Khu tập thể Kim Liên

The Kim Lien collective housing area consists of a dense network of weathered, low-rise apartment blocks painted in faded shades of yellow and grey. Built in the nineteen sixties with help from Soviet planners, these buildings introduced a new way of living to Hanoi, shifting residents from traditional tube houses into shared, modern communal living spaces. A young Ho Chi Minh visited frequently during the early years, often dining in the workers' canteen, where he preferred a simple bowl of porridge with the residents.