|
 In
the fall of 1010, King Ly Thai To (Ly Cong Uan) moved the capital from Hoa Lu to
Dai La. On the way, the king saw a vision of a golden dragon ascending from the
Red river ( song Hong). The King decided to change Dai La to Thang Long
(Ascending Dragon). Thang Long remained the capital city until the end of the
Tran dynasty when in 1397, the capital city was moved to Thanh Hoa -Tay Do
(Western Capital) and Thang Long became Dong Do (Eastern Capital).
Vietnam was invaded by China in 1407, and the city was renamed Dong Quan. In
1428, after ten years of fighting, Le Loi liberated Vietnam and renamed the city
Dong Kinh. In 1527, the city was renamed Thang Long. In 1802 when King Gia Long
(Nguyen Dynasty) moved the capital city to Hue, the name Thang Long remained
but, Long no longer means dragon, Long in this case means prosperity. Ha Noi,
was the name given to the city by King Minh Mang in 1831. Ha means river and Noi
means within - Ha Noi means within the river.
For many of us
that grew up during the Vietnamese War, Hanoi stood for the enemy or those that
we thought stood along side them such has "Hanoi Jane" (Fonda). Today thankfully
those days are in the past. Except for the odd war souvenir you can still find
in the marketplace you would be hard pressed to know there had even been a war
between the United States and Vietnam as the local citizens hold us no
animosity. In the minds of the Vietnamese the war had been a historical war of
independence fought over 30 years with the French and then Americans. It was a
struggle that has been replaced by a new struggle, that of developing economic
prosperity, one where the United States was now an ally. When visiting Hanoi,
you can see the mad rush for modernity, even in the old town there is a feeling
of entrepreneurship that has previously swept other nations of Asia as it now
sweeps over Vietnam.
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Ha Long Bay
Ha
Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islads and islets, forming
a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars.
According to legend long ago when their forefathers were
fighting foreign invaders from the north, the gods from heaven sent a family of
dragons to help defend their land. This family of dragons descended upon what is
now Ha Long bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the sea,
these jewels turned into the various islands and islets dotting the seascape and
formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The locals were able to keep
their land safe and formed what is now the country of Vietnam. The Dragon family
fell so much in love with this area for its calm water and for the reverence of
the people of Vietnam that they decided to remain on earth. Mother dragon lies
on what is now Ha Long and where her children lie is Bai Tu Long.
The dragon tails formed the area of Bach Long Vi known for the miles of white
sandy beaches of Tra Co peninsula.
 Today
the bay is one of the most popular day trips out of Hanoi. In fact many tourist
spend the night on one of the many wooden house boats. Besides the tourist trade
you still see families who make a living from fishing including a few dozen who
live in floating houses despite the attempts by the Vietnamese government to
move them to dry land.
The day I visited Ha Long was cold and overcast but warmed up
in the afternoon. I was on a private tour with my own guide and it felt a little
strange to have an entire boat to myself. The food provided was excellent but
unfortunately much more than I could eat by myself. Besides a lazy day on the
water a few of the island had caves that you can explore. Like caves in other
parts of Asia that I have visited this one included caverns lit with colored
lights. I seems the natural beauty of the interiors are not enough to hold Asian
interest without the use of Technicolor. |
