Introduction
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam and also its
second largest city, is a fascinating blend of East and West, with Chinese
influence from centuries of dominance, and French design from its colonial
past. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of
Vietnam. In 1902-1954, Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina, and
later became the capital of North Vietnam till 1976.
The city is located on the right bank of the Red River, and located
slightly over a thousand miles north of Ho Chi Minh City. October 2010 officially marked 1000 years since the
establishment of the city.
History:
In 1010, Ly Thai To, the first ruler of the Ly Dynasty, moved to
Đại Việt and claimed to
have seen a dragon ascending the Red River, he renamed the site Thăng
Long , meaning "Rising
Dragon" - a name still used poetically to this day. In 1802, when the
Nguyen Dynasty was established, the Nguyễn emperor Minh Mang renamed it Hà Nội ("Between
Rivers") in 1831. The French
occupied Hanoi in 1873 and then became the capital of French Indochina after
1887.
In the middle of May 2012, my family and I visited Hanoi for 4 days
and 3 nights. The weather was sticky hot, with temperatures around 34 degree
Celsius, but we were glad that there weren't any rain to disrupt our plans.
Places we went:
Hanoi City, Bach Dinh, Halong
Bay, Nin Binh (Tam Coc).
For information on Halong Bay & Nin Binh (Tam Coc), please check
out the related blog posts in this site.
Hanoi City:
We weren't very interested in the City tour, and as time was tight for
us, we selected only the places/activities that interested us:
Hoan Kiem Lake 
For individual introductions on the places/activities above, please check out the related blog posts in this site.
Sights of Hanoi city:
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