Several century-old, iconic markets in Hanoi have fallen into oblivion or been transformed beyond recognition, leaving locals feeling reminiscent.

Revered author/artist Do Phan shared with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper about such memorable markets in the Vietnamese capital.

Hanoi back in 1954 was limited to streets in such inner districts as Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, and Dong Da, as well as those in several outlying districts.

Countryside markets

The markets in the capital’s suburban districts were mostly formed by, and catered to, villagers.

Apart from the village markets located along the banks of the Hong (Red) River, those in what is now Hoang Mai District and in such well-known areas as Yen Hoa-Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan, and Giap Bat were also typical of villages.

Part of a countryside market in Hanoi. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man selling eggs at an old-time Hanoi countryside market. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Village markets were mostly comprised of shabby makeshift tents which served as stalls.

However, peddlers knew how to arrange the seating properly so that market goers did not have difficulty locating the stalls which offered the commodity or wares they needed.

The village markets boasted all necessities which catered well to basic life back then.

A woman selling fish at a Hanoi countryside market in the good old days. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Wares ranged from food, vegetables and fruit to farming tools and clothing items.

Services such as blacksmithing and clothes fixing were also offered.

A culinary section was a must, drawing throngs of market goers who came for a wide assortment of traditional delicacies and alcohol.

Groups of locals sitting together over drinks and rustic culinary delights from morning till dusk were thus common sights.

A painting of old-time Hanoi created by Do Phan. 

A unique market which traded human feces also thrived from the 1960s until it was closed altogether in the early 1990s.

Locals fetched the waste from the inner districts and sold it at the market in the wee hours.

Village market goers typically knew one another well, with very few strangers and almost no thieves in sight.

Peddlers at the markets offered moderately high prices, not to rip buyers off but in accordance with their long-standing belief that charging acceptably high prices would bring about a day’s good sales.

In their turn, buyers would invariably bargain with a strong conviction that they could only buy wares at their supposed prices by bargaining.  

A woman selling cereal at an old-time countryside market in Hanoi. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Women peddling confectionery and traditionally brewed wine at a countryside market in the Hanoi of yesteryear. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Over the course of time, under the impact of urbanization, such countryside markets gradually gave way to their modern-looking counterparts and supermarkets.

Recently, some outlying districts have been turned into inner ones, further curtailing the number of village markets, which were omnipresent in the old days.

Today’s markets in the outer districts are typically built in the form of one-story, horizontal tiled houses, which are contoured by large expanses, where bulky commodities are usually for sale.

Such a market now caters to the total population of several villages combined.

Phan, the author of the Vietnamese article, mourned the loss of the countryside markets’ tranquility and sense of order.

These days markets tend to be plagued by rips-off, frauds, fake goods and even petty theft.

Urban markets 

Meanwhile, markets in Hanoi’s inner districts have taken on a different look compared to their countryside counterparts decades ago, Phan noted.

The French began the construction of Dong Xuan Market, one of the Vietnamese capital’s icons, in Hoan Kiem District in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Under the project, which adopted currently state-of-the-art construction technology, Dong Xuan emerged as a spacious, modern-looking wholesale market. The imposing structure kept kids back then in awe, Phan recalled.

The market had a prolonged section called Bac Qua which stretched to the dykes along the Hong River.

Dong Xuan Market boasted a wide array of goods, ranging from food, groceries and clothing items to fine art and household appliances.

The front of Dong Xuan Market, one of Hanoi's iconic markets, in modern times. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Meanwhile, Bac Qua Market was famous for its cuisine stalls, which offered myriad delicacies for market goers to choose from.

Also on sale were items made from rattan and bamboo.

The expanse between Dong Xuan and Bac Qua Markets was the kids’ favorite, where a wide variety of ornamental plants, birds and fish were sold, Phan reminiscently added.

They would take the tram almost every week to visit the expanse, which they considered a miniature zoo.

Dong Xuan Market, however, was plagued by petty theft, which peaked during the 1970s and 1980s.

The two markets were merged and repaired around 1990, which has given the combined market an orderly, kempt look, but it was not as busy, Phan observed.

A blaze in 1994 obliterated a large part of the market.

Revival efforts yielded limited results, with only the original façade being fully recovered.

Though different goods are now sold at the market, peddlers there retain their polite, moderate manners toward buyers, much to the delight of Hanoi urbanites.

Mo Market, located in Hai Ba Trung District, was just as spacious and famous as Dong Xuan Market.

It offered a huge quantity of food and a wide array of rustic dishes. The market, however, has been turned into an insipid commercial center.

Located in Hoan Kiem District, Hang Da and Cua Nam Markets, two of the city’s icons in its old days, are also now trading centers.

Similarly, a large part of Hang Be Market in the same district has been cleared away since 2007.

Hom Market of Hai Ba Trung District has also seen unrecognizable structural reformations and is considerably less crowded than it was years ago.

Hom Market in today's Hanoi. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Buoi Market in Tay Ho District also looks incongruous in its new appearance.

It is the capital’s only market which retains special sessions on certain days of the lunar calendar, Phan added.

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