Hanoi Capital

Hanoi Capital is located in the Northwest of Red River Delta. Endowed by the nature, Hanoi possesses a typical climate of the Northern with four distinguished seasons in a year: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Type of climate tropical monsoon has much influence on Hanoi, so the most significant feature of Hanoi Climate is the comparative difference between the hot and the cold season. Also, due to the impact of the sea, the humidity and rainfall in Hanoi is rather high with the average number of 114 rainy days per year.

The name of Hanoi is also interesting to tourists. Literally, Hanoi means “the hinterland between the rivers”. (Ha: River and Noi: Interior). Actually, the new Hanoi (including Hanoi, Ha Tay Province and some parts of Hoa Binh and Vinh Phuc Province) is embraced by two rivers: Red Rived and Day River. Therefore, Hanoi is considered as the city of lakes – the trace of ancient rivers. Interior Hanoi city, there are about 18 beautiful lakes of which the West Lake is the biggest with the total area of about 500 hectares. All the lakes are the lungs of the city which play an important part in making the climate equable for all parts of Hanoi. Besides, the surrounding gardens and trees also provide this city with a vital source of energy.

Hanoi – the antique dynamic capital of Vietnam has been undergone nearly 1,000 years and witnessed all the ups and downs of Vietnamese history. After two Great War against French Colonial and American Empire, Hanoi is now significantly recovering from the destruction of the Wars. A whole new look is brought into the city with the appearance of many wide avenues, highway, hotels and office buildings. However, nowadays, Hanoi still keeps inside many of the historic vestiges which are the “most-wanted” tourists sites for foreign tourists whenever having chance to travel to Vietnam. All of these sites are the pride of Vietnamese people in general and Hanoians in particular. When mentioning the name of Hanoi, not only Vietnamese people but also Westerners is familiar with the phrase “Hà Nội 36 phố phường” (means Hanoi 36 districts). In the past, each street specialized in a particular trade. That explains why Hanoi has the name of 36 districts. At present, although many of the streets no longer have the products for which they were named, some still keep its trade for earning people’s livings. All streets are gathered in Hanoi Old Quarter – which is situated near Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of Hanoi.

Hanoi is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Vietnam. Thanks to the geographical location, Hanoi has favorable conditions to connect with other parts of country, even international countries. It is proudly recognized as “The City of Peace” by UNESCO in 1999. Hanoi is worthy a center of politics, economy, culture and tourism of Vietnam – one of the most interesting capitals all over the world. Previously known as Thang Long, it was renamed Hanoi in 1831 at a time when Hue was the capital. Large areas of present-day Hanoi were built during the French occupation, reflected in its broad boulevards and French-inspired architecture, which give the city a definite charm.

Ha noi capital of Vietnam
Founded in 1010 and as the second city, Ha noi capital is the politic, economic and the cultural center of Vietnam. It is a city of lakes, shaded by the old trees. With a turbulent history, Ha noi capital named ”the small Paris of Asia’’ is classified as World Cultural Heritage by Unesco, having a perfect blend of style of local and French colonial architecture.

History in summary
Called the City of Dragon taking flight or Thang long in 1010, the name Ha noi:  the city inside the water, given by the Emperor Ming mang in 1831, has witnessed profound changes since the opening of the country at the beginning of the 90s of the 20th century. The harmony between the past and the present, between the ancient and the modern has given to the city an extreme diversity. There is a Ha noi capital with all aspects: Myths of temples and pagodas, a well preserved colonial and proud city overcoming all the pain of the past with its villas surrounded by green trees, an old town lined with narrow streets, a city of an emerging country with his new boulevards new shops and scooters, a city on its literary inspirations, a city dreaming in the mirror of its lakes, a city in all its aspects that is called Ha noi.

What to See in Hanoi ?
If you’re a culture vulture Hanoi has so much to offer. With a 1,000-year history and many well-preserved buildings along with lush and verdant parks as well as a well-appointed zoo, Hanoi will quite simply keep you busy for days on end.

One of the loveliest features to this French-colonial city is its many lakes and these provide many beautiful locations to rest in between venturing out in the capital’s streets.

What to Do in Hanoi ?
With a city plan almost tailor-made for exploring, Hanoi will keep you busy for days on end. From the main thoroughfares to the maze of back alleys there’s something to see around every corner. There are several walking tours to join and they seem like a good idea as only those with a working knowledge of Hanoi’s layout should venture out alone. For the athletically minded fitness clubs abound along with Golf and Hash House Harriers running opportunities.

Attractions
Temple of Literature worshiping Confucius, Museum of Ethnology talking about the life of 54 different peoples living in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the most beautiful French colonial buildings, puppet show on water, Old Town of 36 guilds, markets, French colonial quarters…. In addition, travelers have the opportunity to discover his countryside by a trip to the Duong lam village to visit Mong phu communal Temple, Mia Pagoda, Thay Pagoda, But thap Pagoda.Fans of traditional crafts can also stop at the Van phuc silk village, Bat trang ceramics… Ha noi capital is a destination not to be missed for all travelers of over the world.

Ngoc Son Temple
Ngoc Son Temple is a temple on a small island in the middle of Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Initially, the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda and was later renamed Ngoc Son Temple, since temples are dedicated to saints.

When Ly Cong Uan moved his capital to Thang Long,  Ngoc Tuong is named the temple, to the life renamed Tran Ngoc Son. Here was erected a temple to worship the smiles heroic martyrs who sacrificed in the resistance against the Mongolian Highlands. Later he collapsed house long, up to the Le Huu Vinh (1735 – 1739), lord Trinh Thuy Giang Khanh and also covering up the mountain land on the east coast facing the mountain called Ngoc Son Dao Tai and Ngoc Boi. Later in life the Le Thuy Khanh also Chieu Thong was destroyed. A charity named Tin Trai, the same old people have established a temple called Ngoc Son Pagoda.

On the occasion of sole edit temple Quan Ngoc Son pagoda, all signed “sole military Ngoc Son Temple” was composed in 1843 wrote: “… Hope formerly known Ta Ho Hoan Kiem Lake is a land and landscapes Economy ancient period. The north lake, a large mound emerged about three of four nests, Legend is a fishing spot radio last time Le. Previously, he Tin Trai village of Nhi Khe Quan De temples here are four more

open to change is called Ngoc Son temple …”.

In August 1865, Nguyen Van Sieu standing Confucian repaired the temple. At each change covering more land and build stone embankment around, Tran Ba home building, a bridge from the north east coast to the bridge called The Huc.

The Huc bridge name that is retained beautiful light of the sun. The Huc bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple Gate, also known as Dac Nguyet Lau (floor is white) team with the collection tree, the trees in the middle of a thickset, like emergence from the water. Temple of connecting together two throne, the first temple to the North Church and Van Xuong Tran Hung Dao. Subjects placed on harem of about 1 meter high stone pedestal, the two sides have two stone stairs. Wenchang statue standing, holding a pen. Tran Ba south is home (home-sure waves implies pillar withstand the wave of unfair in contemporary culture). Home eight square roof, roof two floors with 8 column prop, four out of stone columns, four columns of wood.

Although the temple is a new architecture, but Ngoc Son Temple is a typical spatial and architectural artifacts. The combination of temples and lakes have formed an overall architecture Emperor – Human merge, creating the ancient beauty, harmony, posted to the temple and the lake, should suggest the feeling chan Republic between people and nature .

Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake( Sword Lake) is a lake in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Hoan Kiem Lake was once a part of the Red river (song Hong). Through thousands of years of changes in the geography, the lake moved eastward to its present position many kilometers from the river. The lake was once called Luc Thuy or Green Water because the water was green year round. In the fifteen century, the lake was named Ho Hoan Kiem, based of a legend that is quite similar to King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake’s legend. The legend tells that the blade of the sword, inscribed with the words ‘The Will of Heaven’ (Thuan Thien), came from the Dragon King in his underwater palace. A fisherman, who later joined Le Loi’s army, caught the blade of the sword in his net. The hilt was found by Le Loi himself in a banyan tree. The stories claim Le Loi grew very tall when he used the sword and that it gave him the strength of many men.

The story relates how one day, not long after the Chinese had accepted Vietnam as an independent country, Le Loi was out boating on the Green Water Lake (Luc Thuy). Suddenly a large turtle surfaced, took the sword from Le Loi’s belt, and dived back into the depths, carrying the glowing sword in his mouth. Efforts were made to find both the sword and the turtle but without success. Le Loi then acknowledged that the sword had gone back to the Dragon King with the Golden Turtle (Kim Quy), and he renamed the lake ‘The Lake of the Returned Sword’ (Hoan Kiem Lake).

At the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake is an islet on which stands a small tower. Called Thap Rua (Turtle Tower), this structure honors the magic turtle that still guards the sword of Le Loi. On the top of Turtle Tower there used to stand a version of the Statue of Liberty, placed there by the French. The statue was destroyed when the Tran Trong Kim government took over the city from the French administration in 1945. Nowadays, Thap Rua and Hoan Kiem Lake have become important symbols of both peace and patriotism to the people of Hanoi.

Quan Son Lake
Quan Son is a lake in My Duc district of Hanoi.QuanSonLakeis located in the North –North West– South Southeast of My Duc district. A part of it is in Hoa Binh province. It is about 50km to the South Southwest of centreHanoi. This is a 850ha wide lake with nearly 100 limestone mountains inside. Therefore, it is compared to the “dry Halong”.

Coming to Quan Son, visitors will take on a boat trip and witness the pure nature. Quan Son lake is in the triangle of tourism of religious – leisure – health curing.

Quan Son tourism area also contains much of the ethnic group area with lots of traditional festivals and pure living style ofVietnam’s villages. Quan Son has some pagodas such as Ham Long, Linh Son tu, Ngoc Linh Tu, Ban Long Tu, Thung Phat, etc. About 1km from the lake, there is the vestiges of Mac dynasty citadel with the ancient citadel wall, gate which blocks the 431 road from theDamBridgeto Ben market.

The interesting of Quan Son is its natural beauty like neglected. Coming to Qan Son, visitors will be taken to the mountains by small boats in the Rocky Mountains: Hon Me, Mom Nghe, Da Bac, Quai Cheo etc. Visitors could come to the biological garden with the fruit of Thung Mo (24ha of Hop Tien commune), thung Cong (30ha in Hong Son commune). Besides, visitors could enjoy the water sports like boating and enjoy the water products like fish, shrimp, and shellfish.

West Lake The Hanoi’s Lung
West Lake is one famous palace of Hanoi . Since Thang Long was selected as the capital of Dai Viet, the West Lake region has actively participated in the process of Thang Long cultural establishment.

West Lake is an ancient land,a specific cultural space of Hanoi capital. West Lake was created from a curved part of Red River and appeared in several Vietnamese legends. One legend suggests that West Lake was shaped after the battle between Lac Long Quan and a night-tail fox spirit, that’s why the lake was once called “Fox Corpse Swamp” (Vietnamese: Đầm Xác Cáo). Another folk story claimed that original name of the lake is “Golden Buffalo Lake” (Vietnamese: Hồ Trâu Vàng, or Han Viet: Hồ Kim Ngưu) .

The most popular is the legend of the golden buffalo. As the story goes, there once was a medicine man who was a giant. He is well known in Vietnam for his medicine practice and the king often used him to treat the royal family. His fame reached China and he was invited to China to treat the king. He was successful where others have failed so the king was going to reward him with great wealth. He refused offerings of gold and only requested that the king give him all the black copper in the king’s vault. The king agreed and the giant left for Vietnam with vast amounts of black copper. In Vietnam the giant molded a giant bell of black copper. The giant rang the bell and the sound resonated all the way to China. In the king’s vault there was a golden buffalo. Upon hearing the sound of the bell, the buffalo came to life (because he thought that his mother was calling him) and charged southward. Upon reaching Ha Noi, the buffalo trampled the land in the area near Red river. Over the years, this area filled with water and became Ho Tay or West Lake .

Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Hanoi’s old quarters spread out on an area of 100 ha, including 76 streets belonging to 10 wards namely Cửa Đông, Đồng Xuân, Hàng Bạc,Hàng Bồ,Hàng Bông,Hàng Buồm, Hàng Đào,Hàng Gai, Hàng Mã, Lý Thái Tổ in Hoàn Kiếm district. The Old Quarter began to acquire its reputation as a crafts area when the Vietnamese attained independence in the 11th century and King Ly Thai To built his palace there. In the early 13th century, the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft cooperatives, or guilds. Skilled craftsmen migrated to the Quarter, and artisan guilds were formed by craftsmen originating from the same village and performing similar services. Members of the guilds worked and lived together, creating a cooperative system for transporting merchandise to the designated streets in the business quarter.

Because inhabitants of each street came from the same village, streets developed a homogeneous look. Commoners’ homes evolved out of market stalls, before streets were formed. Because storekeepers were taxed according to the width of their storefront, storage and living space moved to the rear of the buildings. Consequently, the long and narrow buildings were called “tube houses.” Typical measurements for such houses are 3 meters wide by 60 meters long. Although the old section of Hanoi is often called the “36 Old Streets,” there are more than 36 actual streets. Some researchers believe that the number 36 came from the 15th century when there might have been 36 guild locations, which were workshop areas, not streets. When streets were later developed, the guild names were applied to the streets. Others attribute the 36 to a more abstract concept. The number nine in Asia represents the concept of “plenty.” Nine times the four directions makes 36, which simply means “many.” There are now more than 70 streets in the area.

Some streets have achieved fame by their inclusion in popular guidebooks. Hang Gai Street offers silk clothing ready-made and tailored, embroidery, and silver products. Hang Quat, the street that formerly sold silk and feather fans, now stuns the visitor by its brilliantly colored funeral and festival flags and religious objects and clothing. To Tich Street connects the above two and is still the wood turner’s street. Hang Ma glimmers with shiny paper products, such as gift wrappings, wedding decorations and miniature paper objects to burn for the dead. Lan Ong Street is a sensual delight of textures and smells emanating from the sacks of herbal medicinal products: leaves, roots, barks, and powders.

Duong Lam ancient village
Duong Lam ancient village with is located near the center of Son Tay town, is prominent with ancient hamlets, dark red laterite walls, mounds, hills, deep drainage ditches- specific features of a midland village in Doai area. Duong Lam Ancient Village has a history of about 1,200 years with many houses dating back up to 400 years. It is the only place in Vietnam where two kings came from. Two of Vietnam’s kings, Phung Hung (761-802) and Ngo Quyen (896-944) were born in Duong Lam, giving the village its prestige. Both men led resistance wars against northern invasion and after winning national independence, were crowned kings. After their deaths, the local people built temples in their honour.

The village is a place to see for tourists from far and wide. It is included in tours of many travel companies. Two of its famous places are Sung Nghiem Tu (Mia Pagoda) and Mong Phu Temple. Mia Pagoda is on a small hill in Dong Sang Hamlet. It was constructed before 1632 and has been upgraded and restored many times. Now it is a national cultural and historical site. Mong Phu Temple is in Mong Phu Hamlet. It was set up with ancient Vietnamese architecture in 1638. In the village, tourists can also see ancient houses and small lanes as well as study the everyday life of residents.

People in Duong Lam are very much aware of their village’s cultural values. They know that the profound and ancient beauty of their old houses is a very valuable heritage of their ancestors and a bridge kinking the people of today and the people of the past. Coming to Duong Lam, we cannot be unamazed at a village which has been able to keep the colors of time and a world containing many secrets which have been gradually opened up before our eyes. Amid the hurry circles of modern life, Duong Lam quietly keeps itself closed in corner so as to reserve the images of the past, of the things that are deemed to be obsolete, keep a calm space in order to comprehend and absorb itself in a rarely secluded and quiet atmosphere that exisits in the consciousness of each person at the sam esituation.

One pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Cot)
Chua Mot Cot or the One Pillar Pagoda has become the symbol of Vietnamese rich culture and history. The pagoda was first built in 1049 under the Ly Dynasty, on the west side of the ancient Thang Long Capital. The pagoda was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong . It was built after the description of a dream of King Ly Thai Tong who reigned between 1028 and 1054, in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Goddess of Mercy, led him to a lotus flower. The One Pillar Pagoda resembles a giant lotus blossom.

The temple was located in what was then the Tây Cấm Garden in Thạch Bảo, Vĩnh Thuận district in the capital Thăng Long (now known as Hanoi). Before the pagoda was opened, prayers were held for the longevity of the monarch. During the Lý Dynasty era, the temple was the site of an annual royal ceremony on the occasion of Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. A Buddha-bathing ceremony was held annually by the monarch, and it attracted monks and laymen alike to the ceremony. The monarch would then free a bird, which was followed by the people. The temple was renovated in 1105 by Emperor Lý Nhân Tông and a bell was cast and an installation was attempted in 1109. However, the bell, which was regarded as one of the four major capital works of Vietnam at the time, was much too large and heavy, and could not be installed. Since it could not be tolled while left on the ground, it was moved into the countryside and deposited in farmland adjacent to Nhất Trụ Temple.

This land was widely inhabited by turtles, so the bell came to be known as Quy Điền chung, which means Bell of the Turtle Farmland. At the start of the 15th century, Vietnam was invaded and occupied by the Minh Dynasty. In 1426, the future Emperor Lê Lợi attacked and dispersed the Chinese forces, and while the Minh were in retreat and low on weapons, their commanding general ordered that the bell be smelted, so that the copper could be used for manufacturing weaponry. In 1954, the French Union forces destroyed the pagoda before withdrawing from Vietnam after the First Indochina War, It was rebuilt afterwards.