(Part 2) Culture Map: Rethink, Empower, and Co-create

Thu Quỳnh Ngô
Jun 19
3 min read

Updated: Jul 11

Hanoi City Map - An angle of thoughtful tourism, cultural resonance, and co-created futures

Tours as Examples: Emerging in Intimacy Culture Map of the City

Take the “Discovering the Old Quarter” tour —a morning exploration of Hanoi’s historical urban craft system. Guests meander through streets named for centuries-old trades, pausing to meet artisans still practicing leatherworking, metalwork, or herbal healing. Along the way, they learn how each street name carries a story of economic life, adaptation, and heritage.

Tìm hiểu nếp sống người Việt qua tín ngưỡng - Đình Kim Ngân — Understanding Vietnamese ways of life through spiritual beliefs.

The “Discovering the Old Quarter” tour invites visitors to explore Vietnamese cultural identity through domestic architecture and communal worship in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Beginning at the historic house at 87 Mã Mây, guests will experience the typical “tube house” structure with three compartments—an architectural model once common among merchant families. The layout transitions from open space for business to increasingly private zones, reflecting the intertwined nature of household economy and folk spirituality, such as the worship of Kitchen Gods and the ancestral altar placed on the sacred upper floor.

Bên trong không gian Nhà cổ Mã Mây — 87 Ma May Ancient House

From there, the tour continues to cultural landmarks such as Ngọc Sơn Temple, Kim Ngân Communal House, and Bà Kiệu Temple—spiritual and social pillars of urban village life. At Kim Ngân, visitors will discover the tradition of worshipping craft ancestors, a custom that connects rural artisans from villages like Châu Khê to the heart of the city. Along the way, each site—each building—reveals layers of spiritual practice, architectural symbolism, and the enduring values that shape how Vietnamese people live, worship, and stay rooted.

Tác phẩm sắp đặt tại đình Kim Ngân — Installation at Kim Ngân communal house

This is not merely a walk through the past, but an invitation to recognize the living heritage that continues to inform daily life in today’s urban Hanoi.

Or consider “Discovering Hanoi night life” tour, a night tour that transforms the city into a contemplative stage. It weaves together ritual and reflection: the 3D mapping at Văn Miếu evokes a living history, while the flag ceremony at Ba Đình Square evokes solemnity and pride. This is not spectacle—it’s a gentle pilgrimage.

Văn Miếu về đêm — Temple of Literature at night

“Interpretation, not spectacle. Connection, not checklist.”

Empowering Local Hosts & Preserving Cultural Landscapes

HNCM tours are co-created with local residents, not imposed on them. We work with elders, craftswomen, and storytellers who carry the knowledge of their neighborhoods. They are not tour props. They are co-authors.

Chế tác bạc tại làng Định Công, Hà Nội. — Silversmith at Dinh Cong Village, Hanoi

Through this, we see tourism not as consumerism, but as a form of cultural preservation. Every walk, every conversation adds to a living archive. HNCM is more than a static product—it’s a growing cultural ecosystem, shaped by those who walk it and those who host it.

Chuyến tham quan thực tế đến nhà máy tơ dứa ECOSOI xuất phát từ Hà Nội đến Nghệ An — A field trip to the ECOSOI pineapple silk factory from Hanoi to Nghe An.

Plans are already forming for more cultural maps—woven not by GPS alone, but by lived experience and community wisdom. Each map may trace a different theme: traditional foodways, craft villages, and riverside rituals. But all share a commitment to care.

Join the Journey, Not Just the Tour

HNCM isn’t just about seeing Hanoi. It’s about seeing differently. We invite you not only to follow a route, but to co-create the path. Share your own memories or your suggestions with us!

In this way, the map grows—not as lines on paper, but as lines of connection between people, values, and place.