|
Hanoi has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. One of the first known permanent settlements is the Co Loa citadel 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 and later Long Do ( literally "dragon's belly"). In 866, it was turned into a citadel and was named Đại La.
In 1010, Ly Thai To, the first ruler of the Ly Dynasty, moved the capital of Dai Viet (the Great Viet, then the name of Vietnam) to the site of the Dai La Citadel. Claiming to have seen a dragon ascending the Red River, he renamed it Thang 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 Tay Do (Western Capital). Thăng Long then became Đông Đô (Eastern Capital).
In 1408, Chinese Ming Dynasty attacked and occupied Vietnam, then they renamed Dong Do as Dong Quan (Eastern Gateway). In 1428, Vietnamese overthrown the Chinese under the leadership of Lê Lợi who later founded the posterior Le Dynasty and renamed Dong Quan as Dong Kinh (Eastern Capital - the name known to Europeans as Tonkin. The same characters are used for Tokyo, Japan). Right after the end of Tay Son Dynasty, it was named Bac Thanh (Northern Citadel).
In 1802, when the Nguyen Dynasty was established and then moved the capital down to Huế, the name of Thang Long (ascending dragon) was modified to become different Thang Long (to ascend and flourish). In 1831 the Nguyen emperor Minh Mang renamed it Hà Nội (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.
On May 29, 2008, it was decided that Ha Tay province, Vinh Phuc's Me Linh district and 4 communes of Luong Son district, Hoa Binh is merged into the metropolitan area of Hanoi from August 1, 2008. Hanoi's total area increased to 334,470 hectares divided into 29 subdivisions with the new population being 6,232,940. The Hanoi Capital Region, a metropolitan area covering Hanoi and 6 surrounding provinces under planning will have an area of 13,436 square kilometers with a population of 15 million by 2020.
On August 1, 2008, Hanoi absorbed the neighboring province of Ha Tay, Vinh Phuc's Me Linh district, and four communes from Luong Son, Hoa Binh, effectively tripling its size.
|
