7 P. Nguyễn Thượng Hiền (1941)

The four-story house at 7 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền was constructed on land owned by the governor of Hà Đông Province, Nguyễn Bá Tiệp. Once considered the most elegant residence on the street, it is now obscured by unattractive additions that conceal its former grandeur. Built in 1941 and originally painted yellow, a hue symbolizing rootedness or earth in Buddhist tradition, it also matched the customary color of French administrative buildings. Unfortunately we do not know the architect.

The interior walls were painted white, symbolizing purity. According to Quang Phùng, a former resident of 7 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền, the fashionable green and blue walls favored by the French were unflattering to the complexion, giving women a pale and sickly appearance, which was an insult to their vanity.

Like most villas in this neighborhood, the ground floor of Number 7 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền served as the garage and living quarters for the servants. The kitchen was positioned at the rear of the house, strategically distant to mitigate the effects of smoke and heat, particularly during the summer months.

The beams supporting the floors were robust, and the spacing between each floor reduced noise transmission. Small air holes at each end facilitated a refreshing breeze, ensuring coolness throughout the floors during summer while also allowing light to filter in.

The second floor comprised a reception area, dining hall, and a guest room, while the bedrooms were situated on higher floors. Atop the house was a spacious terrace utilized for drying clothes, morning exercises, and unwinding away from the bustling streets.

In the 1940s, the furniture followed a French style, featuring chairs with tall backs crafted from heavy, dark wood. Oval dining tables were favored over traditional round or square Vietnamese styles.

Although lacking a formal garden, Number 7 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền boasted an array of flowers and trees planted in large pots along the steps leading to the front door and in the narrow strip of land adjacent to the house.

According to Linda Mazur's research, the house was Quang Phùng's family residence from 1946 to 1957.

Quang Phùng was born in 1932 in Hà Đông to Nguyễn Thị Tiểu, the third wife of Hà Đông's mandarin Nguyễn Quang Riệu (1874-1943). Riệu, alongside Mandarins Nguyễn Bá Tiệp and Vi Văn Định, governed Hà Đông, a suburb of Hà Nội. Riệu's two sons married Tiệp's two daughters, leading both families to reside in number 7. 

The young Quang Phùng emerged as a poet, revolutionary, reporter, and patriot around 1953, prioritizing ideals over material possessions. His family owned a substantial house in Hà Đông, along with properties on Hàng Gai Street and Mai Hắc Đế Street in Hà Nội. Despite not having his name on the property certificates, Phùng wasn't concerned about material wealth during this period. What mattered most to him was the Leica camera his brother bequeathed to him before relocating south, sparking his transition to freelance photography. In 2013 Quang Phùng was awarded the Bùi Xuân Phái Grand Prize for his pictures portraying the everyday life of Hanoians and Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

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