It is a city of many names, and its history begins with a
dragon.
In the year 1010, an Emperor named Ly needed a defensible place
to build his capital city. He chose Dai
La Citadel, along the banks of the Red River. Legend has it that, when he arrived there, a golden dragon rose from the
river, inspiring the emperor to name the place Thang Long, or "Golden
Dragon." It was a strong fortress, and
the imperial city stood firm for almost 300 years. But in 1397 the Ly Dynasty split in two, with
Thang Long renamed Dong Do ("Eastern Capital") as a bookend to its sister capital, Tay Do ("Western Capital.")
The split proved disastrous, and in 1408 the empire was invaded
and conquered by the Mings, who renamed it Dong Quan, or "Eastern
Gateway." But just a few years later,
the Mings were thrown out, and a new Emperor named Le re-established the
capital city with a slightly different name, Dong Khin. (Europeans would later spell it
"Tonkin.") The Le Dynasty would last a
remarkable 350 years, but in the 1700's the empire broke down into civil
war. For a time the city was known as
Bac Thahn, "Northern Citadel" and it changed hands many times.
The last great emperor, Nyugen, re-established the empire in
1802. For a time, the capital city
reverted to its original name, Thang Long, but with a slight change in its
characters, so that "Golden Dragon" now also meant, "To Ascend and
Flourish." And then, in 1831, the city
was given a new name, Ha Noi, meaning the "River Interior."
Under that name, the city has witnessed countless horrors. Conquered and colonized by the French in 1873. Savaged by the Japanese from
1940 to 1945. At war with the French
until 1954, when it gained independence. At war with the United States until 1975, when it gained
sovereignty. Until, finally, peace.
This Sunday, the city known as the Golden Dragon, the Eastern Capital, the Eastern Gateway, the
Northern Citadel, ascending and flourishing alongside the Red River, will reach an important milestone.
On 10.10.10, Hanoi turns 1000.
You can read previous installments of
the quick Sliver in our online archive. Just go here: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs015/1103023679528/archive/1103033975377.html
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