In October 2009, Hanoi would be celebrating her auspicious birthday numbering nine hundred and ninety-nine years old. Nine hundred and ninety nine years of establishment has not been an easy feat. After undergoing a renaming process from being Tong Binh, Long Do (the Dragon’s Belly), Dai La, Thang Long (Ascending Dragon) and many other names, Vietnam finally settled with the name Hanoi in year 1831. Crazy traffic in Hanoi Hanoi had witnessed several dynasties reigning over her. Besides the Chinese, Japan had also left Hanoi its mark from the year 1940-1945. But it is the French who came and went and left behind Hanoi city its stylistic architectural... [more]
