Solutions for a higher living quality for people in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Hanoi’s Old Quarter (OQ) is located in the center of Hanoi. It is well-known because of the unique architectures and significant heritages in the area. The OQ was formed in Ly dynasty (in the 11th century) and it has become a heavily populated and the most bustling trading area since that time.
1. INTRODUCTION
The OQ is recognized as a preserved area because it represents many historical and cultural heritages of the capital city and becomes one of the famous features of Hanoi’s tourism. As in an old saying: “Birds of a feather flock together”, people living nearby in the OQ often formed specific guilds trading and/or producing the same type of products. Thus, in the OQ, each street was addressed a name closely related to a particular traditional trading product, e.g. “Hang Muoi” (salt market) for the street selling salt, “Hang Manh” (curtain market) for the street selling bamboo curtains. Currently, Hanoi’s OQ covers 100ha, including 10 wards of Hoan Kiem District and up to 76 streets [MOC, 1995]. Over thousands years of development, the OQ has changed significantly. The infrastructure there has been downgraded while the population density is very high and seems to be increasing in the future. There are about 82.300 people per square kilometers, that it is classified in one of the most crowded areas in the country [Statistic, 2009]. Consequently, the OQ inhabitants are living in a lower level of living quality than people in others parts of Hanoi. Being aware of that serious problem, various agencies of the city and the national government have been trying to find out effective methods for the enhancement of life quality in the OQ. Unluckily, there are no solutions worked effectively so people there continues living in unfavorable conditions.
Locating in the centre of Hanoi, the Old Quarter (OQ) has been established thousands years ago and become one of the most significant heritages of this city. The paper first presents a set of indicators developed to be
1. INTRODUCTION
The OQ is recognized as a preserved area because it represents many historical and cultural heritages of the capital city and becomes one of the famous features of Hanoi’s tourism. As in an old saying: “Birds of a feather flock together”, people living nearby in the OQ often formed specific guilds trading and/or producing the same type of products. Thus, in the OQ, each street was addressed a name closely related to a particular traditional trading product, e.g. “Hang Muoi” (salt market) for the street selling salt, “Hang Manh” (curtain market) for the street selling bamboo curtains. Currently, Hanoi’s OQ covers 100ha, including 10 wards of Hoan Kiem District and up to 76 streets [MOC, 1995]. Over thousands years of development, the OQ has changed significantly. The infrastructure there has been downgraded while the population density is very high and seems to be increasing in the future. There are about 82.300 people per square kilometers, that it is classified in one of the most crowded areas in the country [Statistic, 2009]. Consequently, the OQ inhabitants are living in a lower level of living quality than people in others parts of Hanoi. Being aware of that serious problem, various agencies of the city and the national government have been trying to find out effective methods for the enhancement of life quality in the OQ. Unluckily, there are no solutions worked effectively so people there continues living in unfavorable conditions.
Locating in the centre of Hanoi, the Old Quarter (OQ) has been established thousands years ago and become one of the most significant heritages of this city. The paper first presents a set of indicators developed to be