out of action for three to four weeks, so she would still lose a large amount of money.

“I really hope the project will finished as quickly as possible,” says Trung.

At a Q&A session attended by local residents, Nguyen Anh Ngoc from 17 Ta Hien also wondered why just 52m of Ta Hien street was being renovated while the dirtiest section would remain untouched.

“This section is architecturally valueable so it should be repaired first. Other sections can carry out at a later date,” says Long.

In spite of the local residents’ concerns, the project will begin of October 10. Hopefully, soon this part of the Old Quarter will look brand spanking new.