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
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 Kinh1
(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.
Notes
1Dong Kinh and
Tokyo are two “readings” or transcriptions of two same Chinese
characters, one Vietnamese, one Japanese.
