5 P. Nguyễn Thượng Hiền

Unfortunately we do not know the exact year when the house was constructed, nor we know the architect.

According to Linda Mazur's researches, constructed in the early 1940s, the lots in the area were divided into sets, with most frontages spanning 15.2 meters wide. Their front gardens were spacious, featuring low wrought iron fences, shrubbery, and flowers adorning large urns.

Initially painted yellow, the four-story house at 5 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền occupies an area of 700 square meters and was the tallest building on the street in the 1950s. With a third-floor ceiling height of 2.5 meters, ample space allowed for air circulation above the residents' heads. The top floor offered an unobstructed panorama of verdant farmers' fields and grazing water buffaloes, as well as a view of the town of Văn Điển, situated 11 kilometers away. The house's walls, a robust 40 centimeters thick, were constructed to endure and also served as insulation, maintaining a cool interior in summer and a warm one in winter.

Up until the 1960s, the water towers constructed by the French ensured sufficient pressure to deliver water to the upper floors, eliminating the necessity for a pump to supply the modern bathrooms. Additionally, the drainage sewers were sufficient even during the rainy season, preventing any instances of flooding.

According to Linda Mazur's research, the house at 5 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền owes its continued existence solely to the fortuitous timing of a bomber. During the bombing in 1972, the house was nearly deserted, with only the family of Nguyễn Minh Chí hiding under the stairs. While he listened to news reports on the radio during his temporary posting in Sơn Tây, a bomb flew over their house and landed in Thiên Quang Lake without exploding. Subsequently, their home was requisitioned as a first aid station, albeit with few supplies and a shocking lack of equipment. In 1960, the house was designated for public ownership. 

Number 5 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền operated also as the first private day nursery in 1956, featuring a spacious back garden utilized as a playground for the children. Despite not being a high-cost institution, it gained renown for its exceptional meals. In 1959, President Hò Chí Minh paid a visit to commend the residents and their young charges. The tranquility endured until intense bombing during the American War necessitated the evacuation of the children to rural areas.

In the 1940s, the occupants of this house consisted of three generations of the family of the mandarin Nguyễn Bá Tiệp, who passed away in 1947, along with his two sons, their wives, and children. Each family had its own self-contained living area and essential amenities. The current resident of this house in 2016, Nguyễn Minh Chí, is the youngest son and grandson of the mandarin.

Renowned individuals from the artistic community resided on Nguyễn Thượng Hiền Street. The artist Lê Phổ lived at number 8 and served as a professor at the Arts College until 1937. He then joined the jury of an International Exhibition in Paris and remained in the city to collaborate with modern artists. At the age of 21, Nguyễn Văn Cao composed the Vietnamese national anthem in the winter of 1944 at 45 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền. Following 1954, house number 10 was assigned to the Ministry of Culture and accommodated Trần Văn Cẩn, the renowned painter known for his portrait "Em Thúy," often regarded as Việt Nam's Mona Lisa, along with numerous esteemed poets and writers.

• Mazur: Hidden Houses of Hà Nội and the Stories They Tell, 2016