Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam after reunification and after Hoi-Ci-Minh-City, the second largest city in the Asian country.
From 1010, the city was the political centre of Vietnam for almost 800 years. It was replaced by Huế during the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945). At times (1883-1945) it served as the administrative centre of French Indochina for the French.
On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and leader of the Việt Minh independence movement since 1941, proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). The Vietnamese National Assembly choose in 1946 Hanoi as there capital.
In 1973, construction work began on a masoleum for Ho Chi Minh, who died in 1969. The centre of Ba Dinh Square, where he read the Declaration of Independence in 1945, was chosen as the place for this. The 41 meter wide building is partly inspired by the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow.
The Flag Tower of Hanoi is part of the Hanoi Citadel, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has a height of 33,4 meters (41 m with the flag). It was built 1812 and is today part of the Vietnam Military History Museum.
The West Lake or Hồ Tây is the biggest lake of Hanoi. It is not the only lake in the capital, which is the reason why it is called the “city of lakes.”.
