One of the china figurines in the Classic Street Hotel
- more lower down this page The odd title of this page aims to link together some of the smaller features of life in Hà Nội that are missed by watching people or looking at the city more broadly. Many small architectural, decorative or functional features are of interest. Amongst these are the china figurines in the Classic Street Hotel in the Old Quarter of the city, the awnings over shops and the posters that sometimes still appear in public spaces.
At the top end of the hotel scale in Hà Nội is the Intercontinental Hotel - a 'village' of rooms and suits perched on stilts in the
Hồ Tây (West Lake)
And here, another international hotel, this one dominates the skyline on the approach to the city, once part of the...
...Sofitel chain but sold on when that French company went even more up market, it is now the Pan Pacific Hotel
To the other end of the market where some of us feel more comfortable...
...Clean and orderly, but basic
The reception area of the Hà Nội Youth Hostel, more a simple hotel than a western style hostel. Here the customary tourist information desk. This hotel was in ngõ Cột Cờ in the Hoàn Kiếm District of the city, but, as so often, is now closed and the name taken on by other establishments...
...also in this central district is the still functioning Classic Street Hotel on Hàng Bè Street. This is a mid-market hotel, the photo above shows its reception area, adjacent to which are the many china figurines, some of which are photographed below
These china and clay figures are...
A chair with classic designs
...on show in the Classic Street Hotel
The figures are not labelled, but appear to depict characters from folk tales
A large 'door' in the form of the Old East Gate to the city - recently renovated
A more modest door, but supporting three padlocks
An open door, which is the norm in Vietnam, inviting a visit...
...A peep into a house at New Year when
kumquat trees
are bought
And in this and the next photographs some details inside the museum house in Ma May street
These five photos are all from a house on Ma May street, in the Old Quarter of Hà Nội, which has been turned into a museum. Above doors under reconstruction, above right sliding doors; right, crown of doors; below, roof timbers, below right, lower door panel.
Like many older houses in Hà Nội, an inner courtyard is open to the sky and the upper rooms have balconies facing this private, but airy space.
Some Hà Nội windows. Above, a rectangular shuttered window with tiled canopy, and (right) all on one wall - above a shop selling 'Fresh Flowers'...
...rectangular windows and slatted shutters, an octagonal window with curved canopy, and a cell like window with plain concrete canopy
And while on canopies, Hà Nội has a great variety, here are three with certain points in common. Businesses are required to exhibit an address and phone number and this is the commonest way of doing that. DC means address (địa chĩ) and DT mean phone (điện thoại). Often the main words are simply the name of the owner, or in the case of Cơm Dung roughly Dung's Food
An upper floor window tailor's display with English, Vietnamese and French words
A dragon protecting a door - the Chinese characters mean as little to the average Vietnamese person as to a Scot
This company is selling beautiful shoes for women, both wholesale and retail
Less common than at one time, street posters. Now they are mainly to be seen in shops selling memorabilia of the post American War years, but whenever seen the face of Hồ Chí Minh is ever present
Trailers...
The next Picture Posting page
shows you some photos from typical (but relatively small, this is only the gatehouse) pagodas, Buddhist centres,
in Hà Nội.
The next page
of the Mosaic Section is headed 'Mutual Aid'.
Or go to the contents Go to the contents of the Mosaic Section. of the Mosaic Section.
The previous page went out to suburbs of Hà Nội
Another page of detailed shots - these are from the Citadel in Huế
...guide to this site