Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a busy, vibrant city with over 1,000 years of history and world-famous architecture. Designated a UNESCO City of Peace in 1999, the city has preserved its eminent role in the country. Today, with its blend of traditional, long-held indigenous customs and colonial culture, Hanoi has become an increasingly popular site for travelers to visit. Best known in the West because of the war that took place here 30 years ago, Hanoi has since developed a thriving tourism industry. For the Vietnamese, Hanoi holds an ideological place in the national spirit and as its most important overland connection point with the world beyond its borders. Hanoi provides a chance to experience the greatest examples of Vietnamese architecture and an insight into the ancient culture and traditional art.
The Vietnamese people are an amalgamation of ethnic groups with widely varying cultural, tribal, and linguistic backgrounds. The ethnic mix in the city forms a tapestry in which each ethnic group has contributed a vibrant hue. Over time, these disparate threads have been woven into a single harmonious Vietnamese spirit, giving Hanoi an inimitable charm that attracts and lingers in the memory of even the most discerning and seasoned traveler. When visiting Hanoi, a city-guided helicopter tour is the ideal means to gain an appreciation of the diversity in the city’s culture and art. Visitors will be able to see many hues of the city from past to present and traditional art to modern culture. Understanding these aspects of Hanoi helps to evoke an emotion, spirit, and value that have made Hanoi City a favorite destination for millions of visitors.
Geographical and Historical Overview
Hanoi is the cultural and historical heart of Vietnam. The city was first established by King Ly Thai To in 1010 as the capital of the then country of Dai Viet. The name Hanoi translates as “between rivers” and is often referred to in textbooks and literature as the city located between two rivers, the Red River and To Lich River. Over the past ten centuries, Hanoi has grown to the west and changed in many ways, however, the Old Quarter from the original city is still present. Here, tourists can find traditional trades, foods, and customs which have been practiced for hundreds of years. Additionally, neighborhoods of current Hanoi city offer a variety of traditional trades such as painting and silver carving. Furthermore, these trades provide many high-quality souvenirs for tourists.
As noted above, Hanoi is a city of history and also a location essential to the understanding of Vietnamese culture. Hanoi preserves, to a great extent, architectural beauty from the past and the peaceful lifestyle of the Vietnamese, which has been passed on for many generations. Concern for preserving ancient and spiritual areas of the city is always met with agreement from the people. Their regular lives are adapted and combined harmoniously with historical places, not to be passive and sleepy, but full of vitality and warmth. Gradually over generations, through transformations in city planning, as well as ideas of modernity among citizens, the spirit within old quarters and religious landmarks is always carefully protected and can still be felt immensely today. This is the soul of Hanoi, and is formed from the way Vietnamese customs harmonize and respect traditions, spiritual beliefs, and the historical architecture that helps protect and preserve the soul of a location.
Cultural Heritage of Hanoi
Hanoi is increasingly acknowledged as one of the region’s most vibrant and colorful capitals. Hanoi is a convergence of the vitality of the market, the soul of a city with thousands of years of culture, and the elegance of social character. It is a charming destination for domestic and foreign visitors. Bordered by two rivers, the Red River and the To Lich River, and surrounded by diverse landscapes, Hanoi possesses both millennia-old cultural and historical values. Located within the communal houses, pagodas, temples, and churches are unique Vietnamese legends that make the capital city an exciting spiritual destination for all domestic and international tourists. Besides intangible heritage, Hanoi has always preserved its tangible heritage. In the Old Quarter (in the western part of Hoan Kiem lake), in commercial houses, monuments, temples, etc., the city has inherited a rich and diverse architecture, imbued with national culture and identity.
When visiting Hanoi, international tourists also contribute to disseminating and promoting Hanoi’s identity, culture, people, and history to other international tourists. Through international visitors’ visits to different cultural sites, they can learn about the culture and history of the heroic and long-suffering Vietnamese people, and gain insights into the country of Vietnam in the process of national construction and defense. Visiting Hanoi is included in the key Vietnam – Hanoi, so visiting domestic visitors means visiting the country as a whole. Research on visiting Hanoi plays an important role because it contributes to the dissemination and promotion of the country’s image, as well as that of the Hanoi people. However, till now, at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc University, no scientific research on tourists visiting the capital Hanoi has been conducted, especially research on the management and use of the results of research on domestic visitors.
Religious Sites and Traditions
Religious sites in Vietnam have often been referred to as pagodas, temples, churches, shrines, or worshiping places. Religious sites constitute a large part of the abundance of the culture, art, belief in the religious communities, and the lives of the Vietnamese. The Hanoi pagodas, temples, or shrines are ancient and sacred, typical architectural works of the capital city, concentrating spiritual and cultural values and believed to bring good wishes for people. Therefore, not only are the Vietnamese actively involved, but foreign tourists also visit and study, contributing to affirming the value of the cultural and historic destination from these sacred spiritual works.
Through many ups and downs, Hanoi in particular and the whole country, in general, still preserve a very rich treasure of religion, a place for worship and preserve poetic works in life. When experiencing the exploration, many tourists wonder about the history, purpose, and value of many sacred worship places, but is it difficult to honor and respect this unique culture? What are the characteristics of pagodas and temples in Vietnam, and how do they differ from other countries in the world? Introducing a bit about the religious works in the beautiful capital, Hanoi, to treasure the culture and unique features of the temples and pagodas of the country. Once again, affirming that the combination of folk architecture and sculpture arts at the ancient spiritual works in the capital is a typical highlight, a unique beauty, and extremely attractive.
Architectural Marvels
Hanoi, which recently celebrated its 1,000th year, has a rich architectural heritage. The oldest architectural monuments in and around Hanoi were the built relics of the ancient state of Co Loa, which existed in the 3rd century B.C. The region around Hanoi was subsequently the scene of fight battles by such Vietnamese heroes as the Trung sisters and, in the 7th century, Ly Bi. When the first Vietnamese state, Dai Co Viet, was established under the rule of King Ngo Quyen (963–979) and Dinh Bo Linh (968–979), the Co Loa citadel was chosen as the political center of the country because its central location gave it command of the waterways. A grand plan for constructing citadels throughout the country was then put forward by the government.
To supplement the old earth-walled citadel, Emperor Ly Thai To had a new palace and harem built. The site selected was south of Co Loa, at Dragon Island on the left bank of the small river. This was the first attempt at grand, imperial architectural planning in Hanoi. The determination of the Tran dynasty was manifest in two vast reservoirs begun by the king, which occupied nearly 80 hectares (against just 50 hectares for Co Loa itself). Large numerically and military-wise promised to help them develop Co Loa and enable them to play a stronger role in the country’s political life. Residents of the provinces were settled in close-packed colonies in the alluvial plain between the two dykes bordering the lake, and the precincts of Co Loa were organized and expanded.
French Colonial Influence
The former French Quarter, a few blocks southwest of the Old Quarter, preserves some stately, old colonial buildings. The wide streets are lined with trees and the ground floors are given over to expensive boutiques, high-end restaurants, and bars. As with any major metropolis of Southeast Asia, Hanoi is teeming with life. However, this was only a small portion of our blog about the fantastic, diverse things we did in the city. A building that’s both beautiful and fascinating is Hanoi’s Presidential Palace. Although there are guidebooks that can fill you in on the details, including a near miss by a runaway Soviet tank, the most interesting thing is that the current president has moved out to make it easier for the proletariat to get their stands – as well as their questions – answered.
Some of Hanoi’s most valuable cultural treasures are found in their ceramic gifts. Besides a huge selection of pretty things, this artists’ cooperative has very busy artists working. From frescoes and mosaics to ceramics, they specialize in antique-looking pieces that are surprisingly still a bargain when considering how long they tell us that they are going to last. Real estate costs in Vietnam are such that a surprising number of artists claim at least a part-time residence on the grounds – as well as the garden and fish ponds – of the Thanh Chuong Palace. Built almost entirely from teak, it’s also large enough to need underground tunnels to keep it from flopping over, so it helps to get us in the mood for our next location. Although amazing, palaces are pretty commonly visited on any trip to Asia. However, we believe that most are arranged more or less like Lena’s sandwich – purple ube ice cream smacked between an artichoke ice cream on one side, a garlic ice cream on the other – at Lick me, I’m delicious. It all sounds pretty weird but tastes amazing.
Culinary Delights of Hanoi
Vietnamese culture is highly family-oriented, and the country’s cuisine can provide a wealth of information about it. People give greater meaning to their close relationships by sharing meals, and they consider feeding their loved ones to be a means of expressing love and respect. Vietnamese traditions are a rich guide to many of its citizens’ habits, while the country’s geography is a source of some discernible differences in culinary practices. Generally, however, Vietnamese people possess certain specific food preferences: they have an inclination in common to appreciate often strong-tasting fish originating in water without tides; an inclination toward a rather complimentary use of seasonings, with a preference for distinctive sauces and condiments; and a fondness for food that frequently has both sweet and salty tastes.
Secondly, Vietnamese food gives a concrete example of how the society has evolved over time. The Vietnamese have learned to extract food from often limited local resources, which has provided a basis for their nutrition patterns. The need to make the best use of certain ingredients that can be found only during specific periods explains many of the ingredients in their otherwise dry pantry. Vegetables, fruits, and sprigs are used as plentiful sources of dietary fiber, which supplements the rice that serves as the country’s main dish. Herbs, vegetables, and sprigs go with meats and fish to provide the consumer with a generally minor source of protein. Sugar is also a component of the daily Vietnamese diet, for both taste and calories. Its presence goes back to the country’s comparatively high sugar-consuming prehistory that made the Vietnamese knowledgeable about the ingredients for producing and baking sugar food.
Modern Developments and Future Prospects
The difficulties Hanoi went through in her construction of houses, streets, and citadel for the thousand years of history were obviously seen in the invasion, destruction, and occupation of the enemy, and especially in the bombing of the powerful United States of America during the 1960s. As a result, the cultural architecture such as the ancient royal citadel, ancient streets, houses with 36 streets, gold engraving, and ancient trees which were associated with the countryside’s royal dragons have disappeared. Fortunately, thanks to the endeavors of the masses and architects in order to maintain and develop the capital, her rich and diverse culture will remain for hundreds of generations to come.
Traveling to the east and seeing the multitude of hand-made goods is the feeling everyone experiences in Hanoi every day. With her survival tradition and precious conditions to keep her metaphysics, Hanoi has created a powerful potential for socio-economic development at this time when our country incorporates the open door policies. Hanoi still conserves many monuments and artifacts. The ancient citadel, the stone stele cluster, the horse cart wooden roads, the peaceful village environment, the ponds, the wells, the ancient houses dating from Ly Dynasty, with their comfortable sceneries will join the seventeenth-century Church of Patiences in Hanoi to help the city improve and make progress.