Authorities in Hanoi announced in a Wednesday press meeting that six streets, home to century-old houses and relics, will be added to the capital’s list of walking streets to better tap into their tourism potential and improve services and trade in the areas.

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The city has recently imposed traffic bans at certain times on Hang Buom, Ma May, Dao Duy Tu, Hang Giay, Luong Ngoc Quyen, and Ta Hien Streets of the Old Quarter in Hoan Kiem District.

These six streets are among the zones to be preserved for retaining much of their antiquity.

Houses built in the 18th and 19th centuries as well as several cultural, historical relics including Bach Ma, Quan De, Huong Tuong, Kim Ngan and Dong Lac Temples now line these streets, which are generally frequented by foreigners.

Ta Hien Street, dubbed the city’s “international intersection,” is invariably packed with foreign tourists and expats, particularly in the evening.

The local Department of Transport began banning traffic on the streets from 7:00 pm to 12:00 pm in the summer and from 6:00 pm to 12:00 pm in the winter every Friday, Saturday and Sunday on a trial basis, from April 11 to 13 and April 18 to 20.

In the coming time, traffic from north to south and vice versa will thus be diverted to Hang Luoc- Hang Ca- Hang Can- Luong Van Can; Hang Cot- Hang Ga- Hang Dieu; Tran Nhat Duat-Nguyen Huu Huan; or Tran Nhat Duat-Tran Quang Khai.

Those moving from east to west and vice versa will be requested to travel on Phan Dinh Phung-Hang Dau-Tran Nhat Duat; Hang Bo-Hang Bac- Hang Mam; Hang Da-Cau Go-Hang Thung-Nguyen Huu Huan-Tran Quang Khai.

The move is an attempt to allow local artisans, households, and enterprises to better tap the old streets’ tourism potential.

Hoan Kiem District’s three other old streets, Hang Dao, Hang Duong, and Dong Xuan, which also belong to the Old Quarter, have been closed to traffic every weekend starting October 2013.

The Hang Dao-Dong Xuan shopping area held every weekend night has appealed strongly to domestic and international tourists alike, who usually cannot resist relishing local culinary delights and the tempting allure of shopping for souvenirs and handicrafts.

The streets are sometimes overloaded with tourists, peddlers, and shop owners.

The area around the Ho Chi Minh President Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square is also closed to traffic on weekends.

The six-walking-street project was approved late last year, Do Xuan Thuy, CEO of Dong Xuan Co., said during an April 22 meeting. 

The company has installed decorative lights and   high pressure lights along the six streets and improved the lighting system at the relics located alongside.

The company has also handed out 2,000 stamps to bike owners living along the streets so that they can get in and out of the walking areas and park their bikes free of charge every weekend.

Thuy added that most households living on the six new walking streets have agreed to the project.

Unlike the Hang Dao, Hang Duong and Dong Xuan walking streets, peddling on the roadbeds of the new walking streets is strictly forbidden. Peddlers and shop owners along these six can do their business on the sidewalk only.

The People’s Committee of Hang Buom Ward has received 256 business registrations in the area, 168 of which were approved in the first phase.

Hoang Kiem District’s 2013 statistics show that the city’s Old Quarter had the population of some 10,000, most of whom depend on tourism service provision for their livelihood.

Roughly 240 households run shops, including 100 restaurants and eateries.

Thuy, the Dong Xuan Co. CEO, said that the Hoan Kiem People’s Committee has licensed seven parking lots measuring some 648m² in total in the Old Quarter.

Tourists can also park their bikes at 12 other official lots which have been in use for the Hang Dao, Hang Duong and Dong Xuan walking streets.

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