Located in Tay Ho district and running along the West Lake's southernbank, Thuy Khue street has preserved its typical rural Vietnamesefeatures of ancient pagodas and village gates.
Previously, thevillages around Thuy Khue street were collectively referred to as KeBuoi. Rapid urbanisation in recent times has brought many changes to thecity, and Ke Buoi is no exception. The whole area has put on a moderncoat, with high-rise buildings and villas continuing to replace oldvillage houses and gardens.
However, the days of old are stillpreserved in the village gates which stand among the modern housesdotting the street. The moss-covered roofs of the temples and communalhouses, together with the rough trunks and foliage of horse mango andBodhi trees, have produced the ancient look of Thuy Khue street.
Ifyou take a ride along this street, starting at Buoi Market, the firstvillage gate will appear on your left. Thuy Khue street has the largestnumber of village gates in Hanoi, clustered mainly on the section of thestreet near Buoi Market and Lac Long Quan street. The gates are spaced afew metres apart in some areas, while some others are found dozens ofmetres away.
Interestingly, none of the gates look alike. Somehave been recently restored, while others have preserved their ancientlook and faded colours.
Despite their differences, the villagegates on Thuy Khue street have created a unique rural space in the bigcity. Each has been given a short but intimate name, such as Gieng, Hauor Chua. These gates bear the history of generations of residents,stretching back thousands of years. Some of the gates and the villagesthey lead to are up to 10 centuries old, such as the villages of YenThai, An Tho and Dong Xa.
On each gate, on either side, one can find two columns of engraved phrases in Han script.
Oneof the most beautiful gates in Hanoi leads to Yen Thai village, wherethe ancient red brick-paved path is still preserved and kept clean. The200m path was built with funds donated by villager Thong Thao and hasbeen kept in its original condition by the other villagers, despite theintroduction of electricity and water systems in the village in recentyears.
Another special gate on Thuy Khue street is Nghe, shadedby a large ancient banyan tree. The gate was built in the traditionalstyle, with one main door, two secondary doors (which are now concealed)and a roof. This image of a mossy gate next to an ancient banyan treeis intrinsically Vietnamese, arousing a strong sense of nostalgia andfamiliarity in Vietnamese people around the world.
According tothe elderly, the doors of all the village gates on Thuy Khue street wereonce opened at the crack of dawn to announce the start of a new day andwould be closed at dusk.
Many of the gates have been restoredand embellished; for example, Hau Gate was restored in 1998, and Ho KhauGate was embellished and became a site for a marketplace every morning.
Behindeach village gate stands an alley gate. Although they are much smaller,alley gates still exist to clearly demarcate the borders of differenthamlets.
Guarded by these traditional gates to each village, theoriginal rural lifestyle, perfectly preserved by the elderly for years,continues on unabated.
"Everyone recognizes the name of myhometown when I tell them that I'm from Buoi village," 80-year-oldNguyen Van Tai said proudly.
"Native Buoi villagers have a unique soft voice, which is different from the voice of a native Hanoian," he continued.
"Speakingof Thuy Khue street, people often think about Ke Buoi and, especially,Thuy Khue village. The village was in former Thuy Chuong precinct – oneof 36 precincts of the Thang Long Citadel (presently Hanoi) during theLe Dynasty (1427-1789), which was famous for its weaving and wineproducing trades. My family also used to produce lotus-scented wine forgenerations," Tai said.
Although they have never been officiallyrecognised as national relics, the village gates hold a special positionin the hearts of villagers. No matter where they go, the villagers ofKe Buoi are always welcomed by the village gates when they return, andthey have always felt very proud of this part of their nationalheritage.-VNA
Previously, thevillages around Thuy Khue street were collectively referred to as KeBuoi. Rapid urbanisation in recent times has brought many changes to thecity, and Ke Buoi is no exception. The whole area has put on a moderncoat, with high-rise buildings and villas continuing to replace oldvillage houses and gardens.
However, the days of old are stillpreserved in the village gates which stand among the modern housesdotting the street. The moss-covered roofs of the temples and communalhouses, together with the rough trunks and foliage of horse mango andBodhi trees, have produced the ancient look of Thuy Khue street.
Ifyou take a ride along this street, starting at Buoi Market, the firstvillage gate will appear on your left. Thuy Khue street has the largestnumber of village gates in Hanoi, clustered mainly on the section of thestreet near Buoi Market and Lac Long Quan street. The gates are spaced afew metres apart in some areas, while some others are found dozens ofmetres away.
Interestingly, none of the gates look alike. Somehave been recently restored, while others have preserved their ancientlook and faded colours.
Despite their differences, the villagegates on Thuy Khue street have created a unique rural space in the bigcity. Each has been given a short but intimate name, such as Gieng, Hauor Chua. These gates bear the history of generations of residents,stretching back thousands of years. Some of the gates and the villagesthey lead to are up to 10 centuries old, such as the villages of YenThai, An Tho and Dong Xa.
On each gate, on either side, one can find two columns of engraved phrases in Han script.
Oneof the most beautiful gates in Hanoi leads to Yen Thai village, wherethe ancient red brick-paved path is still preserved and kept clean. The200m path was built with funds donated by villager Thong Thao and hasbeen kept in its original condition by the other villagers, despite theintroduction of electricity and water systems in the village in recentyears.
Another special gate on Thuy Khue street is Nghe, shadedby a large ancient banyan tree. The gate was built in the traditionalstyle, with one main door, two secondary doors (which are now concealed)and a roof. This image of a mossy gate next to an ancient banyan treeis intrinsically Vietnamese, arousing a strong sense of nostalgia andfamiliarity in Vietnamese people around the world.
According tothe elderly, the doors of all the village gates on Thuy Khue street wereonce opened at the crack of dawn to announce the start of a new day andwould be closed at dusk.
Many of the gates have been restoredand embellished; for example, Hau Gate was restored in 1998, and Ho KhauGate was embellished and became a site for a marketplace every morning.
Behindeach village gate stands an alley gate. Although they are much smaller,alley gates still exist to clearly demarcate the borders of differenthamlets.
Guarded by these traditional gates to each village, theoriginal rural lifestyle, perfectly preserved by the elderly for years,continues on unabated.
"Everyone recognizes the name of myhometown when I tell them that I'm from Buoi village," 80-year-oldNguyen Van Tai said proudly.
"Native Buoi villagers have a unique soft voice, which is different from the voice of a native Hanoian," he continued.
"Speakingof Thuy Khue street, people often think about Ke Buoi and, especially,Thuy Khue village. The village was in former Thuy Chuong precinct – oneof 36 precincts of the Thang Long Citadel (presently Hanoi) during theLe Dynasty (1427-1789), which was famous for its weaving and wineproducing trades. My family also used to produce lotus-scented wine forgenerations," Tai said.
Although they have never been officiallyrecognised as national relics, the village gates hold a special positionin the hearts of villagers. No matter where they go, the villagers ofKe Buoi are always welcomed by the village gates when they return, andthey have always felt very proud of this part of their nationalheritage.-VNA
