Hanoi
The Old Quarter
The capital of Vietnam, and also its second largest city, is a fascinating blend of East and West, combining traditional Vietnamese motifs, with French flair. It is largely unscathed from decades of war, and is now going through a building boom, making it a rapidly developing city in Southeast Asia.
Hanoi, Vietnam
Vietnam's Hanoi Old Quarter or 36 Old Streets is located between the Lake of the Restored Sword and the Long Bien Bridge. Within the Hanoi Old square there are 36 streets and each street has a name depending on what is sold on that street, such as sugar street, bamboo street, and salt street. However not all streets sell what is written on the sign because the streets are all around 1,000 years old, also there are more than 36 actually streets. In the 15th Century it was believed they had 36 guild locations or workshops not streets. In Asia the Number 9 represented the concept of plenty and because there were 4 directions 9x4 is 36. In actuality today there are over 70 streets in the area.