Welcoming Christmas in Hanoi brought a different and new feeling to many international tourists.

Hospitality providers in Hanoi’s Old Quarter have been gradually recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 15, most of them have so far been brought back to life.

Signboards made of cement with a lifespan of about 100 years are still hanging on the facades of houses in Hanoi Old Quarter. Why do they still exist? It is a long story that is hard to tell.

Barriers erected all over the streets and goods transacted through barriers are unprecedented scenes in the Hanoi Old Quarter.

For nearly 20 years, a man has looked after the only ancient gate of Hanoi, like his second house.

Hang Bac is viewed as the “most expensive” among Hanoi’s 36 old streets. In the past, people living on this street relied on three major jobs, involving silver ingot and jewellery making, and money exchange.

This year, Hanoi’s traditional flower market is held on the streets of Hang Luoc, Hang Khoai, Hang Roi, Hang Ma and Phung Hung.

In memories of Hanoians, the Old Quarter is not only the representation of Hanoi’s cultural value, but also the concentration of many old jobs that were once part of the normal living days in the capital city.

The Hanoi Old Quarter contains great values of culture, history and architecture for the capital and the whole country.

Many hotels in Hanoi’s Old Quarter area are for sale due to big losses resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The paving of areas around Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake with a high-quality natural stone has been almost completed.

Located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Ma May street is continuing to face up to challenges brought about by the return of the COVID-19 epidemic, with many souvenir shops, restaurants, and travel agencies left deserted.

Nearly a year after finishing renovations to a single archway underneath the railway line running along Phung Hung Street, the Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board plans to upgrade five more, which are all in a single row. 

The lobby of a hotel on Hang Be Street in the heart of Hanoi that used to be full of tourists is now filled with furniture.

The Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board recently came together with the Vietnamese Dinh Lang Club to host a special arts programme featuring visually-impaired singers.

Many business owners in Hanoi’s famous Old Quarter are becoming increasingly concerned about the decline in customers, causing their revenue to sharply decrease, and resulting in many stores closing their doors following COVID-19 epidemic.

An embankment is being constructed to prevent erosion at the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

Bustling streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter with crowded alleys and lively nightlife have turn quiet and deserted during the time when the whole country is practising physical distancing.

Various tourist sites in Hanoi sit empty, as ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 continue.