Hanoi - Part 1 • VIARAMI

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.

A man walks past a large, tan building with teal shutters.

Hanoi municipal building with large portrait of Ho Chi Minh.

Red pedestrian bridge spanning a calm lake with a water fountain, lush trees, and distant city buildings under an overcast sky

Hanoi statue depicting three figures: a woman with a sword, a man holding a torch, and a seated man with a rifle.

Stone monument with three human figures in a Hanoi public plaza surrounded by trees and traditional architecture

Large bronze statue of Vietnamese emperor Ly Thai To standing on a stone pedestal in a sunlit public park plaza in Hanoi, with children playing scooters in the foreground

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi with Vietnamese flag and Ba Dinh Square

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.

Vietnamese flag waving on a flagpole against a white sky.

Front facade of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi with two honor guards in white uniforms standing at the entrance

Tourists watching two white-uniformed honor guards at the entrance of a monumental stone building

Crowds walking across a large paved plaza in Hanoi with a tall Vietnamese flagpole and colonial-era buildings in the background

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.

Hanoi building with Vietnamese flags and palm trees.

Ho Chi Minh Museum Hanoi — modernist concrete building with traditional Vietnamese geometric window motifs and a wide weathered stone staircase

Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi, entrance with hammer and sickle emblem.

Traditional Vietnamese Buddhist temple gate with curved clay tile roof and yellow walls featuring celebratory banner

Buddha's hand citron offerings on a carved stone altar before a Guanyin statue in a temple

Young girl with stuffed animal standing near a small brick temple in Hanoi.

Hanoi street sign, Pho Chua Mot Cot and Duong Hung Vuong, in front of yellow building.

Hanoi storefront with a handwritten Pho sign, a small table, and a scooter.

Stone tower on a rocky hill with people climbing.

Gothic cathedral facade with twin bell towers rose window and weathered stone exterior under cloudy sky

Weathered Gothic cathedral facade with twin towers, clock, and statue under an overcast sky

Weathered Gothic cathedral entrance with carved wooden doors and sculpted bonsai trees on stone steps

A paved pathway winds through a park with lush green grass and palm trees, overlooking a lake and city skyline.

Outdoor exercise machines on a paved area in a lush park with tall green trees

Lush green trees lining a calm, dark green pond.

Paved pathway through a lush park lined with large mature trees

Weathered floating building on a calm lake with a small wooden boat and distant city skyline under an overcast sky

## West Lake

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.".