Hanoi Overview

Cotent include
A/ Overview
B/ General information
C/ History



A/ Overview
Founded in 1010, Thang Long – Ha Noi is perhaps the oldest and most exciting catipal city in Southeast Asia. 

Unique city  
There is no city like Hanoi. 

Its many narrow and short streets in Old Quarter are arranged not in any order. Then you pass by them and you don’t feel that youre walking on the other streets. Sometimes, it’s like a hide and seek game...

There is no city like Hanoi  

Its many tiny and overcrowded “tube houses” look like being jumping out of the streets. Their owners, therefore, prefer spending time outside and most of the daily activities are taken place right on the public passages. Here, you see someone is cooking, washing. There, many Hanoians are drinking tea, playing chess. It’s a strange world which gives you a new definition of life carrying out on the streets... 

There is no city like Hanoi 

Each of its many streets selling one kind of product and the name of that product became the name of the street. For example: pho hang muoi ( muoi = salt) means "Salt street", pho hang ga ( ga = chicken) means chicken street. There were once 36 streets.

City of Lake and Park 

Even many Hanoians cant remember how many lakes and parks there are in the city. They are not only the beautiful flower baskets inside Hanoi and the blue mirrors of the city but also the places for dating and the focal points of public life.
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For a tourist, its interesting to see many local people doing taichi, playing Chinese chess or enjoying green tea around the lake in a leisured manner beside a bustling Hanoi city.

City of sharp contrasts
The same with many Hanoi people, I enjoy Pho (beef noodle soup) sold everywhere in the Old Quarter at a price of 35,000VND (1.7USD). But not far away from it, there are quite a lot of deluxe Pho restaurants serving a new Hanoi generation at the price of 100,000 – 650,000VND/bowl (32USD).

With 5USD, I have a nice dorm bed with breakfast  while VIP guests are heading straight to Hanoi Grand Plaza and staying  in the golden rooms with 3,900 – 6200USD/night.

Saigon is Vietnam’s largest city but the famous brand names of fashion world coming to Hanoi first.

Is it a big gap in Hanoi society? Or is it a good sign of a well developing market? For me, a tourist, it’s another interesting world.

Yes, there are some people driving Lexus, Porche but you will see a number of hawkers in conical hats on the streets and many bicycles carrying flowers to sell everywhere. The pace of life seems relentless with endless tides of motorbike but most of the time in the day sees a lot of people enjoying hot green tea at the street’s corner. And If I call Saigon, the city of coffee, Hanoi is the city of tea!

Yes, more and more Western restaurants open up but they are a small number in comparison with local eateries. Expensive wine is sold in many bars but Hanoi people drink “Bia hoi” (Hanoi draft beer) the most. Come to Old Quarter at night, especially Ta Hien street and join the crowds of young Hanoian drinking “bia hoi” is a great experience.

Cuba cigar? No! Not only old people but also young ones in Hanoi still go with the past: smoking with bamboo tube.

That’s all? Come to see hundred thousand Vietnamese people going to visit the President Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and you will know why Hanoi is different with Saigon and all cities in Southeast Asia!


City of 1000 years old and Unesco recognitions
Spend your precious time at the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, which was founded in 1070 and still well preserves 82 doctoral stone steles which are recognised as World Documentary Heritage by Unesco.

Forget rock music and enjoy Ca Tru singing performance which has a history of more than 6 centuries and is recognised as  a world intangible cultural heritage

And water puppet is also a highlight. 

Let’s go now. 



B/ General information of Hanoi capital
Hanoi is the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the center of culture, politics, education, science, economy and trade of the whole country.   


Area: 3,324.92 sq. km 

Population: 7.1 million (June 2012). 

Administrative divisions:  1 city (Hanoi city with 10 urban districts), 1 town (Son Tay town) and 18 suburban districts
-10 urban districts: Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, Cau Giay, Long Bien, Hoang Mai, Ha Dong.
- 18 suburban districts: Dong Anh, Soc Son, Thanh Tri, Tu Liem, Gia Lam (Hanoi); Ba Vi, Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Hoai Duc, My Duc, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai, Thach That, Thanh Oai. Thuong Tin, Ung Hoa (former Ha Tay province) and Me Linh (a former district of Vinh Phuc province). 

Geographic location:  Hanoi is located in the center of North Vietnam. It is encompassed by Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc provinces to the North, Hoa Binh and Ha Nam to the South, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces to the East, Hoa Binh and Phu Tho to the West. 

To the South: Hanoi is about 93km from Ninh Binh province (Halong bay onland), 660km from Hue (ancient citadel, city of world cultural heritage), 800km from Hoi An (ancient town and My Son tower - world cultural heritages), 1730km from Saigon

Around the North: Hanoi is about 165km from Halong city (Halong bay), 380km from Sapa, 474km from Dien Bien Phu (the dead gate of French colonialist in Vietnam),180km from Moc Chau plateau (paradise of flower), 320km from Ha Giang (Karst plateau global geopark)...


Rivers and Lakes: Hanoi means "the land between the rivers" (Ha: river, Noi: interior). The main river of the city is Red river. Other notable ones Duong, Cau, Day, To Lich, Kim Nguu... But the city has not greatly developed river cruise tours yet.

As mentioned in overview, there are so many lakes in Hanoi. The most beautiful ones are Hoan Kiem lake and West lake.



C/ History of Hanoi
In 1010, king Ly Thai To, the founder of Ly dynasty (1010 – 1225), moved the capital here and named it Thang Long (the city of soaring dragon). From that time till 1801, Thang Long had a great development of culture, education, literature, art, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. It also witnessed the glorious victories against invaders such as Mongolia and China.  

In 1802, king Gia Long of Nguyen dynasty (1802 - 1945) decided to choose Phu Xuan (present Hue city) as the capital of the country. Thang Long therefore became a capital city of the North region. In 1831, Thang Long was renamed Hanoi by king Minh Mang. One of the reasons of changing the name was  to avoid the word “Long” which coincided with the name of  king “Gia Long” 


In 1858, the French colonialists started invading Vietnam. In 1883, they occupied Hanoi. In 1888, Nguyen dynasty issued a royal decree to hand over Hanoi for the French. Hanoi therefore became a city under the French Colonialism’s concession regime. 

In 1945, the August Revolution was successful and Hanoi was proclaimed the capital of Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1946, the French returned and just withdrew of Hanoi as well as Vietnam after being defeated in Dien Bien Phu in 1954

During Vietnam war (1954 – 1975), Hanoi on the one hand build the Socialism of the North on the other hand supported the South in the national liberation war. It also fought against the fierce wars of sabotage carried out by the US aircrafts, especially B52. 

After the national unification, in April 1976, the Vietnamese National Assembly selected Hanoi as the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 

From 1976 to 1985, Hanoi as well as the whole country "slept" for a long time. Its called subsidy period (Thoi bao cap) which left deep impressions on the old Hanoi generation

Thanks to the reform started from 1986, Hanoi quickly and strongly developed. And now, it is the second largest city of Vietnam.


 

A little Hanoi child  

                                                          Photo credit: Vietnamguidebook