Hanoi - left bank
Welcome to Hanoi Backpacker
(2010-06-25 15:46:53)

Welcome to Hanoi Backpacker! Our family run hostel offers you the best hospitality in the world at its cheapest price! We are located right in the middle of the OLD QUARTER where the most famous attractions are in town. Very cool! Just a couple of walk and you get to see the Lake, Dong Xuan Market or the Water Puppet Theater! Our friendly and Gorgeous Staff will be more than happy to give you a map on arrival, directions, free breakfast in the morning, Free beer in the evening up on our beautiful rooftop (YES! Really!) and many other free things! We also have Wifi in every room, computers and TV’s available at the lobby. One of the best things about our hotel is that it is genuinely friendly unlike other big hostel who might not have time for their customers! Every once a while, we’ll take you to Karaoke or even play football with the locals! We Beat Any Price on any tours,find cheaper and we’ll make it even cheaper!

King Lý Thái Tổ made Thăng Long (today Hanoi) the capital city in the 11th century Turtle Tower in Hoan Kiem Lake, in central Hanoi Colonial Hanoi Modern Hanoi

Hanoi has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. One of the first known permanent settlements is the Co Loa citadel (Cổ Loa) founded 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 (宋平) and later Long Đỗ (龍肚; literally "dragon's belly"). In 866, it was turned into a citadel and was named Đại La (大羅).

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

In 1408, Chinese Ming Dynasty attacked and occupied Vietnam, then they renamed Đông Đô as Đông Quan (東關, Eastern Gateway). In 1428, Vietnamese overthrown the Chinese under the leadership of Lê Lợi who later founded the posterior Lê Dynasty and renamed Đông Quan as Đông Kinh (東京, Eastern Capital - the name known to Europeans as Tonkin. The same characters are used for Tokyo, Japan). Right after the end of Tây Sơn Dynasty, it was named Bắc Thành (北城, Northern Citadel).

In 1802, when the Nguyễn Dynasty was established and then moved the capital down to Huế, the name of Thăng Long (昇龍, "ascending dragon") was modified to become different Thăng Long (昇隆, to ascend and flourish). In 1831 the Nguyễn emperor Minh Mạng renamed it "Hà Nội" (河内, can be translated as Between Rivers or River Interior) . 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 Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independence of Vietnam. 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.

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