Hang Bac Phố Hàng Bạc

Guild street of silver in the Old Quarter

Hang Bac is the silver street, one of the 36 guild streets still named for its trade. You walk past jewellers’ windows lit gold under signs for vàng bạc, gold and silver, with silver-engraving shops and breakfast stools in between. Walk it as part of the Old Quarter loop from the lake rather than as a separate trip.

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Jewellers’ windows and gold-and-silver signs on Hang Bac

Photo: Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.0

TimeCheck on arrival

FeeFree to walk

Get thereWalk the lanes north of Hoan Kiem Lake

Best monthsApril to June, or September to December

The guild streets

Old towns Markets

The Old Quarter’s streets have been named for the goods their artisans made since the 14th or 15th century, and Hang Bac’s is silver. The shopfronts still show it: glass counters of jewellery, signs reading vàng bạc and đá quý, and house numbers painted on every board.

A shopfront signed for silver engraving at 100 Hàng Bạc, with people on plastic stools outside — A silver-engraving shop at 100 Hang Bac, with breakfast stools out front

Between the jewellers are silver-engraving workshops and the street kitchens of the lanes, with plastic stools on the pavement in the morning. Walk it slowly, look in the windows, and keep it on the same loop as Bach Ma and Dong Xuan.

Getting there and around

Hang Bac is one of the guild streets in the lanes north of Hoan Kiem Lake. Walk north from the lake into the quarter; it is free to walk.

From Hoan Kiem Lake

On foot, north into the lanes to Hang Bac.

Hours and fees

Hours
The Old Quarter is open 7am to midnight (Vietnam Tourism). Shop hours: Check on arrival.
Closed
Check on arrival
Admission
Free to walk. Shop prices: Check on arrival.