| Ha Noi in literature |
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Most Vietnamese and Westerners are familiar with the phrase Ha Noi
ba muoi sau Pho Phuong or Ha Noi 36 districts. This phrase often causes
much confusion for most people since, on the one hand Pho means a street or a place for
merchants to gather to do business, on the other hand Phuong means a
district or a guild of artisans specializing in a particular
trade (phuong cheo, phuong tho, etc.). In any case, there is some truth to the
use of both descriptions.
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Similar to the Guilded age of Europe, Ha Noi's 36 districts
is Vietnam's version of the guild concept. Long ago, as artisans moved to the capital city to
do business, they gathered together in an area as a way to share resources.
As a result, many of the streets are named after the crafts that were sold on
that street. Pho Hang Bun (Vermicelli), Pho Hang Ma (paper product), Pho Hang
Bac (Jewelry) are a few of the streets carrying the name of the products sold on
the street.
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Today, the 36 pho or old district remains in
Vietnamese literature as a quaint and familiar description of this part of Ha
Noi. Although many of the streets no longer have the products for which
they were named, some still do. Today, on many of the streets, there are still
shrines dedicated to the individual diety of the trades for which the streets
are named.
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