Rules for preservation in Old Quarter

Hàng Gai Street

The Regulations includes five chapters with 25 articles defining the boundaries and area of the Old Quarter and outlining the plan for the architectural, infrastructural and traffic development as well as relocation of some residents.

The Regulations specify that the Old Quarter, with an area of 100 ha including 76 streets, belongs to Hoàn Kiếm District and is bordered by Hàng Đậu Street in the north, Phùng Hưng Street in the west, Hàng Bông, Hàng Gai, Cầu Gỗ, and Hàng Thùng Streets in the south and Trần Quang Khải and Trần Nhật Duật Streets in the east. The Old Quarter is divided into three functional parts: commercial (12ha), residential (81ha), and traditional and cultural (7ha). The existing street network remains intact.

The Regulation lists houses to be preserved, and historical and cultural structures not to be violated. It includes rules for upgrading and building houses in the Old Quarter, specifying permitted and prohibited building materials and colors: For example, sloping roofs of traditional Vietnamese tiles are allowed while reinforced concrete roofs are prohibited. In terms of space, the Regulations allow modern interior construction, but specify strict control over the appearance of the façade such as limiting the extension of balconies and roofs into the streets.

The Regulations also mention that, in the near future, the drainage and sanitary system in the Old Quarter will be improved and rebuilt. The network of electric wires and communication cables weaving above the streets in the Quarter will be replaced by underground ones.

In terms of lighting, the Regulations mentions the development of a new lighting system in which sodium lights or high-tension filament lights will be used instead of the existing fluorescent ones and new lampposts will be installed./.