Everything about Hanoi totally explained
Hanoi (
Vietnamese: Hà Nội,
Hán Tự: ), estimated population 3.398.889 (2007), is the
capital of
Vietnam. From
1010 until
1802, it was the political centre of an independent Vietnam with a few brief interruptions. It was eclipsed by
Huế during the
Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but served as the capital of
French Indochina from 1887 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of
North Vietnam.
The city is located on the right bank of the
Red River. Hanoi is located at 21°2' North, 105°51' East, 1760 km (1094 mi) north of
Ho Chi Minh City.
History
The area around modern Hanoi has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. One of the first known permanent settlements is the
Co Loa citadel founded around 200 BC.
Hanoi has had many names throughout history, all of them of Sino-Vietnamese origin. During the Chinese domination of Vietnam, it was known as Tống Bình (宋平) and later Long Đỗ. In 866, it was turned into a citadel and was named Đại La (大羅).
In 1010,
Lý Thái Tổ, the first ruler of the
Lý Dynasty, moved the capital of Đại Việt (大越, the
Great Viet, then the name of Vietnam) to the site of the Đại La Citadel. Claiming to have seen a dragon ascending the Red River, he renamed it
Thăng Long (昇龍,
Ascending dragon) - a name still used poetically to this day. It remained the capital of Vietnam until
1397, when the capital was moved to
Thanh Hóa, also known as Tây Đô (西都,
Western Capital). Thăng Long then became
Đông Đô (東都,
Eastern Capital).
In
1408, Vietnam was invaded by Chinese troops from the
Ming Dynasty and Đông Đô was renamed
Đông Quan (東關,
Eastern Gateway) by the Chinese. In
1428, Vietnam was liberated from Chinese rule by
Lê Lợi, the founder of the
Le Dynasty and Đông Quan was renamed
Đông Kinh (東京,
Eastern Capital - the name known to Europeans as
Tonkin; and evidently, the same characters used for
Tokyo). During the
Tây Sơn Dynasty, it was named
Bắc Thành (北城,
Northern Citadel).
In
1802, when the
Nguyễn Dynasty was established and then moved the capital down to present-day
Huế, it was renamed
Thăng Long ("ascending dragon"). However, the second syllable of the toponym is actually a homonym of the word
long, and so, actually suggests “to flourish” as opposed to “dragon”. Therefore, the name would then have appeared as 昇隆, roughly
to ascend and flourish. In
1831 the Nguyen Dynasty renamed it
Hà Nội (can be translated as
Between Rivers or
River Interior) . Hanoi was occupied by the
French in
1873 and passed to them ten years later. It became the capital of
French Indochina after
1887.
The city was occupied by the
Japanese in
1940, and liberated in
1945, when it became the seat of Vietnam's government. From
1946 to
1954, it was the scene of heavy fighting between the French and
Viet Minh forces. At that point, the city became the capital of an independent
North Vietnam.
During the
Vietnam War Hanoi's transportation facilities were disrupted by the bombing of bridges and railways, which were, however, promptly repaired. Following the end of the war, Hanoi became the capital of Vietnam when North and
South Vietnam were reunited on
July 2,
1976.
Geography
Hanoi experiences the typical climate of northern Vietnam, where summers are hot and humid, and winters are relatively cool and dry. The summer months from May to September receive the majority of rainfall in the year (1,682 mm rainfall/ year). The winter months from November to March are relatively dry, although spring then often brings light rains. The minimum winter temperature in Hanoi can dip as low as 6–7°C (43°F) not including the wind chill, while summer can get as hot as 38–40°C (100-104°F).
Education
Hanoi, as the capital of
French Indochina, was home to the first Western-style universities in Indochina, including:
Indochina Medical College (1902) - now
Hanoi Medical University,
Indochina University (1904) - now
Hanoi National University, and
École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de L'Indochine (1925) - now
Hanoi University of Fine Art.
After the Communist Party took control over Hanoi in 1954 with support from the Soviet Union, many new universities were built, such as
Hanoi University of Technology,
Le Quy Don Technical University,
University of Foreign Trade (Vietnam), and
Water Resources University (Vietnam). Hanoi University of Technology remains the largest technical university in Vietnam.
Hanoi is the largest centre of education in Vietnam. It is estimated that 62 % of the scientists in the whole country are living and working in Hanoi. Admissions to undergraduate study are through entrance examinations, which are conducted annually and open for everyone (who has successfully completed his/her secondary education) in the country. The majority of universities in Hanoi are public, although in recent years a number of private universities have started their operation.
Thang Long university, founded in 1988, by some Vietnamese mathematics professors in Hanoi and France is the first private university in Vietnam.
Because many of Vietnam's major universities are located in Hanoi, students from other provinces (especially in the northern part of the country) wishing to enter university often travel to Hanoi for the annual entrance examination. Such events often take place in June and July, during which a large number of students and their families converge on the city for several weeks around this intense examination period. In recent years, these entrance exams have been centrally coordinated by the Ministry of Education, but passing marks are decided independently by each university.
Pre-tertiary (elementary and secondary) schools in Hanoi mainly serve their local districts. Education is equivalent to the K–12 system in the US, with
elementary school between grades 1 and 5,
middle school (or junior high) between grades 6 and 9, and
high school from grades 10 to 12.
Tourist Attractions
As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is considered to be the cultural centre of Vietnam, where every dynasty has left behind their imprint. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike.
Historians liken the life-giving Red River with its banks crowded with green rice paddies and farms to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; a cradle of civilization. Even when the nation's capital moved to Hue under the Nguyen dynasty in 1802, the city of Hanoi continued to flourish, especially after the French took control in 1888 and modeled the city's architecture to their tastes, lending an important aesthetic to the city's rich stylistic heritage. The city boasts more than 1,000 years of history, and that of the past few hundred years has been well preserved.
Hanoi hosts more cultural sites than any city in Vietnam, including
over 600 pagodas and temples.
The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem lake, has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. At the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter. Each street then comprised of merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewellery, etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, although few of them remain exclusively in their original commerce. The area is famous for its small artisans and merchants, including many silk shops. Local cuisine specialties as well as several clubs and bars can be found here also. A night market (near
Đồng Xuân market) in the heart of the district opens for business every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening with a variety of clothing, souvenirs and food.
Some others prominent places are: The
Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu), site of the oldest university in Vietnam
1070;
One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột);
Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cột cờ Hà Nội). In
2004, a massive part of the 900 year old citadel was discovered in central Hanoi, near the site of
Ba Dinh square.
A city between the rivers, built from lowland, Hanoi has many scenic lakes and sometime is called "city of lakes". Among its lakes, the most famous are
Hoan Kiem Lake,
West Lake,
Halais Lake (
Hồ Thiền Quang) in Vietnamese), and
Bay Mau Lake. West Lake (Hồ Tây) is a popular place for people to spend time. It is the largest lake in Hanoi and there are many temples in the area. There are small boats for hire and a floating restaurant.
Under French rule, as an administrative centre for the French colony of Indochina, the French colonial architecture style became donminant, many examples remain today: the tree-lined boulevards (e.g Phan Dinh Phung street), The
Grand Opera House,
The State Bank of Vietnam (formerly The Bank of Indochina),
The Presidential Palace (formerly Place of The Governor-General of French Indochina), the cathédrale St-Joseph, and historic hotel
Sofitel Metropole.
Museums
Hanoi is also home to a number of museums:
Hotels
There are some luxury hotels located in Hanoi, including:
Sofitel Metropole and
Hilton Hanoi Opera.
Sofitel Metropole is a historic hotel remaining from the French colonialism in Hanoi. The hotel was rewarded the second nicest hotel in Asia by
Condé Nast Traveler Magazine thanks to its antiquated beauty (2007)..
Entertainment
A variety of options for entertainment in Hanoi can be found throughout the city. Modern and traditional theaters, cinemas, karaoke bars, dance clubs, bowling alleys, and an abundance of opportunities for shopping provide leisure activity for both locals and tourists. With its rapid growth and extremely high
population density, several modern shopping centers have been built in Hanoi.
Metro Hanoi, Vincom City Towers,
Big C Thang Long Supercenter, Me Linh Plaza Furniture
Hypermarket, Pico Plaza Electronics Hypermarket, and
Trang Tien Plaza have all established large crowds on a regular basis. Multiple supermarket chains have also proved successful in Hanoi, including Intimex, HaproMart, Fivimart and Marko.
Hanoi is home to no fewer than ten movie theaters, with more in development, most of which feature films in both Vietnamese and English with appropriate subtitles. Currently, Megastar Cineplex provides the only screens in town equipped with
Dolby Digital sound.
Cuisine
Hanoi has rich food traditions and many of Vietnam's most famous dishes, such as
phở,
chả cá,
bánh cuốn and
cốm are thought to come from Hanoi. Perhaps most widely known is Phở, a simple rice noodle soup often eaten as a breakfast dish in the home or at streetside cafes, but also served in restaurants as a meal. Two varieties dominate the Hanoi scene: Phở Bò, containing beef, and Phở Gà, containing chicken.
Population
Hanoi's population is constantly growing (about 3,5% per year ), a reflection of the fact that the city is both a major metropolitan area of Northern Vietnam, and also the country's political centre. This population growth also puts a lot of pressure onto the
infrastructure, some of which is antiquated and dates back from the early 20th century.
The number of Hanoians who settled down for more than three generations is likely to be very small as compared to the overall population of the city. Even in the Old Quarter, where commerce started hundreds years ago and was mostly a family business, many of the street-front stores nowadays are owned by merchants and retailers from other provinces. The original owner family may have either rented out the store and moved to live further inside the house, or just moved out of the neighbourhood altogether. The pace of change has especially escalated after the abandonment of central-planing economic policies, and relaxing of the district-based household registrar system.
Transportation
Hanoi is served by
Noi Bai International Airport, located in the Soc Son District, approximately 40 km (25 miles) north of Hanoi. Noi Bai is the only international airport for the northern regions of Vietnam. Direct daily flights are available to other cities in Vietnam, Asia, Australia, and Europe. The airport has recently been rebuilt with modern facilities.
There are two main highways linking the airport and city. The route to the city via Thang Long Bridge is more direct than Highway 1, which runs along the outskirts of the city. The main highways are shared by cars, motor scooters, with separate lanes by the side for bicycles. Taxis are plentiful and usually have trip meters, although it's also common to agree on the trip price before taking a taxi from airport to the city centre. Tourists also sometimes tour the city on
cyclos especially in the
Old Quarter.
Hanoi is also the origin departure point for many train routes in the country. The Union Express (tàu Thống Nhất) runs from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City from Hanoi station (formerly Hang Co station), with stops at cities and provinces along the line. Trains also depart Hanoi frequently for Hai Phong and other northern cities.
The main means of transport within the city are motorbikes, buses, taxis, and bicycles. Motorbikes remain the most common way to move around the city. Public buses run on many routes and fare can be purchased on the bus. For short trips, "xe ôm" (literally, "hug vehicle") motorcycle taxis are available where the passenger sits at the rear of a motorbike.
Economy
Hanoi has the highest
Human Development Index among the cities in Vietnam.
Though representing only 3.6 percent of the country's population and 0.3 percent of the national territory, Hanoi contributes 15 percent to the national GDP and 45 percent of the
Red River Delta's economy.
Industrial production in the city has experienced a rapid boom since the 1990s, with average annual growth of 19.1 percent from 1991–95, 15.9 percent from 1996–2000, and 20.9 percent during 2001–2003. In addition to eight existing industrial parks, Hanoi is building five new large-scale industrial parks and 16 small- and medium-sized industrial clusters. The non-state economic sector is expanding fast, with more than 48,000 businesses currently operating under the Enterprise Law (as of 3/2007) .
Trade is another strong sector of the city. In 2003, Hanoi had 2,000 businesses engaged in foreign trade, having established ties with 161 countries and territories. The city's export value grew by an average 11.6 percent each year from 1996–2000 and 9.1 percent during 2001–2003. The economic structure also underwent important shifts, with
tourism,
finance, and
banking now playing an increasingly important role.
Hanoi's business districts are traditionally
Hoan Kiem and the neighborhood; and a newly developing
Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh in the South Western.
Similar to
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi enjoys a rapidly-developing
real estate market. The metropolis's economy growth doesn't seem correlative to its infrastructure. Overloading population requires a much larger supply of accommodations, while the constructing celerities of both transport system and new urban areas are too low. Not surprisingly, as an effect of this problem, the
apartment and real estate fever occur severely during the time. More widespread, the fever even influences
Ha Tay, the neighboring province, considered the future development space of the capital. The current most notable new
urban areas are central
Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh,
My Dinh, the luxurious zones of
The Manor and
Ciputra.
Agriculture, previously a pillar in Hanoi's economy, has striven to reform itself, introducing new high-yield plant varieties and livestock, and applying modern farming techniques.
Together with economic growth, Hanoi's appearance has also changed significantly, especially in recent years. Infrastructure is constantly being upgraded, with new roads and an improved public transportation system. The rate of telephone users was 30 per 100 people in 2003. New urban areas are growing rapidly, with 1.5 million square metres of housing constructed during 1996–2000 and 1.3 million square metres built in 2003 alone.
Social services have been developed in both scale and quality. The public healthcare network has been strengthened, ensuring at least one doctor for each commune and ward. Thanks to these accomplishments, Hanoi has the highest development index in the country. Movements such as raising donations for poor people or promoting a "cultural lifestyle", have received support from local people and been maintained.
Sport Centers
There are several gymnasiums and stadiums throughout the city of Ha Noi. The biggest ones are
My Dinh National Stadium (
Le Duc Tho Boulevard), Quan Ngua Sporting Palace (
Van Cao Avenue) and Underwater Sporting Palace. The others include Ha Noi stadium (as known as Hang Day stadium),
Trinh Hoai Duc gymnasium, Gia Lam gymnasium, Cau Giay gymnasium,
Hai Ba Trung gymnasium, Flag Pole stadium...
It is decided that Asian Indoor Games will held at Hanoi in 2009.
Health care and other facilities
Some medical facilities in Hanoi:
Bach Mai Hospital
Viet Duc Hospital
Saint Paul Hospital
108 Hospital
L'Hôpital Français De Hanoï
International SOS
Districts
Hà Nội is divided into five outer districts and nine inner districts.
The inner districts include:
Ba Đình (Three Temples) - political center, named after a destionation (there was a uprising) in Thanh Hoa.
Cầu Giấy (Paper Bridge) - in the past, there were many traditional papermaking workshops.
Đống Đa - named after a historic victory of Quang Trung again Qing Dynasty at this area.
Hai Bà Trưng (Two First Ladies) - named after the two Vietnamese heroines Hai Ba Trung
Hoàn Kiếm (Sword Recurrent)- downtown of Hanoi, named after the central lake - Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoàng Mai (Yellow Ume) - where there were many ume/apricot trees.
Long Biên (Dragon Fin) - across the Red River, named after the position as the traditional outskirt of Hanoi.
Tây Hồ (West Lake) - named after the largest lake - West Lake (Hanoi).
Thanh Xuân (literally Green Spring, for example Youth) - Industrial, labor district, a propaganda name from the past.
The outer districts include:
Đông Anh
Gia Lâm
Sóc Sơn (Sóc Mountain)
Thanh Trì (Green Ponds)- the lowest part of Hanoi, where there are many ponds.
Từ Liêm
Sister cities
Beijing (People's Republic of China)
Ankara (Turkey)
Warsaw (Poland)
Bangkok, Thailand
Photos of Hanoi
image:Hanoi_temple_de_la_litterature.jpg|The Temple of Literature
Image:EOS_6341_raw.jpg|The Temple of Literature, steles with names of those successful at the imperial exams
Image:EOS_6351_raw2.jpg|The Temple of Literature, main hall
image:Van_mieu_1.jpg|The Temple of Literature
image:Chua_mot_cot.jpg|One Pillar Pagoda
image:Phu_toan_quyen_2.jpg|Presidential Palace, Hanoi (formerly Place of The Governor-General of French Indochina)
image:vietnam national convention center.jpg|Vietnam National Convention Center on Pham Hung Boulevard
image:Hanoi_Oper.jpg|Hanoi Opera House
image: Bacbophu.jpg|State Guest House
image:Cot co.jpg|Flag Tower of Hanoi
image:chua_tran_quoc.jpg|Tran Quoc pagoda
image:CathedraleSTJosephHanoi.jpg|The cathedral St-Joseph
image:Hanoi lythaito.jpg|Statue of Ly Thai To, founder of Hanoi
Image:EOS_6366_raw.jpg|Hoan Kiem Lake
image:Cau_the_huc.jpg|The Huc bridge and Hoan Kiem lake.
image:Pho_co.jpg|The Old Quarter
image:Pho_kham_thien.jpg|Kham Thien street, old days
image:pho_phan_dinh_phung.jpg|Phan Dinh Phung street
image:bao_tang_my_thuat.jpg|National Museum of Fine Art
image:bao_tang_lich_su.jpg|National Museum of History
image:Hilton_hn.jpg|Hanoi tower (built on the land of the prison Hanoi Hilton)
image:Long_bien_bridge_vn.jpg|Long Bien bridge
image:Chieu_ho_tay.jpg|West Lake
image:Pho_trang_tien.jpg|Trang Tien street, former rue Paul-Bert
image:Le thai to street hanoi.jpg|A busy street
image:Ho chi minh mausoleum 2.jpg|Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
image:ha_noi_from_nikko.jpg|Park of Reunification (former Lenin park)
image:Sen_hanoi.jpg|Selling lotus flowers in the street
image:Hanoi-292.jpg|A French colonial-style house
image:Pho19.jpg|Old street—A photo of a painting by Bui Xuan Phai—a famous Vietnamese painter
Literature
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hanoi'.
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