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Hanoi
is the capital of Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Ha Noi lies in Red River Delta and is situated
in a tropical area having a strong monsoon
influence. The name of Ha Noi (Interior side of
a river) has been derived from an ancient
language which is literally known as a land area
located in the inner side of Red River. It does
not mean that the city is inside the river, but
it is embraced by about 100 km of the Red River
dykes. Ha Noi has nine inner precincts (Hoan
Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Cau Giay,
Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, Long Bien, Hoang Mai) and
five suburban districts (Tu Liem, Thanh Tri, Gia
Lam, Dong Anh and Soc Son).
One- Pillar Pagoda
Chua mot cot (One-pillar Pagoda) : Its original
name was Dien Huu (long-lasting happiness and
good luck). Legend has it that King Lý Thai Tong
was very old and had no son of his own.
Therefore, he often went to pagodas to pray for
Buddha's blessing so that he might have a son.
One night, he had a dream that he was granted a
private audience with Buddha with a male baby in
his hands. Buddha, sitting on a lotus flower in
a square-shaped lotus pond in the western side
of Thang Long Citadel, gave the king the baby.
Months later, the queen got pregnant and gave
birth to a male child*. To repay gift from
Buddha, the king ordered the construction of a
pagoda which was supported by only one pillar
resembling a lotus seat on which Buddha had been
seated. The pagoda was dedicated to Buddha.
Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) was built in
1070 as a dedication to the founder of
Confucianism. Six years later, Quoc Tu Giam -
the first university of Vietnam - was built in
the premises of Van Mieu. Quoc Tu Giam was the
first school for princes and children of royal
family members. In 1482, King Le Thanh Tong
ordered the erection of steles with inscription
of all the names, birth dates and birth places
of doctors and other excellent graduates who
took part in examinations since 1442. Each stela
is placed on the back of a turtle representing
the nation's longevity. During Nha Nguyen
(Nguyen Dynasty), Temple of Literature was moved
to Phu Xuan (Hue Royal City).
Golden Lotus Pagoda (Kim Lien Pagoga).
* Chua Kim Lien (Kim Lien Pagoda) : Legend has
it that in the 12th century, Princess Tu Hoa,
daughter of King Lý Than Ton , led her
ladies-in-waiting to this area. They cultivated
mulberry and silkworms to make silk. Later, a
pagoda was built right on the site and by 1771,
it was named Kim Lien (Golden Lotus).
Quan Su Pagoda
*Chua Quan Su (Quan Su Pagoda) was built in the
17th century. It is located in the street of the
same name. Since 1958, Vietnam Buddhism
Association has used this pagoda as its head
office.
Quan Thanh Temple
* Den Quan Thanh (Quan Thanh Temple) : The three
ancient Chinese characters which are still seen
today on the top of the entrance to the temple
mean Tran Vu Quan. Literally, the temple is
dedicated to Saint Tran Vu. Temples are places
for worshipping saints while pagodas are
dedicated to Buddha and faithful disciplines.
Saint Tran Vu was a legendary figure which was a
combination between a legendary character in
Vietnam's legend and a mystic character derived
from China's legend. In Vietnam's legend, he was
a saint who had earned the merits of assisting
Thuc Phan (future King An Duong Vuong) in
getting rid of ghost spirit during the
construction of CoLoa Citadel. An Duong Vuong
Temple in CoLoa Citadel (Dong Anh district) is
also named Thuong Temple. Inside it, there are
An Duong Vuong's bronze statue (cast in 1897)
and a big arbalest symbolizing the magic
arbalest in the old days. In China's legend,
Saint Tran Vu was a saint who had made many
contributions in safeguarding the northern
border. Quan Th¸nh Temple was built during the
reign of King LýThai To (1010-1028). Special
attention should be paid to the black bronze
statue of Saint Tran Vu. Another object of no
less significance is a smaller black bronze
statue of Old Trong, a chief artisan of the
bronze casting team who had made the giant
statue of Saint Tran Vu and the great bell on
top of the entrance.
Ngoc Son Temple
* Den Ngoc Son (Ngoc Son Temple) : Initially,
the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda. Later, it
was renamed as Ngoc Son Temple, because it was
dedicated to the saints. Saint Van Xuong was a
person considered the brightest star in
Vietnam's literature and intellectual circles.
Tran Hung Dao was worshipped because he was the
national hero who led the Vietnamese people to a
resounding victory over the Mongol aggression.
The temple as it is seen today was attributable
to the restoration efforts of Nguyen Van Sieu, a
great Hanoian writer. He had a large pen-shaped
tower (Thap But) built at the entrance to the
temple
On the upper section of Thap But, there are
three Chinese characters Ta Thanh Thien which
mean literally that to write on the blue sky is
to imply the height of a genuine and righteous
person's determination and will. Behind Thap But
is Dai Nghien (Ink Stand). The Ink Stand is
carved from stone resembling a peach, which is
placed on the back of three frogs on top of the
gate to the temple. Passing through Dai Nghien,
visitors will tread on the wooden bridge called
The Huc. The Huc is literally understood as the
place where beams of morning sunshine are
touching.
Besides, Ha Noi has such attractions as Ho Chi
Minh's Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, History
Museum, Revolution Museum, Army Museum, Fine
Arts Museum, Palace of Friendship....
Festival Hai Ba Trung
Den Hai Ba Trung (Hai Ba Trung Temple) is also
called Dong Nhan Temple, because it is located
in Dong Nhan village, Hai Ba Trung precinct.
Built in 1142 under the reign of King Lý Anh
Ton, it is dedicated to the two Vietnamese
heroines Trung Trac and Trung Nhi. On the 5th
and 6th days of the lunar second month , there
is a grand festival at this temple to
commemorate the two national heroines.
West Lake
HoTay (West Lake) &Duong Thanh Nien (Youth Road)
: Youth Road can be compared to a beautiful
bridge spanning across the two large bodies of
water - West Lake to the northwest and Truc Bach
Lake to the southeast. Covering an area of
nearly 500 hectares, Ho Tay was also called Dam
Dam (Misty Pond), Lang Bac (White Waves)...
.Oral tradition has it that HoTay derived from a
low-lying area upturned by a golden buffalo, so
the stream derived from Ho Tay was named Song
Kim Nguu (Golden Buffalo River). As for Truc
Bach Lake, legend has it that in the old days,
Truc Bach Lake was where lived the abandoned
ladies-in-waiting who were forced to weave silk.
Therefore, beautiful silk was called Truc Bach
(Silk of the Truc village). As the biggest lake
in the city, HoTay is surrounded by many areas
reputed for their traditional occupations :Yen
Phu and Nghi Tam (silkworm-breeding and
silk-weaving villages in the past), Quang Ba,
Nhat Tan (peach-growing village), Buoi
(paper-making village). In Tay Son times, Nguyen
Huy Luong wrote Tông Tay Ho Phó (Eulogy for West
Lake) so as to highlight the landscapes of the
West Lake and Nguyen Hue (future Quang Trung)'s
glorious merits. Now, Ho Tay has been earmarked
for the city's major tourism development center.
Hoan Kiem Lake
* Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of Restored Sword) : The
name of this lake is derived from a legend
having it that a fisherman named LeThan caught a
sword blade when drawing the fish-net. Than
decided to offer it to his commanding general Le
Loi (future Le Thai To). Afterwards, LeLoi found
a hilt fitting that blade very well. This sword
had always been on his side during 10 years of
resistance against Ming aggressors. After
winning over the foreign aggression, King Le
Thai To returned to Thang Long Citadel .One day,
aboard a royal boat, he took a cruise in the Luc
Thuy lake. Suddenly, a giant turtle emerged and
came towards him. The king withdrew his sword,
and pinpointed with the sword the direction of
the coming turtle for his soldiers' attention.
All of a sudden, the turtle caught the sword
between its teeth from the king's hand and
submerged. The king thought that during the
resistance against Ming aggressors, the genius
had offered him this sword to help him defeat
the enemy. At that time, the peace was
returning, and the genius appeared to take back
the sword. Consequently, King Le Thai To decided
to name the Luc Thuy lake Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of
Restored Sword). In the middle of the lake is
Thap Rua (Turtle Tower). The lake abounds in big
turtles aged five or six hundred. When there are
the changes in weather, they often emerge or
expose themselves at the foot of the Turtle
Temple.
Tan Da Spa
Resort
 The
resort was
designed in
opening
space,
peaceful and
tranquil-a
new envision
for the
mélange of
nature and
human
beings, a
deep feeling
of living
amidst a
blue and
cloudy sky
of the
marvelous
Tan Vien
mountain-Da
River of the
legendary
story of the
God of
Mountain and
the God of
River
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