Hang Duong Street is located in Hoan Kiem District and still retains its typical flavour that made it famous in Hanoi, processing and selling all kinds of sugar and sweets.
Every year when people prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival or Tet (lunar New Year Festival), the street becomes most bustling and animated. On these occasions, the owners of big shops on this street, such as Ngoc Anh, Ngoc Dung, Tung Hien, etc., can earn as much as they made in the previous ten months.
In the 1960s the locals started participating in other trades to meet the demand of Hanoians and people from neighbouring provinces. As a result, many other products are sold on the street, such as cloth, fashion accessories, souvenirs, portraitures, and particularly O mai (sweetened and spiced dried fruits), a typical nourishment of Hanoi that is made by locals.
Although O mai has never been mentioned in ancient books as a speciality in the culinary treasure of the land of Trang An and former name of Hanoi , it has quickly become very popular in the last four decades. It appears everywhere, not only in stores on Hang Duong Street , but also on other streets in Hanoi and in the northern cities and provinces, such as Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Thai Binh and Nam Dinh.
Together with the ups and downs of history, the street’s appearance has changed but the treasured old houses like Vinh Hanh Communal House (at No.19B), Duc Mon Communal House and Pagoda (at No. 38) and Cau Dong Pagoda which have been classified as national historical relics are still preserved on the street.