Vietnam - Hanoi Travelogue 62

Hanoi is the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the second-largest city in the country, with an area of 3,340 square kilometres and a population of 7.56 million. Hanoi is located in the Red River Delta in the north of Vietnam and is a vital location for travel from the south to the north, and from the interior to the coast. Hanoi has the largest river port in the North, where several railways are linked, and is the main hub for roads in the North. The suburbs are served by the airport of Nei Pai and Gia Lam, which are easily accessible by water, land and air. Hanoi has a history of over 1,000 years and has been the capital of several dynasties in Vietnamese history since the 11th century. it was officially named Hanoi in 1831.

Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square, said to be the equivalent of our Tiananmen Square in China, shows its high status in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. In the distance is the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Hall

Opposite the square is the Vietnamese version of the Great Hall of the People

The government buildings around Ba Dinh Square

A street scene in Hanoi

Women in ao dai visiting the Ho Chi Minh Military Museum. Ao Dai is the national costume of Vietnam, usually made of silk-like fabric, similar to the Chinese cheongsam

The Ho Chi Minh Military Museum is filled with aircraft and artillery from the war years. This is the wreckage of an American plane shot down by the Vietnamese People's Army back in the day

The Ho Chi Minh Military Museum, about 600 metres east of Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, displays a variety of weapons that illustrate the vivid history of the Vietnamese armed forces created and led by the country's leaders

A ceremony to change the guard of the Vietnamese Presidential Palace

The Presidential Palace is a three-storey yellow building, the second and third floors are used for the office of the President and the ground floor is used to receive heads of state and government from all over the world

One of Vietnam's unique monuments, the Dok Pillar Temple is located southwest of Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi and is named after a large stone pillar built into a ling Nguyen pond. Doklam Temple, built-in 1049

In the middle of Ba Dinh Square is the tomb of President Ho Chi Minh, built with the help of the Soviet Union in 1976. The body of President Ho Chi Minh was inserted into the tomb and was treated by Soviet experts for embalming techniques. The mausoleum is always open and domestic and foreign visitors can queue to enter to see the remains of President Ho Chi Minh

The flag pagoda, built during the French occupation of Vietnam and bearing the French flag, now flies the Vietnamese flag after the overthrow of colonial rule

Ho Chi Minh's statue is often displayed in government offices in Vietnam

The seat of the Vietnamese National Assembly

Vietnam's temple, the Temple of Quan Quoc, looks like a Chinese Buddhist temple, even its plaques are in Chinese characters because if you go back to the Tang and Song dynasties, Vietnam was part of China at heart.

Vietnam's houses are "four thin": the country is thin, the roads are thin, the houses are thin and the people are thin. The Vietnamese government has set a limit of 5 metres for the width of houses on the street, with no limit on the depth of development or air development. This style of architecture, which occupies the sky but not the land, is unique

Hanoi, like Saigon, is the city with the most motorbikes in Vietnam, and there is a vast army of motorbikes everywhere
It's a sight to behold.

The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam The embassy is in the centre of Hanoi and occupies a large area

Vietnam may seem to have a lot in common with China, but there are many differences, from food, religion and culture. The Catholic population is over 20% of the Vietnamese population and is increasing at a very rapid rate every year. The country is an amazing blend of Eastern and Western cultures, just like their food, they can eat their rice noodles and rice as well as baguette bread, they also love tea, but prefer coffee