What Hang Ma Street is
The Old Quarter grew as a grid of trade streets, each named after its product. "Hang" means merchandise, and "Ma" refers to paper goods made for offerings. Unlike many streets that now sell a mix, Hang Ma still does what its name says.
The core trade is votive paper. Families burn fake banknotes for their ancestors on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month. For death anniversaries and the Wandering Souls festival in the 7th lunar month, they add paper objects, down to miniature houses, smartphones and cars, so the dead lack nothing.
What to look at
Walk slowly and look up. Shopfronts hang with red and gold lanterns, paper clothing and garlands. Inside, shelves hold incense, ritual items and replicas of everyday goods made from paper and cardboard.
Hang Ma also sells decorations year-round, so the stock follows the calendar. You will see lanterns and toys before the Mid-Autumn Festival, then artificial trees, tinsel and lights in the weeks before Christmas, then red and gold items ahead of Tet. Photos of the displays are fine. Ask before photographing people, and step aside when a shopkeeper is serving customers.
When to go
The most striking time is the Mid-Autumn Festival (Tết Trung Thu), on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in September or early October. For about three weeks beforehand, Hang Ma becomes a lantern market and the street turns into a tunnel of lights. Expect dense crowds, especially in the evening. Wear closed shoes and carry little.
Outside festival time the street is calmer and easier to browse. In July and August, heavy rain can flood the street 20 to 40 cm deep, so plan around storms.
Combining it with nearby places
Hang Ma fits naturally into a half-day Old Quarter walk. Bach Ma Temple is about 300 m away, and the Heritage House at 87 Ma May is about 500 m. O Quan Chuong Gate and Hang Gai Street, the silk street, are both around 600 m. Hang Luoc, another lantern street at festival time, meets Hang Ma at its western end.