Jewelry making

Hanoi has the 36-street Old Quarter, where each street is usually associated with a handicraft trade. Therefore, even first-time visitors can easily recognize such craft streets; indeed, just by hearing the sounds on the street one can guess the trades of these streets. Hang Bac Street, formerly the silver-casting craft ward, was considered among the wealthiest in the Thang Long capital. Today, strolling along this street, visitors feel as if they are taking a journey back in time to the history of Hanoi's craft streets and craft villages. From early morning, the steady hammering of local craftspeople already echoes along the street, beginning a new day.

Hang Bac Street lies in the center of the Old Quarter in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Through many centuries and the changes of time, Hang Bac Street has preserved many architectural features and the old craft-village way of life. Along both sides of the street are traditional red-tiled-roof houses beside tube-shaped buildings with Western-style architecture. Occasionally on the street, one also suddenly encounters moss-covered temple roofs, communal houses, and shrines dedicated to the trade ancestor, tinged with the passage of time from the old craft ward. On Hang Bac Street is Kim Ngan Communal House, an ancient architectural work dating from the Later Le dynasty (1428-1527). This is a place that preserves traces of the goldsmithing craft ward in the old Thang Long capital. The relics at Kim Ngan Communal House show that the residents here are descendants of the first groups of artisans who came to Thang Long to establish the silver-casting craft ward in the past. Notably, to this day, most families here still maintain connections with their clans and relatives in their home villages and original craft villages.

Mr. Pham Huy Dung, a member of one of the long-established families living on Hang Bac Street, said: "Around the 15th-16th centuries, a high-ranking official, Minister of Personnel Luu Xuan Tin, from Chau Khe village (in Hai Duong province), was assigned by the court to be responsible for silver casting. He brought all the craftspeople from Chau Khe village in his homeland and many skilled craftspeople from other places such as Dong Xam village (Thai Binh) and Dinh Cong village (Hanoi) to the Thang Long capital to settle and make a living. Initially, the main foundation here was silver casting. Later, perhaps silver crafting and engraving artisans from other villages came here."

The whole of Hang Bac Street today is only about 0.5 km long, but there are hundreds of large and small shops engaged in goldsmithing and selling gold and silver handicrafts. Many shops nowadays have been equipped with new technology machinery from abroad, yet alongside them there are still families who preserve the traditional handmade handicraft crafting trade from ancient times. One of them is artisan Nguyen Chi Thanh at Hong Chau shop, 83 Hang Bac. He shared: "For our family, this craft is a traditional trade passed down from generation to generation. If we have a precious craft, why not keep it? Moreover, to practice a craft, one must first love it. Many people today still do not fully understand traditional handicrafts and industrial crafts. On Hang Bac there are hundreds of shops, but many displayed items look almost identical because they are machine-made. But I still make things by hand; that is our family's advantage, and so we can still make a living from the craft."

Not only have they preserved the precious craft left by their ancestors, the residents of Hang Bac Street today also maintain the distinctive traditional lifestyle and customs of Old Quarter residents. Many families are skilled at business and have become wealthy, but they still live modestly, value credibility, and are ready to help one another in life as well as in business and trade relations. In particular, when speaking of Hang Bac in the history of Thang Long-Hanoi's 36 streets, many people also mention the phrase 'Hang Bac girls,' implying that women on Hang Bac Street are often beautiful in both appearance and character. Hang Bac women are not only good at business and trade but also skilled at raising children and maintaining a peaceful life in each family. Today, when not a few modern families have gradually lost time spent close together, many families here still live together and maintain the traditional values of their families and clans.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Khue, a resident of Hang Bac Street, is now nearly 80 years old but still retains many of the gentle beauties of a Hang Bac girl of the past. Speaking about her family's way of life, Mrs. Hoang Thi Khue shared: ""From the time of my great-grandparents to the later children and grandchildren, my family has all lived around this street area. I still keep memories of my elders in the past, who lived affectionately, intimately, and very happily. Second, I am used to living in this Old Quarter. Although it is a bit cramped, the family still keeps the ancestral altar; the decorations from the old days remain intact and unchanged."

At night, Hang Bac Street seems brighter with lights. The goldsmith shops and glass display cases showing jewelry become even more sparkling as night falls. Besides jewelry shops, this street also has fashion stores, painting shops, travel service establishments, and bars that are always bustling with international tourists. Today, many ways of life in the Hang Bac craft street and craft ward have changed from the past. However, Hang Bac still retains the atmosphere of a business-savvy residential area with the elegant lifestyle of Hanoi people. That further enhances the distinctive and attractive character of Hanoi's Old Quarter and craft streets.