Hanoi has gone halfway to recovering the architectural space of LanOng street, which specialises in selling Vietnamese traditionalmedicine and is one of the few streets in the capital that hasmaintained its time-honoured trade.
The street is named after HaiThuong Lan Ong - pseudonym of Le Huu Trac (1720-1791), a famousphysician in Vietnam’s history.
Before the 20th century,the street bore the name of Phuc Kien, since a majority of residentshere came from China’s Fujian province, which is translated as‘Phuc Kien’ in Vietnamese.
In 1979, almost all people of Chineseorigin returned to their homeland, but traces of the Chinese culture canstill be found on houses on the street.
The diversity of culturethroughout history has adorned Lan Ong street with a wide range ofarchitectural styles, from houses with Vietnam’s traditionalfeatures to those combining both Vietnamese and Chinese styles orbearing western styles from the colonial period.
However, due tothe reported negligence of architecture management, new structures havemushroomed with balconies and roofs expanded spontaneously.
Addedto that, local residents have taken advantage of the space in front oftheir houses for business activities, deteriorating the overallappearance of the street.
To restore the front of houses to theiroriginal look, a project funded with nearly 25 billion VND (1.2 millionUSD) from the State budget is being carried out on the 120-metrestreet.
Lighting and drainage systems along with advertising boards will also be rearranged after the restoration is completed.
ThaiDuy Anh, a project manager from the Management Board of Hanoi’s OldQuarter, said the project has improved public awareness of cultural andsocial values of Lan Ong street’s architectural space and encouragedthem to engage in the preservation.
Thai Thi Van, who lives atNo.39, received more than 50 million VND (nearly 2,400 USD) to repairthe interior and exterior of her house, and it is now ready for sellingtraditional medicine.
She said she is very happy as the project has helped improve her house and the whole street as well.
Meanwhile,house No.30 of Vu Thi Minh has regained its Vietnamese traditionalfeatures, and the first floor is also reserved for selling medicine.
The house is considered as a highlight of the street as the time-honoured style is in harmony with the surrounding space.
Duringthe restoration, some difficulties have arisen due to drasticarchitectural changes and high population density. However, with thedetermination and support of local residents, the project is provingeffective.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a history stretching back2,000 years and retains the street original layout and architecture oncecommon in the capital.-VNA
The street is named after HaiThuong Lan Ong - pseudonym of Le Huu Trac (1720-1791), a famousphysician in Vietnam’s history.
Before the 20th century,the street bore the name of Phuc Kien, since a majority of residentshere came from China’s Fujian province, which is translated as‘Phuc Kien’ in Vietnamese.
In 1979, almost all people of Chineseorigin returned to their homeland, but traces of the Chinese culture canstill be found on houses on the street.
The diversity of culturethroughout history has adorned Lan Ong street with a wide range ofarchitectural styles, from houses with Vietnam’s traditionalfeatures to those combining both Vietnamese and Chinese styles orbearing western styles from the colonial period.
However, due tothe reported negligence of architecture management, new structures havemushroomed with balconies and roofs expanded spontaneously.
Addedto that, local residents have taken advantage of the space in front oftheir houses for business activities, deteriorating the overallappearance of the street.
To restore the front of houses to theiroriginal look, a project funded with nearly 25 billion VND (1.2 millionUSD) from the State budget is being carried out on the 120-metrestreet.
Lighting and drainage systems along with advertising boards will also be rearranged after the restoration is completed.
ThaiDuy Anh, a project manager from the Management Board of Hanoi’s OldQuarter, said the project has improved public awareness of cultural andsocial values of Lan Ong street’s architectural space and encouragedthem to engage in the preservation.
Thai Thi Van, who lives atNo.39, received more than 50 million VND (nearly 2,400 USD) to repairthe interior and exterior of her house, and it is now ready for sellingtraditional medicine.
She said she is very happy as the project has helped improve her house and the whole street as well.
Meanwhile,house No.30 of Vu Thi Minh has regained its Vietnamese traditionalfeatures, and the first floor is also reserved for selling medicine.
The house is considered as a highlight of the street as the time-honoured style is in harmony with the surrounding space.
Duringthe restoration, some difficulties have arisen due to drasticarchitectural changes and high population density. However, with thedetermination and support of local residents, the project is provingeffective.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a history stretching back2,000 years and retains the street original layout and architecture oncecommon in the capital.-VNA
