Hanoi

Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) is the capital of Vietnam, as well as the second largest city in the country after Ho Chi Minh City. It is located in the northern part of the country, on the right bank of the Red River at a distance of approximately 1,760 km north of Ho Chi Minh City and about 120 km west of Hải Phòng, Vietnam's main port. In 2009 it had an estimated population of 2.6 million inhabitants in the urban districts which amounted to about 6.5 million in the metropolitan area.

Between 1010 and 1802 it was the most important political center of Vietnam but during the rule of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) it was eclipsed by Huế, the imperial capital, however between 1902 and 1954 Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina. Later it was the capital of North Vietnam from 1954 to 1976, to become the capital of a reunified Vietnam that same year after the North's victory in the Vietnam War. In October 2010, 1,000 years were officially commemorated since the establishment of the city. Its industry, which includes the manufacture of tools, chemicals, and handicrafts, stands out in the economic section.

Toponymy

Map of Hanoi towards 1490

The city's name has changed over the centuries, such as Kecho, Tống Bình (宋平), Long Đỗ (龍肚; literally "belly of the dragon"), or Đại La. In 1010, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ of the Lý dynasty had his new capital built on the site of Hanoi, naming it Thăng Long (昇龍, "dragon that takes flight"). Later it was also called Đông Đô, Đông Quan, Đông Kinh (東京, meaning "East capital"), which was Latinized as Tonkin, and Bắc Thành (北城, "North citadel").

In 1802, when the Nguyền dynasty was established, the capital was moved to Huế. In 1831, Emperor Minh Mang renamed it Hà Nội (河内), a name composed of hâ ("watercourse") and ņôi ("between"), so Hanoi means "[the city] between two rivers".

The name of Tonkin has remained and designates the province in which the city is located, the north of present-day Vietnam. The name Thăng Long continues to be used as a literary and poetic name for the city.

History

Many traces of human dwellings from the late Paleolithic and early Mesolithic can be found in Hanoi. Between 1971 and 1972, archaeologists in Ba Vì and Đông Anh discovered pebbles with traces of carving and processing by human hands that are relics of the Sơn Vi culture, dating back 10,000 to 20,000 years. In 1998–1999, the Vietnam History Museum (now Vietnam National History Museum) carried out archaeological surveys in the north of Dong Mo Lake (Son Tay, Hanoi), finding various relics and objects belonging to the Sơn Culture. I saw – in the Paleolithic Era, 20,000 years ago. During the mid-Holocene transgression, sea level rose and submerged low-lying areas; geological data clearly show that the coast was inundated and was located near present-day Hanoi, as evidenced by the absence of Neolithic sites in most of the Bac Bo region. Consequently, from about 10,000 to about 4,000 years ago, Hanoi was generally completely absent. The region is believed to have been continuously inhabited for the past 4,000 years. In 1010, Lý Thái Tổ, the first ruler of the Lý dynasty, established the capital of his Dai Viet empire in the city as he claimed to have seen a dragon rise from the Red River, and renamed the site Thang Long (升龙, "Rising Dragon"), this name is still used poetically today. Thang Long continued to be the capital of Đại Việt until 1397, when it was moved to Thanh Hóa, which was then known as Tây DJO (西都), "western capital".

In 1408, the Ming dynasty attacked and invaded Vietnam, prompting a new name change but in 1428, the Vietnamese defeated the Chinese, under the leadership of Lê Lợi, who later founded the Lê Quan Dynasty and renamed the city like Tonkin.

Hanoi in the 1900s

Later, it was the administrative center of China under the colonial system that this country established from the Han dynasty. In 1873, Hanoi was occupied by the French who began a Western-style urban transformation in the city. It also became the capital of French Indochina in 1887.

The city was occupied by the Japanese in 1940 and liberated in 1945, at the end of World War II by China, becoming the seat of the Vietnamese government. From 1946 to 1954, it was the scene of a great fight between the French and the Vietnamese when the former tried to retake their control of this country. When this attempt failed, the city became the capital of North Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, Hanoi suffered several bombardments that destroyed its bridges and railways, isolating the city, although these damages were quickly repaired. After the end of the war, Hanoi became the state capital when North and South Vietnam were reunified on July 2, 1976.

In the city are the National University of Vietnam (founded in 1956), the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, the Museum of National History, the Museum of the Revolution and various historical buildings as well as the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts.

Current Hanoi

After Đổi Mới's economic policies were approved in 1986, the Communist Party and the national and municipal governments hoped to attract international investment for urban development projects in Hanoi. High-rise commercial buildings did not begin to appear until ten years later as the international investment community was skeptical about the safety of their investments in Vietnam. Rapid urban development and rising costs displaced many residential areas in the Hanoi center. After a brief period of economic stagnation following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Hanoi resumed its rapid economic growth.

On May 29, 2008, it was decided that Hà Tây Province, Mê Linh District of Vĩnh Phúc Province and four communes of Lương Sơn District, Hòa Bình Province would be merged into the metropolitan area of Hanoi as of August 1, 2008. Hanoi's total area then increased to 334,470 hectares in 29 subdivisions with a new population of 6,232,940, tripling its size. The Hanoi Capital Region (Vùng Thủ đô Hà Nội), a metropolitan area covering Hanoi and six surrounding provinces under its administration, will have an area of 13,436 square kilometers (5,188 sq mi) with 15 million people by 2020.

Hanoi has recently experienced a rapid construction boom. Skyscrapers, appearing in new urban areas, have drastically changed the urban landscape and formed a modern skyline outside the old city. As of 2015, Hanoi is ranked 39th by Emporis on the list of world cities with the most skyscrapers over 100 meters; its two tallest buildings are the Hanoi Landmark 72 Tower (336 meters) and the Hanoi Lotte Center (272 meters).

Public outcry in opposition to redevelopment of culturally significant areas in Hanoi convinced the national government to implement a low-rise policy around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Ba Đình district is also protected from commercial redevelopment.

Geography

Hanoi is a landlocked municipality in the northern region of Vietnam, situated in the Red River Delta of Vietnam, almost 90 km (56 miles) from the coast. Hanoi contains three basic types of terrain, which are the delta area, the central area, and the mountainous area. In general, the terrain gradually becomes lower from north to south and from west to east, with an average height ranging from 5 to 20 meters above sea level. Hills and mountainous areas are found in the northern and western parts of the city. The highest peak is at Ba Vi at 1,281 m, located to the west of the city proper.

Climate

Hanoi a cloudy day

Hanoi has the typical humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwa) characteristic 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 the year's rainfall (1,682 mm of water/year). The winter months, from November to March, are relatively dry, although spring sometimes brings some showers. The minimum temperature in winter in Hanoi can drop to 6-7 °C, while in summer it can reach 38-40 °C.

Average Hanoi climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	33	34	37	39	43	40	40	38	37	36	36	37	43
Average temperature (°C)	19.3	19.9	22.8	27.0	31.5	32.6	32.9	31.9	30.9	28.6	25.2	21.8	27.0
Average temperature (°C)	16.5	17.5	20.5	24.2	27.9	29.2	29.5	28.8	27.8	25.3	21.9	18.6	24.0
Temp. medium (°C)	13.7	15.0	18.1	21.4	24.3	25.8	26.1	25.7	24.7	21.9	18.5	15.3	20.9
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	3	5	7	10	16	21	22	21	17	13	6	5	3
Rains (mm)	18.6	26.2	43.8	90.1	188.5	239.9	288.2	318.0	265.4	130.7	43.4	23.4	1676.2
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	8.4	11.3	15.0	13.3	14.2	14.7	15.7	16.7	13.7	9.0	6.5	6.0	144.5
Hours of sun	93	56	62	120	186	180	186	186	180	155	150	124	1678
Relative humidity (%)	78	82	83	83	77	78	79	82	79	75	74	75	78.8
Source No. 1: World Meteorological Organisation (UN), BBC Weather (récord highs, lows, and humidity)
Source No. 2: World Climate Guide

Demographics

Hanoi's population is constantly growing, a reflection of the fact that the city is a major metropolitan area in northern Vietnam, as well as the political center of the country. This population growth also puts a great deal of pressure on the infrastructure, some of which is antiquated and dates from the turn of the 20th century.

Hanoi Opera.

When you talk to Hanoians, they acknowledge that most of the people you meet in Hanoi these days are from elsewhere. If a native Hanoian is defined as someone who has been in the city for three generations or more, the number of people who meet the requirement is likely to be low compared to the total population of the city. Even in the Old Town, where the trade began hundreds of years ago and was more of a family business, many of the stores today are owned by merchants and retailers from other provinces. The original owning family may have rented the store and lived in the inner part of the house, or simply moved out of the area all together. The pace of change has increased especially after the abandonment of central economic policies, and the loss of the district-based household registration system.

The considerate and gentle nature of Hanoians is occasionally mentioned in idioms and literature. In reality, they are a reflection of the past where Hanoi is the convergence point for many of the country's arts and education talents. They are also a reflection of the system strongly entrenched in Confucian values where modesty and consideration for others take precedence over oneself. As the opening up of the economy has brought other pressures to people's daily lives, advocates of traditional social and family values are trying in many ways to shape an 'all for all' mentality.

Districts

Hanoi is divided into 10 urban districts, 1 provincial district and 18 rural districts. These districts underwent a change when Hà Đông became an urban district, and Sơn Tây became a provincial district.

Map of the Hanoi subdivisions.

Economy

Panoramic view of Hanoi

Hanoi has the highest human development index among cities in Vietnam. Although accounting for only 3.6 percent of the country's population and 0.3 percent of the national territory, Hanoi contributes 8 percent of GDP and 45 percent of the Red River Delta's economy.

The city's industrial production has experienced rapid growth since the 1990s, with an average annual growth of 19.1% from 1991 to 1995, 15.9% from 1996 to 2000, and 20.9% from 2001 to 2003. Adding to the eight existing industrial parks in Hanoi, 5 new large-scale parks and 16 small and medium-sized industrial clusters are being built. The non-governmental economic sector is rapidly expanding, with more than 25,000 businesses operating under the Enterprise Law.

Commerce is another sector of great strength in the city. In 2003, Hanoi had 2,000 businesses involved in foreign trade, establishing ties with 161 countries and territories. The city's export value grew at an average annual rate of 11.6% from 1996 to 2000 and 9.1% from 2001 to 2003. The economic structure underwent major changes, with tourism, finance, and the banking sector taking a role of great importance.

Society

Education

Picture of the Hanoi Medical College taken at the beginning of the centuryXX. (now: Hanoi University of Medicine).

Hanoi, as the capital of Indochina, was home to the area's first Western-style universities, including the Hanoi Medical College (1902), the University of Indochina (1904), and the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine (1925).

After the communists took control of Hanoi in 1954, with the support of the Soviet Union, new universities were built, including the Hanoi University of Technology, which remains the largest technical university in Vietnam.

Hanoi is the largest center of education in the country, and an estimated 62% of all Hanoi scientists are living and working in the city. Admission to the university is through entrance exams, which are held annually for all Vietnamese. Most of the universities in Hanoi are public, although a few private universities have been emerging in recent years.

Because Vietnam's main universities are in Hanoi, students from other provinces who want to enter university usually have to travel to take the annual entrance exam. These events usually take place in June and July, when a large number of students and their families stay in the city for a few weeks during the exam period. In recent years, entrance exams have been run by the Ministry of Education, but the cut-off grade is decided independently at each university.

Culture

Gastronomy

Bánh cu mark.

Hanoi has a rich culinary tradition and many of Vietnamese's best-known dishes, such as Phở, Cốm, Bánh cuốn and Chả cá, are believed to come from the area. Perhaps the best known of them all is Phở, a simple rice noodle soup that is often eaten as a breakfast dish at home or in street cafes, but is also served as a lunch dish in restaurants. Two varieties are especially popular in the city, the Pho Bo, which contains beef, and the Pho Ga, which contains chicken. In addition, Hanoi has been selected by Shermans Travel magazine as one of the ten best cities in the world to eat, also highlighting the aforementioned Phở as one of the five best street foods.

Hanoi has a number of restaurants whose menus specifically feature dishes containing snake meat and various species of insects, the latter being popular in the Khuong Thuong area. The "star"; of these types of restaurants are those that contain ant eggs, often cooked Thai-style or similar to how various ethnic groups in Vietnam do it.

Places of Interest

Since Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, the city is considered one of the country's main cultural centers, and most of the country's dynasties left their mark. Although some monuments have not reached our days after the passage of time and wars, the city still preserves many monuments of historical and cultural interest. Even when the capital of Vietnam was transferred to Huế in 1802, during the reign of the Nguyễn dynasty, the city continued to flourish, especially after the arrival of the French in 1888, who shaped the city's architecture according to their tastes, leaving behind a rich heritage. Hanoi is the city in Vietnam with the largest number of cultural centers, and has managed to preserve the heritage acquired over the past hundreds of years.

In the city of Hanoi, stands the imperial citadel of Thang Long, which was chosen in 2010 as the 900th site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

The imperial citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi (Viet Nam) became. It was built in the 11th century by the Viêt de los Ly dynasty to realize the independence of the Dai Viêt. It was built on the remains of a 7th century Chinese fortress on drained lands of the Red River delta in Hanoi. For nearly thirteen centuries it was the seat of regional political power. The buildings of the imperial city and the vestiges of the archaeological zone 18 Hoang Diêu are the expression of an original culture of the southeast Asia, typical of the low valley of the Red River, at the intersection of influences coming from China, in the north, and of the ancient valley of Champa, in the south. (UNESCO/BPI).

Sports

The My Dinh National Stadium in which Vietnam's football team plays as a venue is based in the city.

Like most capitals, Hanoi is home to many of Vietnam's top sports clubs. The city has two professional football clubs, the Hanoi T&T Football Club and the Hanoi Football Club that play in the V-League, the national top flight. The Cong were an army club and had the largest number of fans in the country; this club was the most successful club in the country and was based in Hanoi, but disappeared in 2009.

During the period when it was the capital of North Vietnam, there were different professional unions in the city that had their own teams of workers.

Athletes from Hanoi have always played an important role in the Vietnamese sports delegation to attend international competitions. Between 2001 and 2003, the city's athletes achieved a total of 3,414 medals, including: 54 World medals, 95 Asian medals, 647 Southeast Asian medals, and 2,591 National tournament medals.

Hanoi is the Vietnamese city in which the highest percentage of citizens exercise regularly, 28.5%. However, due to the scarcity of available urban space, the majority of the population does not have enough places or facilities in which to practice sports. Some schools have a large area for sports practice, but part of this area is often used to build tennis courts, so the space for other sports is reduced, and students from the city often have to play in tight spaces.

Hanoi in culture and art

Music

Hanoi is a writing inspiration for many musicians. Thousands of songs have been written about Hanoi on many subjects. First of all, it is an image of Hanoi with a heroic spirit and strong in the position of the capital in the fight for national defense. During these years, Van Cao wrote some marches to Hanoi such as Thang Long's march song, Go Dong Da, Tien Going to Hanoi. When the soldiers of the Capital Regiment had to leave Hanoi, one of them, the musician Nguyen Dinh Thi, wrote the song 'The Hanoi People', which is now familiar. The image of Hanoi in the war with French colonialism is also the subject of works such as: "Going to the Capital" by Huy Du, "October Thrill" by Nguyen Thanh, "Sunny Ba Dinh" by Bui Cong Ky. During the anti-American years, the heroic capital in combat and construction was strongly represented in works such as "Hanoi Song" from Vu Thanh, "Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu" from Pham Tuyen, "When the city lights up" by Thai Co, "Voice of Hanoi" Van An etc. In addition, Hanoi presents its ancient, stately and romantic appearance, with "hanging lights", "There is a poetic moon shadow imprinted on the surface of the lake", with the image of a girl & #34;a scarf billowing from someone's shoulder", "Trung Vuong white shirt, Tay Son. I'm coming home from school'., Hanoi is the old date of Song Ngoc or Doan Chuan's Dear Southern Sister. The beauty of nature, scenery, people, historical tradition and the unique elegance of Hanoi boldly portrayed through the tone of many musicians from Vietnam in many different generations, such as Hoang Hiep with "Remember Hanoi", Phan Nhan with "Hanoi Belief and Hope", Hoang Van with "Love Hanoi", Van Ky with "Hanoi Blue Heaven" and "Hanoi Spring", Nguyen Duc Toan with "Hanoi with a Pink Heart", Tran Hoan with "The Song of Hanoi", Trinh Cong Son with "Remember Autumn Hanoi', with 'Forever is my childhood in Hanoi', Duong Thu with 'Looking forward to Hanoi', Phu Quang with 'Dear, Street Hanoi", "Back to Hanoi Day", "Quiet Night in Hanoi", Pham Minh Tuan with "Hanoi, Whisper to Me", Nguyen Tien with "Afternoon Rain in Hanoi", Tran Quang Loc with "Do You Fall in Hanoi", Truong Quy Hai with "Hanoi Season without Rain?", Le Vinh with "Hanoi and Me", Vu Quang Trung with "Hanoi Afternoon", etc. Some Hanoi landmarks will also become music composition themes such as "A Glimpse of Tay Ho" from Pho Duc Phuong, "Spontaneous Red River" from Tran Tien, This is also a very unique beauty of the capital of Hanoi.

List of songs about Thang Long - Hanoi

Gallery

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  Tháp Bút (Torre pen) with a phrase "T margin thanh thiên" (signifies "Write in Heaven") near Hoàn KiĐem Lake (2007).

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  Hanoi presidential palace (formerly the residence of the Governor-General of the French Indochina).

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  Overview of Hanoi.

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  Vietnam National Convention Center in Pham Hung.

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  Cathedral of San José.

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  National Museum of Fine Arts.

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  Reunification Park (Ancient Vladimir Lenin Park).

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  View of Hanoi.

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  View of Hanoi in panoramic mode.

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  Long Biên Bridge seen from a rural island looking towards the city centre.

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  Dong Xuan Market.

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  Pagoda de Tran Quoc.

Twinned cities

Hanoi is twinned with the following cities: