Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. Under the name Prey Nokor , it was the main port of Cambodia, before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding province of Gia Định and was officially renamed Hồ Chí Minh City (although the name Sài Gòn is still commonly used.)

The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 kilometers (37 mi) from the South China Sea and 1,760 kilometers (1,094 mi) south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

The metropolitan area, which consists of Hồ Chí Minh City metro area, Thủ Dầu Một, Di An, Bien Hoa and surrounding towns, is populated by more than 9 million people, making it the most populous metropolitan area in Vietnam and Indochina. The Greater Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area a metropolitan area covering most part of Dong Nam Bo plus Tien Giang and Long An provinces under planning will have an area of 30,000 square kilometers with a population of 20 million inhabitants by 2020.

Demographics

The population of Ho Chi Minh City, as of the October 1, 2004 Census, was 6,117,251 (of which 19 inner districts had 5,140,412 residents and 5 suburban districts had 976,839 inhabitants). In the middle of 2007 the city's population was 6,650,942 (of which 19 inner districts had 5,564,975 residents and 5 suburban districts had 1,085,967 inhabitants), or about 7.4% of the total population of Vietnam; making it the highest population-concentrated city in the country. As an administrative unit, its population is also the largest at the provincial level. As the largest economic and financial hub of Vietnam, HCMC has attracted more and more immigrants from other Vietnamese provinces in recent years; therefore, its population is growing rapidly. Since 1999 the city population has increased by about 200,000 people per year.

The majority of the population are ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) at about 90%. Other ethnic minorities include Chinese (Hoa) with 8%, (the largest Chinese community in Vietnam) and other minorities (Khmer, Cham, Nung, Rhade) 2%. The inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh City are usually known as "Saigonese" in English, "Saigonnais" in French and "dân Sài Gòn" in Vietnamese.

The Kinh speak Vietnamese with their respective regional accents: southern (about 50%), northern (30%) and central Vietnam (20%); while the Hoa- in addition- speak Cantonese, Teochew (Chaozhou), Hokkien, Hainanese and Hakka dialects of Chinese (only a few speak Mandarin Chinese). A varying degree of English is spoken especially in the tourism and commerce sectors where dealing with foreign nationals is a necessity, so English has become a de facto second language for some Saigonese.

According to some researchers the religious breakup in HCMC is as follows: Buddhism (all sects and/or including Taoism, Confucianism, Ancestor Worship) 80%, Roman Catholic 11%, Protestant 2%, others (Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Islam, Hinduism, Bahá'í Faith) 2%, and no religion or unknown 5%.

Economy

Downtown Ho Chi Minh City as seen from Saigon River

Ho Chi Minh City is the most important economic center in Vietnam as it accounts for a high proportion of Vietnam's economy. Some 300,000 businesses, including many large enterprises, are involved in high-tech, electronic, processing and light industries, also in construction, building materials and agro-products. Investors are still pouring money into the city. Total local private investment was 160,000 billion dong ($10 billion) with 18,500 newly founded companies. Investment is trended to hi-tech and services, real estate projects. Currently, the city has 15 industrial parks and export-processing zones, in addition to the Quang Trung Software Park and the Saigon Hi-Tech Park. Intel invested about 1 billion dollars in a factory in the city. There are 171 medium and large scale markets, several supermarket chains, shopping malls, fashion, and beauty centers. Additional malls and shopping plazas are being developed within the city. Over 50 banks with hundreds of branches and about 20 insurance companies are also located inside the city. The first stock exchange in Vietnam was opened in the city in 2001.

Ben Thanh Market

In 2007, the city's Gross Domestic Product was estimated at $14.3 billion, or about $2,180 per capita, (up 12.6 percent on 2006) and accounting for 20 percent GDP of the country. The GDP adjusted to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) reached $71.5 billion, or about $10,870 per capita (approximately 3 times higher than the country's average). The city's Industrial Product Value was $6.4 billion, equivalent to 30 percent of the whole nation. Export - Import Turnover through HCMC ports accounted for $36 billion, or 40 percent of the national total, of which, export revenue reached $18.3 billion (40 percent of Vietnam’s total export revenues). In 2007, Ho Chi Minh City contribution to the annual revenues in the national budget increased by 30 percent, accounting for about 20.5 percent of the total revenues

In 2007, 3 million foreign tourists, about 70 percent of total number of tourists to Vietnam, visited the city. Total cargo transport to Ho Chi Minh City’s ports reached 50.5 million metric tonnes, nearly one-third of the total for Vietnam.

Some other important higher education establishments include: HCMC University of Pedagogy, University of Economics, University of Architecture, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Nong Lam University (formerly University of Agriculture and Forestry), University of Law, University of Technical Education, University of Banking, University of Transport, University of Industry, Open University, University of Sports and Physical Education, University of Fine Art, University of Culture the Conservatory of Music, the Saigon Institute of Technology,Open University, and Hoa Sen University

The RMIT University with about 2,000 students, the unique foreign-invested higher-education unit in Vietnam at the present, was founded in 2002 by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) of Australia.

Several reputable English language schools following international curricula are located in Ho Chi Minh City as well.

Public Health

The health care system of the city is relatively developed with a chain of about 100 publicly owned hospitals or medical centers and dozens of privately owned clinics. The 1,400 bed Chợ Rẫy Hospital, upgraded by Japanese aid and the French-sponsored Institute of Cardiology, are among the top medical facilities in Indochina. The Hoa Hao Medical Diagnosis Center (Medic) and FV Hospital have recently attracted many clients, including foreigners, because of their good quality of service and modern equipment. Patients come from cities in nearby provinces and Cambodia as well. The hospitals with close to international standards quality include Cho Ray Hospital, the largest hospital in Ho Chi Minh City

Transportation

A masked mother and child

Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a joint civilian and military airport, is located 4 mi (6 km) north of the city center (District 1). The Tan Son Nhat International Airport located in Tan Binh District. The government just expanded the Tan Son Nhat Airport last year 2007, and the international airport got better. Taxi and bus services are available for travel to and from the airport and within the city. Because of the rapid growing number of air-passengers and Tan Son Nhat Airport's proximity to the center of the city, the Vietnamese Government has prepared to build a new international airport near Long Thanh Township, Dong Nai Province about 25 mi (40 km) to the northeast.

"World capital of motorbikes"

Ho Chi Minh city's road system is in improvable condition. Many of its streets are riddled with potholes. This is especially true of the city's numerous back streets and alleys, which are sometimes little more than dirt paths. City buses are the only public transport available, although the city is seeking financing sources for building metro (subway) and elevated train projects, including the Ho Chi Minh City Metro planned for completion in 2020. Recently, the number of motorcycles has increased to about 4 million. There are also over 500,000 automobiles, packing the city's arterial roads and making traffic congestion and air pollution common problems. While Beijing used to be called "the City of Bicycles", Ho Chi Minh City is "the Capital of Motorbikes". Motorcycle-taxi (xe ôm) is a popular means of transport and foreigners are often greeted with the cry, "Motorbike you!" Visitors should consider the city's streets as dangerous due to the motorists' lack of behavior and the city's lack of traffic law enforcement. Drivers can be seen driving the wrong way up one-way streets, ignoring red lights, not stopping for pedestrians on marked crossings and driving on the footpaths.

City buses in Ho Chi Minh City. Usual fare is 3000 dong.

The city is the terminal hub of the North South Railroad of Vietnam. Passengers can travel to Hanoi and the Chinese border, about 1,212 mi/1,950 km to the north. There are many harbours along the Saigon and Dong Nai Rivers, such as: Saigon Port, Newport, Ben nghe Port and VICT Port. They account for the annual 40 percent export-import cargo output of Vietnam.

From Ho Chi Minh City, one can travel to many places in Southern Vietnam and to Cambodia by road or waterway. The city is linked to the Central Highlands by National Highways 14 and 20, to the Central Coast and the north by National Highway 1 and to the Mekong River Delta by National Highways 1 and 50. Two expressways are being built to connect the city to Can Tho, the capital of the Mekong River Delta, and to Dau Giay Township, Dong Nai Province, 70 km to the northeast.

Media, Culture and Entertainment

Ben Thanh Markets.

Typical housing in Saigon.

Entrance to the Fine Arts Museum.

Municipal Theatre

The city's media is the most developed in the country. At present, HCMC has 6 daily newspapers: Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) and its Chinese, investment and finance, sports, evening and weekly editions; Tuoi Tre (Youth), the highest circulation newspaper in Vietnam; Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer); The Thao (Sports); Phap Luat (Law) and the Saigon Times Daily, the business newspaper in English, and over 30 other newspapers and magazines. HCMC Television (HTV) is the second largest television network in the nation, just behind the national Vietnam Television (VTV), broadcasting 24/7 on 7 different channels (using analog and digital technology). The Voice of HCMC People is also the largest radio station in the Southern region. The major international TV channels are provided through two cable networks (SCTV and HTVC), with over 500,000 subscribers of satellite TVs.

Ho Chi Minh City is home to hundreds of cinemas and theatres, with cinema and dramatic ticketing revenue accounts for 60-70% of Vietnam’s total revenue in this industry. Unlike other dramatic teams in Vietnam’s provinces and municipalities, those in Ho Chi Minh City live on their own income and keep their theaters active everyday, and are not subsidized by the Vietnamese government. The city is home to most of private movie companies in Vietnam

The city has over 1.7 million fixed telephones and about 6.6 million cellular phones (the latter growing annually by 20%). The Internet, especially through ADSL connections, is also rapidly expanding with over 1,200,000 subscribers and around 4.5 million frequent users.

The city has hundreds of printing and publishing houses, many bookstores and a widespread network of public and school libraries. The HCMC General Library with over 1.5 mìllion books, is a beautiful architectural building. One can visit the Museum of History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Southern Women, the Museum of Southeastern's Armed Forces, the Museum of Fine Art, the Gallery for War Remnants, the Nha Rong Memorial House, the Ben Duoc Relic of Underground Tunnels and many private art galleries. Besides the Municipal Theatre, there are other great places of entertainment such as: the Bến Thành and Hòa Bình Theaters and the Lan Anh Music Stage. The Đầm Sen Tourist and Cultural Park, Suoi Tien Cultural Park and the Can Gio Eco beach resort are three recreational sites inside the city which are popular with visitors.

There are many Pho chains in the city to enjoy and they are very cheap. The city has hundreds of ranked hotels with over 18,000 rooms, including ten luxury 5 star hotels. However, backpacking travelers frequent the "Western Quarter" on Pham Ngu Lao street in District 1.

Mui Ne Beach is a popular tropical beach. Strong sea breezes make it very popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing. The tourist season is from December to May. The average temperature is 27°C, and the climate is hot and dry for most of the year.

A beautiful beach with an ever-growing strip of resorts lining the coast, Mui Ne strikes a good balance between having sufficient entertainments to justify a long weekend and being overcrowded. The hotels lie between the sea and the road, with many restaurants lining the opposite side of the road.

Fortunately the majority of the resorts are low rise and well covered by plenty of lush green foilage - most have tried hard to create attractive gardens around their bungalows, and the result is that from the beach there is not too much evidence of the booming growth in hotels - it still manages to look secluded and peaceful, without a concrete block in sight.

It has a wide range of restaurants, with the local shacks providing some of the freshest, cheapest and tastiest seafood you will find in Vietnam, as well as many high-class restaurants selling top notch Italian, European, Indian and Thai cuisines.

There's plenty of bars too, and hot competition means you can often find two cocktails for $2 around sunset - a perfect way to end a gorgeous day. Some, like Jibes and Wax bar, are well connected with the watersports community and often run big beach parties on Saturday nights. The quality of music being played seems to be on the up too and it is one of the few places I have seen expats shrug off their cool and have a good dance.

There are watersports a plenty as Mui Ne has consistently good winds, and it has become the kite surfing capital of Vietnam. There's plenty of windsurfing too, and for the less adventurous of us it means plenty of visual entertainment as you watch people flying 20-30 ft into the air while sipping a cool cocktail and enjoying the breeze.

No trip to Mui Ne is complete without a trip to the sanddunes, where young children with exceptional English skills encourage you to slide down the dunes at great speed on plastic mats - its great fun but don't forget to tip the kids - the fishing village of Mui Ne is very deprived.

There's also a sandstone 'canyon' at the back of the dunes to explore, a 'fairy stream' to discover and some wild, secluded beaches if you drive up past Mui Ne to the headland, where you can see the fisherman braving the waves in their corracles.

The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is projected to increase to 500,000 to 600,000 inhabitants in the year 2020 according to estimation of Nha Trang Administrative Board Statistics.

Historically, the city was known as Kauthara under the Champa. There's still Po Nagar Tower of Champa in Nha Trang now.

As a coastal city, Nha Trang's developed in marine science with Nha Trang Oceanography Institution. There's also Hon Mun marine protected area - one of four first marine protected area in the world admitted by IUCN. The famous French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Émile John Yersin (who discovered the Yersinia pestis bacterium) identified himself with Nha Trang's life for 50 years (people called him Ông Năm- Mr Fifth in familiar way), established the Indochina Pasteur Institution (Nha Trang Pasteur Institution now) to research bubonic plague and then died on March 1, 1943 in Nha Trang. A street in the city is named after him, there is a shrine located next to his tomb, and his house has been converted into the Yersin Museum.

Lying off Nha Trang is Bamboo Island, operated by the Sofitel Vinpearl Group. There is now a motorized chair lift system, reportedly the longest in the world, linking the mainland to the five-star resort and theme park on Bamboo Island.

Commercial flights to Nha Trang no longer use the city's municipal airport, but fly into the larger Cam Ranh airport, a former U.S. Air Force Base (built during the Vietnam War) located about 35 kilometers or 22 miles south of Nha Trang (see the Transport section below for additional details.)


Geography

Nha Trang city has a metropolitan area of 251 km² and population of about 500,000 (as of 2007). It borders Ninh Hòa town by the north, Cam Ranh city by the south, Diên Khánh town by the west and the South China Sea to the east. The city is located on a beautiful bay, the Nha Trang Bay, which was chosen by Travel and Leisure in two succeeding years as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world. Nha Trang is surrounded on all three sides by mountains and a large island on the fourth side (in the ocean directly in front of the city's main area) that blocks major storms from potentially damaging the city.

History

From 1653 to 19th century, Nha Trang was still a deserted area and was an area rich in wildlife animals like tigers, and was a part of Hà Bạc, Vĩnh Xương County, Diên Khánh Province. After just 2 decades of early 20nd century, Nha Trang underwent a rapid change. On 30 August 1924, the Governor-General of French Indochina (Gouverneur-General de l’Indochine) by a decree, establish Nha Trang as a townlet (centre urbain). Nha Trang Townlet was established from ancient villages of: Xương Huân, Phương Câu, Vạn Thạnh, Phương Sài, Phước Hải.

During French Indochina, Nha Trang was seen as de facto capital (chief lieu) of Khanh Hoa Province. The colonical administration offices like Envoy Office, Commanding Office, Trade Office, Post Office….were situated in Nha Trang. However, local royal offices like: Province Chief, Provincial Judge, Military Commander…are situated in Dien Khanh city (a walled military city located 10 km south-west of Nha Trang). On 7 May 1937 , the Governor-General of French Indochina by another decree upgraded Nha Trang Townlet to town (French: commune). At this time, Nha Trang Town had 5 wards: Xương Huân was the fist ward, Phương Câu was the second ward, Vạn Thạnh was the third ward, Phương Sài was the fourth ward, and Phước Hải was the fifth ward.

On January 27, 1958, the president of the Republic of Vietnam, Ngô Đình Diệm by Decree 18-BNV abrogated the town status of Nha Trang and divided Nha Trang into two rural communes: Nha Trang Đông (Eastern Nha Trang) and Nha Trang Tây (Western Nha Trang), under the administration of Vĩnh Xương County.

On October 22, 1970, the government of the Republic of Vietnam by Decree 132-SL/NV reestablished Nha Trang Town on the ground of Nha Trang Đông and Nha Trang Tây and other rural communes, namely Vĩnh Hải, Vĩnh Phước, Vĩnh Trường, Vĩnh Nguyên, and villages: Phước Hải (Vĩnh Thái Commune), Vĩnh Điềm Hạ (Vĩnh Hiệp Commune), Ngọc Thảo, Ngọc Hội, Lư Cấm Villages (Vĩnh Ngọc Commune) under the administration of Vinh Xuong County, together with islands: Hòn Lớn, Hòn Một, Hòn Mun, Hòn Miễu, Hòn Tằm. Nha Trang Town was made the capital of Khanh Hoa Province. The town included 2 districts: district 1 and district 2. District 1 covered communes: Nha Trang Đông, Vĩnh Hải, Vĩnh Phước, and villages: Ngọc Thảo, Ngọc Hội and Lư Cấm of Vĩnh Ngọc Commune, Vĩnh Điềm Hạ village of Vĩnh Hiệp Commune; district 2 covered communes: Nha Trang Tây, Vĩnh Trường, Vĩnh Nguyên (inclusive of islands of Hòn Tre, Hòn Một, Hòn Mun, Hòn Tằm), Phước Hải village of Vĩnh Thái Commune.

Following that establishment, the government by Decree 357-ĐUHC/NC/NĐ dated June 5, 1971 divided Nha Trang into 11 urban zones, of which, district 1 covered urban zones of Vĩnh Hải, Vĩnh Phước, Ngọc Hiệp, Vạn Thạnh, Duy Tân; district 2 covered urban wards of Vĩnh Nguyên, Vĩnh Trường, Phương Sài, Tân Phước, Tân Lập, Phước Hải. Decree 553-BNV/HCĐP/NV dated 22 August 1972 renamed urban zones into urban wards. Decree 444-BNV/HCĐP/26.X dated September 3, 1974 merged islands of Hòn Một, Hòn Cậu, Hòn Đụn, Hòn Chóp Vung, Hòn Đỏ into Vĩnh Hải ward (district 1) and Hòn Ngọc into Vĩnh Nguyên ward (district 2) of Nha Trang Town.

On April 2, 1975, communist (NLF/PRG/VPA) forces captured the city. On April 4, 1975, Khanh Hoa Military Commission (Ủy ban Quân quản Khánh Hòa) divided Nha Trang into 3 administrative: District 1, District 2 and Vĩnh Xương District.

In September 1975, District 1 and District 2 were merged to become one entity, the town of Nha Trang.

On March 30, 1977, the Council of the Government (now the cabinet) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by Decision 391-CP/QĐ upgraded Nha Trang to city status, a county-level city under the administration of Phu Khanh Province (a province created by merger of now Phú Yên Province and Khánh Hòa Province). 7 Communes of former Vĩnh Xương County, namely Vĩnh Thái, Vĩnh Ngọc, Vĩnh Hiệp, Vĩnh Lương, Vĩnh Trung, Vĩnh Thạnh, Vĩnh Phương was split from Khánh Xương County to become Nha Trang City territory.

On March 27, 1978, the provincial government by Decision 54-BT founded Phước Đồng Commune under Nha Trang City.

On July 1, 1989, Khanh Hoa was split from Phu Khanh Province to become Khanh Hoa Province as it was before, Nha Trang was made the capital of Khanh Hoa Province.

On 22 April 1999, the prime minister by Decision 106/1999 recognized Nha Trang City the second class municipal city.

Tourism

Nha Trang Bay

Nha Trang is one of the most important tourist hubs of Vietnam, thanks to its beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperature all year round. There are several resorts, amusement parks in this city and on islands off the coast. The most beautiful streets of the city is Tran Phu Street along the seaside. Nha Trang is a venue for annual sailing boat racing from Hong Kong. In recent years, the city has welcomed many 5-star sea cruises. The city’s cuisine is famous for its fresh seafoods. The area's Bird's nest soup is deemed one of the best in Vietnam. Bird’s nests are collected naturally and in bird’s farms in the islands off the city coast and in some houses in the inner city. As a seaside city, its cuisine is characterized by several seafood dishes.

In addition to the sailing boat racing, Nha Trang has a wealth of tourist activities for visitors. Island hopping, scuba diving, water sports and many other great beach resort community activities can be had here in Nha Trang. The Tourist information center (not run by the city) located near Cho Dam Market can be one source for city information. nhatranglive.com

Recreation and night life

There is a lot of good and inexpensive fun to be had in Nha Trang. Scuba diving costs around $40- $50 per trip, and there are several competing dive shops offering different dives to suit your taste. Most also offer the option to gain PADI certification. It is possible to kite board, but conditions are not as great as in Mui Ne further down the coast. A 16-foot Hobie Cat (Catamaran) sailboat is available for hire at around $25 for an hour, and an instructor from the rental shop will go out with you if you're not an experienced skipper. Winds are steady but don't expect to get up on one hull too often (if at all).

The nightlife is limited in certain areas, but near Biet Thu Tourist district the nightlife can go beyond 2 am each day. It is far better than most Vietnamese coastal towns (Mui Ne, Da Nang, Vung Tau etc.). It is usually busiest around the Vietnamese New Year period, but it's worth visiting any time of year except maybe during the raining months (November). Even in the off season there is a buzz about Nha Trang. The 'Sailing Club', right on the beach, is not to be missed. 'Why Not?' bar is a fantastic clean and reasonably cheap place to play some pool, and chill out with some air conditioning and Tiger beer on tap. If you've got more time, there are dozens of smaller places from Bia Hoi (the local draught beer - an acquired taste) places to slightly trendier, very cheap, bars. Beers are priced between 10,000 Dong and 25,000 dong.

Two of the best & friendliest bars in town are : - Guava, a smart double size bar generally for the younger crowd which is next to Crazy Kims; try their Bellini! - OzBar, next to Why Not is based over 2 levels, where you'll find great value food & can kick back to watch Australian & European major sports - Rugby Union, Football, Rugby League, AFL, Cricket etc. There's also a fine selection of friendly expat locals happy to talk to all comers!

Security

Robbery is not uncommon in Nha Trang, particularly of western tourists walking home at night after drinking at bars.

If planning a particularly big night out the usual precautions should be taken:

• Don't drink too much. You're less likely to be approached if you look like you might resist.
• Carry minimal cash, use a money belt rather than a wallet.
• Leave all other valuables including cameras with reception at your hotel, they should have a safe to securely store them in.
• Try to walk home in groups, and do not attempt to swim at the beach once the sun has gone down as there are many unsavoury characters lurking in the shadows, just waiting to relieve you of your valuables.

Tourist Attractions

• Alexandre Yersin Museum
• Boat tour on Cai River, visiting islands off the coast and Ba Ho Waterfall.
• Palace of Emperor Bao Dai

• Thap Ba Hot Spring
• Nha Phu Lagoon
• Hoa Lan Stream
• Monkey Island
• Sạn Beach
• Hòn Chồng Island

• Hòn Tằm Island

• Hòn Mun Island
• Hòn Con Sẻ Tre Island
• Hòn Ông Island
• Đảo Yến Island (Swallow Island)
• Hòn Tre Island

• Suối Đổ Stream
• Suối Tiên Stream
• Hòn Bà Island
• Yangbay Waterfall

• Tháp Bà Ponagar Nha Trang (a Champa Tower)
• Chùa Long Sơn (Long Son Pagoda or White Buddha Pagoda)
• Nha Trang Oceanography Institute, the largest of its kind in Indochina where thousands of oceanic life samples, exhibits are on display. It is also home to the largest oceanic library in Vietnam.
• Chánh Tọa Church (or Mountain Church)
• Nha Trang Pasteur Institute
• Trí Nguyên Aquarium (an aquarium where hundreds of rare oceanic species are fed)

History

Hanoi has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. One of the first known permanent settlements is the Co Loa citadel ounded 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  and later Long Đỗ . In 866, it was turned into a citadel and was named Đại La.

In 1010, Lý Thái Tổ, the first ruler of the Lý Dynasty, moved the capital of Đại Việt (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 (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 (Western Capital). Thăng Long then became Đông Đô (Eastern Capital).

In 1408, Vietnam was invaded by Chinese troops from the Ming Dynasty and Đông Đô was renamed Đông Quan (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 (Eastern Capital - the name known to Europeans as Tonkin. The same characters are used for Tokyo, Japan). During the Tây Sơn Dynasty, it was named Bắc Thành (Northern Citadel).

Hoàn Kiếm Lake in the centre of Hanoi, with the streets of the old town in the background (1999)

Tháp Bút (pen tower) next to Hoàn Kiếm Lake (2007)

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. 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 briefly became the seat of the Viet Minh government after Hồ Chí Minh proclaimed the independence of Việt Nam. But the French came back and reoccupied the city in 1946. After nine years of fighting between the French and Viet Minh forces, Hanoi became the capital of an independent North Vietnam in 1954.

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.

On August 1, 2008, Hanoi absorbed the neighboring province of Ha Tay, Vinh Phuc's Me Linh district, and three communes from Luong Son, Hoa Binh, effectively tripling its size.

 Hoan Kiem Lake
 The Huc Bridge

Tourist Attractions

Hanoi Opera House

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. 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 had merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewelery, 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.

The Temple of Literature , main entry

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 dominant, 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.
 Ha Noi Afternoon

It lies at the junction of the Red River (Song Hong) and the Nam Ti River approximately 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Hanoi. It is a market town for timber located on the Haiphong railway to Yunnan Province in China.

The town was invaded by the Chinese in 1979 and the border was closed and not reopened until 1993 Lao Cai has a carbide factory.


 People in Lao Cai

Geography

Rice terraces in Lào Cai

     Lào Cai Province is located in the north of the country. It borders the provinces of Hà Giang, Yên Bái, Sơn La, and Lai Châu, as well as the province of Yunnan in the People's Republic of China.

     Lào Cai is a mountainous region. In the northwest of the province is Phan Xi Păng (a.k.a. Fansipan), Vietnam's highest mountain. The province is bisected by the Red River, the most significant river of northern Vietnam, which flows out of China towards the capital Hanoi. Much of the province is heavily forested. The temperature generally ranges between 18° and 28°, although lowland areas tend to have less variation than mountainous areas.

Demographics

     The population of Lào Cai province includes a number of Vietnam's ethnic minority groups, with the Hmong, Tay, and Dao being the most noticeable.