| Hanoi capital |
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Attraction and Events
When to go Getting there and around Where to eat out Where to sleep Hanoi Sightseeing tours Hanoi has shaken off its once hostile attitude to travellers to become one of the most beguiling cities in Southeast Asia. It's slow-paced yet quick to charm, with a lovely landscape of lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant public parks and French-colonial architecture.
Hanoi personifies the spirit of historic Vietnam in the temples, monuments and pockets of ancient culture along the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, yet perfectly reflects the rapid changes sweeping the country as Hanoian yuppies sip cappucinos in roadside cafés and compare cell phones GeographyHanoi is located in the Red River Delta, in the center of North Vietnam. It is encompassed by Thai Nguyen Province to the north, Vinh Phuc and Ha Tay to the west and south, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces to the east and south-east.Hanoi means? the hinterland between the rivers? (Ha: river, Noi: interior). Hanoi?s territory is washed by the Red River (the portion of the Red River embracing Hanoi is approximately 40km long) and its tributaries, but there are some other rivers flowing through the capital, including Duong, Cau, Ca Lo, Day, Nhue, Tich, To Lich and Kim Nguu.
Orientation:Hanoi sprawls along the Red River (Song Hong), which is spanned by three bridges. The oldest is the 1682m (5500ft) Long Bien Bridge, built in 1902. Though bombed repeatedly by the US, the bridge supported rail and other traffic continuously throughout the war; today it serves pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles only. A few metres south is the newer Chuong Duong Bridge, and north of the city, servicing the airport, is the Thang Long Bridge. Most of Hanoi's streets are prefixed with pho , while larger roads and boulevards are called duong . The city is divided into seven central districts (quan) , surrounded by outlying neighbourhoods called hyyen . Can't-miss quan include the Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi's attractive city centre, and the elegant Ba Dinh district, also known as the French Quarter, which is home to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Most travellers experience of Hanoi will be in the Old Quarter, just north of Hoan Kiem Lake. This fascinating maze is made up of narrow streets whose names reflect the wares that are sold there. Getting thereFor a capital city there are surprisingly few flights into Hanoi, but that's slowly changing. You can get direct flights into Hanoi's Noi Bai airport from Europe (Paris, Vienna and Moscow), Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), and most major Asian cities (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, Tokyo, Seoul, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan), including several Chinese destinations. There are no direct flights to Hanoi from the Americas. The bus system is inexpensive and easy to use with the aid of a bus map. There is cheap public transportation from Hanoi's several bus stations to all parts of Vietnam. Most travellers avoid the buses, prefering to use the transport provided by the government sanctioned travel and tour companies. The capital's main train station, Ga Hang Co, provides access to the 2600km (1612mi) Vietnamese railway system, which runs up and down the coast between Hanoi and Saigon with links all over Vietnam and twice-weekly service to Beijing. Though sometimes even slower than the buses, these dilapidated trains are more comfortable as well as safer, for cross-country travel. Getting aroundThere are plenty of taxis and minibuses plying their trade between the airport and city centre, and it's possible to hire either for a trip around town. However, watch out for airport sharks taking you to the wrong hotel for commission, as this is all too common. Renting a car or motorbike is a popular option, despite the presence of water buffalo, chickens, maniacal truck drivers, bicycles laden with struggling pigs, and packs of hormone-crazed teenage boys in vehicles of every shape, size and colour all sharing the narrow, pockmarked roads and obeying traffic laws that have no parallel in the known universe. Hanoi is so compact that you can get by (and get fit) by walking around town. Remember, walk don't run through the traffic: the drivers will go around you (just don't try this at home!). When to go:There is really no bad season to visit Hanoi. The city offers countless attractions that can be seen year-round, and the climate is generally agreeable. Tourist season runs from late June through August and October through Tet, the New Year's celebration that takes place in late January or early February. Though accommodations and transportation are bound to be booked around Tet, it's worth making the effort to see Hanoi dressed up for the festivities. Vietnamese tend to travel in the summer and around Tet, making public transportation that much more difficult to book. Hanoi is situated in a tropical monsoon zone with two main seasons. During the dry season, which lasts from October to April, it is cold and there is very little rainfall, except from January to March, when the weather is still cold but there is some light rain. The wet season, from May to September, is hot with heavy rains and storms. The average annual temperature is 23.2?C (73.7?F) and the average annual rainfall is 1,800mm. The average temperature in winter is 17.2?C (62.9?F), but can go down to 8?C (46.4?F). The average temperature in summer is 29.2?C (84.6?F, but can reach up to 39?C (102.2?F). HistoryHanoi is a sacred land of Vietnam. In the 3rd century BC, Co Loa (actually belonging to Dong Anh District) was chosen as the capital of the Au Lac Nation of Thuc An Duong Vuong (the King Thuc). Hanoi later became the core of the resistance movements against the Northern invasions. Located in the middle of the Red River Delta, the town has gradually expanded to become a very populations and rich residential center. At different periods, Hanoi had been selected as the chief city of Vietnam under the Northern domination.In the autumn of Canh Tuat lunar years (1010), Ly Thai To, the founder of the Ly Dynasty, decided to transfer the capital from Hoa Lu to Dai La, and so he rebaptized it Thang Long (Soaring Dragon). The year 1010 then became an historical date for Hanoi and for the whole country in general.For about a thousand years, the capital was called Thang Long, then changing to Dong Do, Dong Kinh, and finally to Hanoi, in 1831. This sacred piece of land thereafter continued to be the theatre of many fateful events TourismThroughout the thousand years of its eventful history, marked by destruction, wars and natural calamities, Hanoi still preserves many ancient architectural works including the Old Quarter and over 600 pagodas and temples. Famous sites include the one Pillar Pagoda (built in 1042), the Temple of Literature (built in 1070), Hanoi Citadel, Hanoi Opera House, President Ho Chi Minh?s Mausoleum... Hanoi also characteristically contains 18 beautiful lakes such as Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, and Truc BachLake..., which are the lungs of the city, with their surrounding gardens and trees providing a vital source of energy. Many traditional handicrafts are also practiced in Hanoi including bronze molding, silver carving, lacquer, and embroidery. Hanoi has many famous traditional professional handicraft villages such as Bat Trang pottery village, Ngu Xa bronze casting village, Yen Thai glossy silk... Attractions:West Lake is the biggest lake in central Hanoi, covering 500 ha in Tay Ho district. It is one of the main attractions of Hanoi City. In the ancient times, this place used to be a famous resort reserved for kings and mandarins. Many beautiful palaces and monuments were built on the bank of the lake, among them are Thuy Hoa Palace, Tu Hoa Palace, Ham Nguyen Sanctuary, Kim Lien pagoda and Ngoc Dam Palace. Inside the pagoda there is a very precious statue, that of Buddha Sakyamuni entering Nirvana, a masterpiece of Vietnamese sculptural art.
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology Location: Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is located on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.
Vietnam History Museum Location: Vietnam History Museum is located at No. 1 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi; behind the Hanoi Opera House.
Characteristic: Vietnam History Museum was founded in September 1958 and it contains a great deal of valuable objects, which reflect all the periods of Vietnamese history. The museum is a beautiful architectural work. It provides an area of 2,000m² for exhibition. o¬n the ground floor are theme rooms: Visiting hours: From 8:00 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 16:30 all days. Prehistory, Vietnam from the Time of National Building to the Tran Dynasty. The second floor features Vietnam from the Ho Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty and contains a section o¬n Cham Culture. Nearly 7,000 objects and documents depict vividly the long process of development of the Vietnamese community, its undaunted and heroic struggle for thousand years, from its early history up to the August Revolution in 1945. The system of computers installed o¬n the second floor is intended for visitors to search for information effectively. The exhibits provide systematic, scientific and reliable information for those who want to understand and research o¬n the history of Vietnam. The museum is a tourist attraction for people inside and outside Vietnam.
Temple of Literature (Van Mieu) Location: Temple of Literature is located o¬n Van Mieu Street, 2km west of Hoan Kiem Lake.Characteristic: Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam is a famous historical and cultural relic consisting of the Temple of Literature and Vietnam’s first university. The Temple of Literature was built in 1070 in honour of Confucius, his followers and Chu Van An, a moral figure in Vietnamese education. Quoc Tu Giam, or Vietnam's first university, was built in 1076. Throughout its hundreds of years of activity in the feudal, thousands of Vietnamese scholars graduated from this university. In 1483 Quoc Tu Giam was changed into Thai Hoc Vien (Higher Educational Institute). After decades of war and natural disasters, the former construction was completely destroyed. In preparation for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long (present day Hanoi) another construction has been built following the model of the previous Thai Hoc Vien o¬n the same ground. The work includes the front hall, the back sanctuary, lean-tos o¬n the left and o¬n the right, the courtyard, and subsidiary structures. This site preserves historical vestiges of a 1,000-year-old civilization such as statues of Confucius and his disciples (Yan Hui, Zengshen, Zisi, Mencius), and ancient constructions such as Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature) and the Worshipping Hall |
