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Hanoi Architecture
Many visitors to Hanoi have been seduced by its
beauty and an impression of harmony: harmony
between architecture and the greenery of trees
and lakes, harmony between man and nature, the
inhabitants and the town. All pagodas, temples
and vestiges found in our capital bear the
stamps of history. The serene and ethereal
atmosphere reigning here is created by the
architecture itself, both simple and somewhat
primitive, still keeping human proportion.
Most.of the architectural works typical of Hanoi
are built near a lake or a river and surrounded
with many trees, TLC close relations between
architecture and environment, between man and
his dwelling places and the richness of Hanoi's
architecture have been considered as
characteristics of the capital.
Concerning architecture, Hanoi can be divided
into the following areas: the ancient and old
streets, the old citadel and the residential
areas and the new quarters. Scattered among
those areas are quarters in which the
inhabitants build their own dwelling houses, and
villages which have been urbanized without any
preconceived plan. Thus we can see illages still
existing amidst streets and streets appearing
amidst villages. If you are interested in
pagodas and vestiges, please refer to the
passage entitled "Hanoi's beauty spots".
Area of accent streets
Hoi An set apart, Hanoi is Vietnam's only city
where ancient streets can be found. The latters
still keep an appearance as they had at the end
of 19th century. Moreover, according to
historical sources, they had been the true core
of Thang Long since the day of its foundation,
that is nearly a thousand years ago.
The area occupied
by these ancient streets is a triangle with its
top at Hang Than Street and its base at the axis
of Hang Bong - Hang Gai - Cau Go Streets, the
Eastern side being a section of the Red River
Dyke and the Eastern side being Hang Cot, Hang
Dieu, Hang Da Streets. Prior to the French
colonial period these streets had all the same
appearance and laid out in an order similar to a
chess-board; most of them were named after the
goods manufactured or sold there. For instance,
Hang Duong means "Sugar Street", Hang Bac,
"Silver Street", Hang Bo, "Bamboo Basket
Street"... Me houses of these streets have the
shape of tunnels and are called "tunnel houses":
the house is like a tunnel with its narrow width
and deep length; it is sometimes opened into
another Street, different from that of the
entrance door of its front.
All the houses have
similar disposition with the front rooms serving
as places where goods are manufactured or sold,
small open courtyards to let in light, usually
with ornamental rock works and little
water-pools with gold fish, and adorned with
ornamental plants and flowers. Back rooms serve
as living sections with dining and bedrooms.
Most of these houses are covered with small
tiles with a characteristic feature: two walls
of the gable are built so that they arc higher
than the roof and evoke a staircase with two
funny pinnacles.
They are mostly one-storied houses, only some
having second story, generally low and without
windows or having very small windows (according
to ancient rules under the past dynasties,
inhabitants were forbidden to look at the King
when he happened to pass before their houses,
and especially to look at him from a higher
place).
Thus, "tunnel houses" are simple and narrow.
They serve both as the place of manufacturing or
of selling products and the dwelling house of
the family. In these streets ,
the shops are open all day long and even in the
evening; the quarter is always lively, the
street inhabitants help each other, having the
same interests. This community of people share
the same fate, they are united by feelings of
solidarity.
Scattered among these ancient houses are many
pagodas and temples. These were the place of
worship for the ancient villages and guilds. For
instance, the temple situated at 38 Hang Duong
Street, served the inhabitants of Duc Mon
village which used to occupy a part of Hang
Duong Street, or the Huyen Thien Pagoda, 54 Hang
Khoai Street, belonged to the village, (having
the same name as the pagoda), which used to
occupy the territory of Hang Khoai Street.
Besides, these architectural works reflect the
origin of Hanoi's inhabitants, most of them
coming from other parts of the country: Hoa Loc
Temple, 90 Hang Dao Street, was founded by a
guild of dyers (native of Dan Loan - Hai Hung
province), Tu Thi Temple, 2A Yen Thai Alley, was
the place dedicated to the worship of the patron
saint of embroiderers and built by the villagers
of Quat Dong (Ha Tay) who lived on the trade of
embroidery. On the other hand, the existence of
these pagodas and temples testifies to the
intense spiritual life of the inhabitants of old
Hanoi, the latters lived in harmony with nature,
society and also with spiritual world; thus, the
city's material world coexists with a sacred
legendary world where the present and the past
intermingle, creating a latent strength.
Today, owing to past historical upheavals,
social adaptation and the appearance of some new
construction, the area of ancient streets has
undergone more or less some alterations. But it
remains virtually unchanged. That is why, this
area having small nice tunnel houses, crowded
streets, pagodas and temples with curves roofs,
together with the space of green trees, all
gives to Hanoi an original beauty particular to
this city.
Since the end of the 80s with the implementation
of the renovation policy, economic life having
been improved, commerce developed, many houses
in the ancient streets have been demolished,
other repaired or rebuilt and often concrete 3-
or 4- storied houses have replaced the old ones.
The area of ancient streets has gradually lost
the beauty of its traditional architecture. Yet,
in spite of the alteration and the construction
of new houses, this area always represents a
precious legacy left by our ancestors to us,
Hanoians, to be handed down to future
generations. That is why Hanoi's municipal
administration is studying the feasibility of a
project for renovating this ancient area.
Area of old streets
At the end of the 19th century (1883), the
French colonialists occupied Hanoi, In 1886,
the French Administration designed a
master-plan for the city's development. The Ho
Guom area was reconstructed at first: the 1s't
year of reconstruction (1886) inscribed
on the house No 3 of Hang Khay Street is
still read. In the second stage of
reconstruction, ponds, lakes, waterways
including the To Lich River were filled in, and
the old citadel together with an earthen
enclosure (1894-1896) destroyed. The
ancient streets had their road straightened and
were added with works of infrastructure. Some of
the old houses were reconstructed, their
original architectural style being respected,
others left the place to new houses built in
Western style with 2 or 3 stories.Trang Tien
street-1905
Area of old citadel
Occupying the stretch of land between West Lake
and Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi old citadel was built
in the 11th century, and then demolished and
reconstructed many times. 'Me last destruction
dated back to the period when the French Army
launched its offensive against our capital at
the end of the 19th century. After the
enclosures and the palace had been destroyed,
there only remain some vestiges: Along a section
of Phan Dinh Phung Street stands the Northern
Gate of the rampart built with brick and stone,
a solid defensive work. On the rampart, we can
still notice a big hollow made by a French shell
during the above-mentioned offensive.
in
Phan Dinh Phung Street stands the Flag Tower
built in 1812, 40 metres high, composed of three
tiers and a prism-shaped tower in which there is
a spiral staircase leading to the top. The
ancient palaces have been demolished and only
some of' their foundations can still be seen. To
the South of the old citadel area, part of the
architectural work of the first University of
Vietnam: Temple of Literature - National
College, is left from a complex of ancient
buildings constructed in the beginning of the
11th century under the Ly Dynasty. Khue Van Cac
architecture in particular is original and
beautiful. Hanoians often make the images of One
- Pillar Pagoda, Turtle Tower and Khue Van Cac
their city's emblems.
During the period of 1960 - 1970, the State
built a series of residential areas in the
suburbs. These are prefabricated houses, rather
small and of the same model, built in Kim Lien,
Trung Tu, Giang Vo, Thanh Cong, Thanh Xuan Bac
areas. Now most of them are on the down grade
and lack modern comfort
Hanoi's present architecture
Over
the' last ten years, the city has been
developing along the Giai Phong Road, Nguyen Van
Cu, Lang Ha, Ngoc Khanh, Thai Ha and in the area
of West Lake villas... Many- storied buildings
of governmental offices are built amidst private
houses but the mushroom growth of these areas
goes along without following any master plan.
Hanoi is now in a construction boom. Its
architectural aspect changes everyday. From any
place in the city, you can see scaffoldings
round and cranes above constructions. Once
completed, these blocks of high buildings will
change the appearance of Hanoi. In the near
future, many urban-planing projects (South and
North Thang Long Bridge areas, West Lake Tourism
area...) will be carried out with the
cooperation and investment of foreign companies.
Yet the need o f developing more and better
infrastructure and that of protecting the
environment and conserving the original beauty
of Hanoi architecture are tasks both important
,and difficult which must be fulfilled by all
branches and echelons of Hanoi administration.
Pagoda
Before Hanoi became the political centre of the
country, it had already been a Buddhist centre,
comparable to Luy Lau (now belonging to Thuan
Thanh district, Bac Ninh province), with
renowned Dzen sects since the 5th century, under
the early Ly Dynasty. But we must wait until the
11th century, with the foundation of the Capital
Thang Long and with the decision of Ly Kings to
consider Buddhism as the national religion, to
see the building of numerous pagodas in Thang
Long - Hanoi. Under King Ly Thai To's reign
(1010-1028), Hung Thien pagoda, Van Tue Pagoda,
Thien Quang Pagoda, Thien Duc Pagoda and dozens
of others were built in Thang Long Region.
Under the reign of
Ly Kings who were fervent Buddhists, Thang Long
bonzes became an influential force in Dai Viet
political life in the centuries 11th - 13th.
Under the Tran Dynasty (1225 - 1400), Buddhism
still played an important role in the Viet
people's spiritual life, although religious life
was not so intense as under the Le Dynasty.
However, Tran Kings were also fervent Buddhists:
King Tran Du Tong (1336 - 1369) erected a stele
with only one word "Buddha" engraver on it, in a
pagoda situated in the Eastern part of Thang
Long; The founder of the Sect of Truc Lam was
King Tran Nhan Tong (1258 - 1286); he left his
throne to his son, became bonze and led a
religious life in a pagoda on Yen Tu Mount (now
Dong Trieu District, Quang Ninh Province).
After the
liberation of Thang Long from. the domination of
the Minh (1428), Le Loi founded the late Le
Dynasty (1428 - 1786), Dai Viet State relegated
Buddhism to the rank of a popular and
traditional religion and conferred a place of
honour to Confucianism. But in fact, Buddhist
fervents were numerous in Thang Long, religious
Buddhist life was respected. Buddhism has left a
deep imprint in the soul of all social strata of
the Viet people, being penetrated with the local
beliefs.
Hanoi Architecture
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