The city is very beautiful, this young capital was built next to the ancient Annamese urban area but developed independently and did not negatively affect the old urban area. The founders of the city were wise not to touch the relics of this extremely unique civilization, except to remove the garbage, clean the intersections and alleys, and display it as a precious art object. The juxtaposition of the two cities, the contrast between the elegance, modern conveniences and the squalor of Asia, is one of the charms of Hanoi; through the lens of the artist or the tourist who simply loves the exotic, this makes Hanoi more popular than Saigon, the magnificent but somewhat deserted city, with its overly administrative and monotonous appearance.
The door of a native temple in Hanoi
The capital of Tonkin seems destined to become one of the most beautiful and pleasant cities in the Far East - and it is. It is one of those cities that never disappoints. It has its own character and is worth a stop, even if the splendour of Bombay [now Mumbai], Batavia or Bangkok still lingers in the mind.
Those who have not been to Hanoi in the last four or five years will hardly recognise it. The city has changed its appearance since then. Not long ago, it was the Red River Concession. There was and still is the residence - I dare not call it a palace - of the governor general, his staff and auxiliary buildings. Next is Paul Bert Street [now Trang Tien], where the merchants live. It seems that this group is trying to apply the good British practice of separating family and work, home from office. Young and old alike are beginning to give in to the need for air and space. Many villas with gardens have sprung up on the new boulevards. True, they are still quite scattered, there are still many vacant lots; but these locations will sooner or later be occupied.
As long as Tonkin is prosperous, Hanoi, with a population of over 60,000, will continue to expand beyond Hai Phong, even surpassing its younger rival. But in the end, this is simply an impression, on which I can hardly base a definitive judgment. But this impression is something that many tourists, both French and foreign, have noticed. Anyone who has spent even a few days here is captivated not only by the uniqueness of the landscape but also by the advantages of its location. Hanoi has always been the true capital of the country. Nature has made Hanoi the heart of this body, the main veins of which are the streams that flow into the Red River.
Annamese Women in Hanoi
Right now, there is a life, a movement, a joy in the streets that contrasts sharply with the sleepy silence of many other colonial cities. The faces are more relaxed, the conversations and discussions are more pleasant, all showing a joy for life, a strong acceptance of initial difficulties, a strong belief in the future. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I am deceived by appearances. The initial appearance of Hanoi has far exceeded my expectations. People say it is just a facade. We need to see what is hidden behind this flashy exterior. I do not care and I will add that, at least for now, I do not care about it. Why spoil your joy with gloomy thoughts? Observe the scenery before judging the play.
And the scenery is really charming, especially in the mornings still wet with night dew, or in the red-hot afternoons, when the afternoon nap is over, work is done, the whole of Hanoi, from civil servants to military officers, go to the outskirts of the city to enjoy the cool air around the new Experimental Garden [now the Botanical Garden], through Grand-Bouddha Street [now Quan Thanh Street], this promenade is called the tour de Bois. From 4 o'clock, the horsemen and their entourage appear, the small horses of the country, aggressive, stamping, stepping, the four-wheeled carriages, the cute baskets attached to the carriages, the light carriages of the hot spring resorts. And on the banks of the Small Lake [ie Hoan Kiem Lake], people compete to show off their airy costumes.
Miraculously, this small lake, once a swamp and a rubbish dump, is now as clear as a mountain lake, highlighting the headlands and bays on the lush lawns of a shady park full of flowers. On a small knoll connected to the shore by a wooden bridge, there is an ancient temple, worm-eaten in many places, but still elegant, with its shadow both against the sky and on the calm water.
Across the lake is Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a whitewashed native city. This is a measure stipulated in a decree recently issued by the city to prevent a worrying epidemic as the hot season approaches. The whitewash gives the low houses, the narrow, closely packed compartments, with their roofs touching the diagonal ridges, the appearance of a West Asian city, a corner of Tunis or Smyrna. Both the internal divisions and the grouping of trades and goods bear a resemblance to the cities of the ancient Middle East, where similar customs have not yet disappeared. In short, this is a primitive city, of the Asian or European type, with its contiguous but unmixed elements, its peculiar narrowness, the rivalry between tiny republics of craftsmen and merchants, who "close to home but far from home" pay close attention to each other... History is indeed a constant repetition, and initially the instinct of social life almost always manifests itself in similar forms, in all peoples. (continued)
(Nguyen Quang Dieu quoted from the book Around Asia: Cochinchina, Central Vietnam , and North Vietnam, translated by Hoang Thi Hang and Bui Thi He, AlphaBooks - National Archives Center I and Dan Tri Publishing House published in July 2024)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/du-ky-viet-nam-ha-noi-thu-phu-xu-bac-ky-18524121322015199.htm
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