Publications

Publications




Ouvrages

Ouvrages




Hanoi. City of the Rising Dragon.
Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002, 187 p.
with G. Boudarel (1926-2003), foreword by William J. Duiker,
translated by Claire Duiker
Hanoi. City of the Rising Dragon.
Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002, 187 p.
with G. Boudarel (1926-2003), foreword by William J. Duiker,
translated by Claire Duiker





§ A City which Remembers



Introduction

In the year 2010 the city of Hanoi will celebrate its millenium, making it one of the oldest capitals in Southeast Asia. The monarchs of the Ly dynasty (1010 – 1275) founded the city after having regained their country’s independence from the Chinese, abandoning the old capital of Hoa Lu. The city would change its name several times in the course of its long history. It was first called Thang Long [“the ascending dragon”], a name given by King Ly Thai To (1009 – 1028). It then became Dong Do (capital of the east); then in the 15th century it was renamed Dong Kinh 1 (royal capital of the east). When the Nguyen established their capital at Hue in the nineteenth century it became Ha Noi (the city amidst the waters). From the 17th century until the beginning of the 20th, many Vietnamese still referred to Hanoi by its more popular name, Ke Cho (the market).

Hanoi has always been the center of the country’s political, economic, and cultural activity, earning it the title “Land of a thousand-year-old culture” (Dat nghin nam van vat). Geopolitically it is situated in a very vulnerable spot, on the Red River Delta and just south of the powerful Chinese empire. When the French chose Hanoi instead of Saigon as the capital of the new Indochinese Union in 1887, they were affirming their power and determination in the face of the Chinese “Middle Kingdom,” which was always ready to proclaim its sovereignty over the region. At the same time, North Vietnam has always served as the cornerstone of any attempt to influence or dominate Southeast Asia. This strategically sensitive location has proven to be the source of many of the city’s conflicts and difficulties. In order to survive physically, Hanoi had to surround itself with fortifications. It then protected itself culturally by establishing its own identity, one which grew out of a wealth of myths and legends.

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Notes

1  Dong Kinh and Tokyo are two “readings” or transcriptions of two same Chinese characters, one Vietnamese, one Japanese.




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