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Hanoi is the capital and second largest
city of Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh City.
It has been the centre of political administration,
educational excellence and cultural progress for
more than a millennium. Although its beginnings
dated back to 3,000 years or more, it
was formally chosen and established as the
capital of Dai Viet or ‘Great Viet’ (Vietnam)
by King Ly Thai To, founder of the
Ly Dynasty in the year 1010. The imperial
city was sited at Dai La Citadel of
which he expanded and renamed it Thang
Long meaning ‘Ascending Dragon’. He was said
to have seen a dragon ascending from the
Red River - the lifeline of the city. The
citadel is located at the heart of present
day Hanoi.
Over historic times, Hanoi has been known
by various names of Sino-Viet character. ‘Ha
Noi’ was given by Nyuyen Dynasty emperor
Minh Mang in 1831, literally meaning ‘between
rivers’ or ‘river interior’. The city sits
on the Red River Delta – on the
right bank of the river in the beginning
and was framed by a network its tributaries
and dykes. Hanoi served as capital for
many dynastic eras and also French Indochina
in more recent history.
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Ho Hoan Kiem or Lake
of the ‘Restored Sword’ is located in
the Old Quarter area – site of the city’s
origins. It was believed to be part of
the Red River system which was detached
after the river changed course during geological
times.
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Hanoi has numerous lakes – most believed to
be once part of the Red River system,
hence also called the ‘City of Lakes’.
Ho Tay or West Lake is the biggest.
Due to its scenic beauty, royalties of
the past built holiday homes by the lake
side. Today - hotels, affluent homes and
theme parks surround the lake.
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Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest pagoda
in Hanoi and a symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism.
In early 17th century, after King Le Kinh
Tong drove away the Chinese occupiers, this
pagoda was moved from the banks of the
Red River to Kim Ngu or Golden Fish
Islet on West Lake.
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Quan Thanh Temple is believed
to have existed at the same time as
Dai La Citadel. The citadel was built
around 866 AD when it was under the rule
of Chinese Tang Dynasty. The temple became one
of the 4 sacred temples dedicated to gods
guarding at cardinal positions of Thang Long
Citadel after independence and the later became
capital.
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A symbol of French colonial
power in the early 19th century. This
solid brick structure used to be a military
post protecting the French government.
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Trang Tien Street is still
an important venue where multi-nationals occupy
renovated or restored commercial and office
buildings flanking its sides. It was once
the chic ‘French’ Street named ‘Rue Paul
Bert’ leading to the Grand Opera House.
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Hanoi is also nicknamed the ‘City of Motorbikes’
because the ‘bikes’ are the majority population’s
means of transport. Pollution is a problem –
much of the city is shrouded in haze
during dry seasons.
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The Grand Opera House – a major landmark of
the city reminding of the heyday of the
French supremacy in Indochina. Today, restored
western-style buildings and tree-lined boulevards
provide pleasant sights of the old part
of the city known as the French Quarter.
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Cua Bac Cathedral is also another symbol
of French influence. Catholics are estimated
to make up about 10% of the total
population of Vietnam. Buddhism is the majority
religion and there is no apparent restriction
to religious practice by the current socialist
government.
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Majestic-looking State Bank of Vietnam Building
was built among those western-style buildings
after 1930. It originally housed the Indochina
Bank during French occupation and later Vietcombank.
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Dong Xuan Market opened for business in
1996 and was then the first ‘modern’ shopping
complex with an escalator. Today, it is
still fairly outstanding in physical stature
but famous only for selling fake goods
and low-priced items.
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Interesting architecture. This is a common sight
around the old parts of the city – numerous
cramped buildings including long slender ones
attempting to outstand each other in height.
They are serviced by dangerously connecting
(or dangling) overhead cables along the streets.
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