(Theo bao Ha Noi Moi)

After occupying Hanoi, the French began to build roads, houses, sewers, water supply pipes, infrastructure, electricity, hospitals, and hospitals for the poor is now a Vietnam-Germany Hospital,,,,according to the new French urban planning.

The timeline can be counted from October 1874, to 1954, when the Vietnamese drove the French away.

Since then, Vietnamese people have replaced a civilized Hanoi city according to French architecture, with a chaotic Hanoi like today.

At the end of the 19th century, at the beginning of the 20th century, the French Quarter was located in about 4 major streets: Paul Bert Street (now Trang Tien), Rollandes Street (Hai Ba Trung), Carreau Street (Ly Thuong Kiet) and Gambetta Street (now known as Trang Tien Street, Tran Hung Dao street) was built according to European methods, making the asphalt road first, building the house later.

Paul Bert Street (Trang Tien) at that time was considered “prosperous”, because many brick houses were built. There are restaurants opened by French, European and overseas Chinese.

At that time, the length of our old streets in Hanoi was only 45km, after expanding the city, in 1905, the streets were 81km long. At this time, the Hanoi road network in the areas of Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem now and the south to Ly Thuong Kiet street is now paved.

Although it was the capital of Eastern France, Hanoi at that time was just a small city, with a population of 28-30 thousand people. The terrain is also narrow. Horizontal and vertical direction can be calculated like this: The bank of the Red River from the beginning of Yen Phu square to Don Thuy hospital (currently 108 Military Medical Hospital).

From the Clock column (currently Tran Nhat Duat street) the bird-fight-road to the top of Doi Can street now.

As for the exit from the center: to the Northwest to the Protection School (now Chu Van An School); South to Vong intersection, Trung Hien intersection (Mo market) and So intersection.

The inner city is where there are streets with name plates, brick houses on both sides (with or without guard) and at night there are electric lights to illuminate the streets…

According to the map of Hanoi in 1831, there are 16 gates: Yen Hoa (or Yen Phu); Quiet (or Yen Dinh); Thach Block (or Nghia Lap); Phuc Lam (or Tien Trung); Dong Ha (Quan Chuong); Trung Thanh (in Hang Chinh); My Loc (in Hang Mam); Dong Yen (on Lo Su street near Hang Thung market); Tay Long or Truong Long (near Fort Thuy in Trang Tien street); Nhan Hoa (on the 1873 map no longer exists); Thanh Lang or Yen Lang (Dong Mac) in the east of the citadel; Yen Ninh or Thinh Yen (Cau Den); Kim Hoa or Kim Lien; Thinh Quang or Thinh Hao (O Cho Dua) in the south of the citadel; Thanh Bao (Kim Ma); Thuy Chuong (Thuy Khue) in the west of the citadel.

After the French occupied Hanoi, they began to design Hanoi according to French architecture, building streets and houses according to the new urban planning, so the doorways were gradually filled up, leaving only: Quan Chuong square, Cau Den, Dong Mac, Kim Lien, Cho Dua, Cau Giay, Kim Ma, Thuy Khue, Yen Phu.

These gates are located on the perimeter surrounding the inner city.

The French built a route around the city, making it very convenient to travel, connecting all areas of Hanoi. If Yen Phu is the beginning of the road, then it is the current road that runs through Quang An, Quang Ba, Nhat Tan, along the West Lake to Buoi market, through Cau Giay square, around Lang village to Nga Tu So intersection, then go straight ahead.

Tu Vong intersection, Trung Hien intersection to the river bank.

In 1899, the French established a suburban area of Hanoi including communes of Vinh Thuan district (Hoai Duc ward), some communes of Tu Liem district (Hoai Duc ward) and Thanh Tri district (Thuong Tin ward).

The French are visionary, old Hanoi with such a population, such an area is spacious.

All year round, always and almost every street has a house showing signs (about 30-40cm long and wide): “House for rent” or “Loft for rent”. The French planned Hanoi so extensively, so there is still a lot of vacant land to prepare for future developments.

Right in front of the current Ba Dinh ceremony, through a flat asphalt road is also a lawn. The area around Dou Chieu (the present Palace of Friendship Culture) is also a wasteland.

The street near Thien Quang lake was also later, called Halais street, after 1954 until now, there were still many people who used to call the lake Hale lake!

I myself -Minh Tuan, also call Ho Hale-Halais Lake, not call Thuyen Quang lake.

In “distant” areas such as Dou market (at the end of Ba Trieu street now) running to Kim Lien tram station, then it was all a landfill…

Bach Mai street was broken in many places without houses. The area from Kim Lien bus station to Hai Co temple are also swamps and lotus ponds because it is the beginning of Bay Mau lake…

By the period 1947-1954, the population of Hanoi was larger, besides the French, Americans, British,,, also came to live in Hanoi, and they did some more houses, which when we took over the city, is also found in Luong Yen area, near To Hien Thanh street, Vinh Ho street (Ngu Tu So intersection)…

Hanoi streets have many ways of calling: street (rue), alley (ruelle), dead end (impasse) such as Tam Thuong dead end, Yen Thai alley.

The street leading to a certain mansion is called “Avenue”, like our Trang Tien street is now called Avenue Paul Bert – because this street leads to the Opera House. Or today’s Tran Hung Dao street, then called Avenue Gambetta – because it leads to Hanoi railway station.

Wide street with trees on both sides called boulevard: Phan Dinh Phung street, Phung Hung street, Hang Day street today were all boulevards then.

There are also ready-made streets (voie) waiting to be built, like the streets of Hang Bot at that time, voie Soeur Antina… Hanoi still has neighborhoods (cités).

Ha Hoi hamlet was then called cité Jaureguiberry.

The names of major streets and flower gardens are mostly French. Those streets are often called “Western streets”, because most of them are Western France, America, England,,,.

As for “Ta Hien street” in the old “36 streets” area, the word “hang” is still kept: Hang Ngang, Hang Dao, Hang Chinh, Hang Non, Hang Hom, etc.

The French designed Hanoi very well, and there was a tram line, so there was no traffic jam, no scene when it rained and flooded like now.

In 1990, Hanoi demolished the tramway, saying that the tramway was dangerous for bicycles. People using bicycle thinking to destroy electric trains.

Now Hanoi is rebuilding the tramway.

Hopefully, in the next few decades, Hanoi will be beautiful, civilized, clean, elegant, less swearing, less throwing garbage, less fighting, arguing, less stinky, garbage, to be as clean and beautiful as the French colonial period nearly a hundred years ago.///