Ha Noi become Vietnam’s capital since 1010, when the King Ly Thai To, Ly dynasty’s founder, transfer his capital from Hoa Lu­ (Ninh Binh - 145 km from Hanoi) to Thang Long in the middle year of 1010.

Since then, Ha Noi is Ha Noi is the socical, cultural, and economic center of Vietnam. Hanoi still preserves many ancient architectural works including One Pillar Pagoda (built in 1042), the Temple of Literature (built in 1070), or the Old Quarter and over 600 pagodas. Around Ha Noi, there are still many traditional handicrafts village. Feature with a delta region and many lakes located in the city, Ha Noi gives you special natural charm.

One Pillar Pagoda: The original name of the pagoda was Dien Huu pagoda which literally means long lasting happiness and and good luck. The pagoda is situated in the western part of the city. It was first built in 1049 in the reign of King Ly Thai Tong. legend has it that at time King Ly Thai Tong was very old and had no sons of his own. One night he had a dream that he was granted a private audience with Buddha with a male baby on his hands. Buddha seating on a lotus flower in a square-shaped lotus pond in the western side of Thang Long Citadel, gave the king the baby. Month later the queen got pregnant and she gave birth to a male. To repay the gift from Buddha, the king ordered the construction of a pagoda with was supported by only one pillar resembling a lotus seat on which Buddha had been seated. The pagoda was dedicated to Buddha.

Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam: was the first university of Vietnam where many students graduated with high flying colors. Some became doctors of philosophy. 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. At present there remain 82 steles standing in the premises of Van Mieu. Aprt from its cultural value, each stele presents an artistic project of stone carving. Each stele is placed on the back of a turtle representing the nation's longevity.

Sword Restored Lake: The lake which is not as large as Ho Tay to the northwest is situated in the center of the city. Because of its unique location Sword Restored Lake is billed as a basket of lower placed in the middle of Hanoi. The name of Sword Restored Lake is derived from a legend which has it that King Le Thai To had a precious sword. The sword. The sword had always been on his side during the 10-year resistance against the Ming aggressors. After he won over the foreign aggression and returned to Thang Long Citadel. One day he went out and boarded a royal boat to cruise in the lake. Suddenly he saw a giant turtle emerging and coming 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 it might have been that during the resistance war against the Minh aggression, the king was offered sword by genie to help him defeat the enemy. Now when peace has returned the genie appeared and took back the sword. With that thought in mind, King Le Thai To named the lake after episode as Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of Restored Sword).

Ngoc Son Temple: Hoan Kiem lake which had been considered the most beautiful lake in the city was in the 19th century added with another object to make it more beautiful and famous. That was the construction of a temple on the Ngoc (Jade) islet in the lake. Initially the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda. Later it was renamed Ngoc Son Temple because in the temple is dedicated to saints. Saint Van Suong 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 Nguyen aggression. The temple as it is seen today was attributable to the restoration afforts of Nguyen Van Sieu in 1864. A great Hanoi literature writer, Nguyen Van Sieu himself had a large pen-shaped tower (Thap But) built in at the entrance to the temple. On the upper section of the Thap but there are three Chinese characters Ta Thanh Thien which means 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 the three frogs on top of the gate to the temple. Passing through Dai Nghien visitors are to tread on the wooden bridge called The Huc. The Huc is literally understood as the place where beams of morning sunshine are touching.

On the long way that leads to the temple there are several cau doi (parallel sentences) written on the wall. These cau doi are considered part of a traditional ward puzzle entertainment, a lifestyle literally educated persons of ancient Thang Long used to follow.

Quan Thanh Temple: The three ancient Chinese which are still seen today on the top of the entrance to the temple means Tran Vu Quan. That is literally the temple which is dedicated to Saint Tran Vu. A temple is a place for worshipping saints while a pagoda is 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. The legendary character in Vietnam's legend was a saint who had earned the merits of assisting King An Duong Vuong in getting rid of ghost spirit during the King's construction of his citadel at Co Loa.

The Chinese legendary figure was a saint who made great contributions in safeguarding the northern border. Quan Thanh Temple was built during the reign of King Ly Thai To (1010-1028). In 1893 the temple was given a grand facelift to have the shape as we can see it today. Special attention should be paid to a black bronze statute of Saint Tran Vu. The giant statute, formally placed in the main hall, was cast in 1677. Another special object is an ancient bronze bell, 1.5 meters high, which is hanged at the top of the three-gate entrance.

Another object of no less significant is a smaller black bronze statute of Old Trong, a chief artisan of the bronze casting team who had made the giant statute of Saint Tran Vu and the great bell on top of the tree-gate entrance. To commemorate the great contributions of the teacher Old Trong, his students of bronze casting cast his statute and placed in the temple for their for their younger generations to remember Old Trong for ever.

West Lake and Truc Bach Lake: The 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. This 992-metre-long road has been made into two-lane road with a line of big trees grown in between the lanes. On either side of the road is grown with flamboyant trees, weeping willow trees and Bang Lang trees. In summer the road looks colorful with the many flamboyant trees in blossom and Bang Lang trees with violet flowers.

The west lake area is estimated at 480 hectares, being the biggest lake in the city. A road that runs around the lake is as long as 12 kilometers. It passes several flower-growing villages such as flower Nghi Tam village, Tay Ho, and Peach tree planting Nhat Tan village. Situated nearby the lakeside road are several famous pagodas and temples such as Phu Tay Ho and Kim Lien Pagoda. In feudal regimes many royal palaces and rest houses have been built to used as resort places for kings and senior court officers. Now Ho Tay has been earmarked for the city's major tourism development center. 

West Lake to the northwest and Truc Bach Lake to the southeast

Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest of all pagodas in Hanoi. Located beside the dazzling West Lake in Hanoi, Tran Quoc Pagoda is a cultural symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism.

It is said that, the pagoda was built under the reign of King Ly Nam De (544-548) under its original name of Khai Quoc (National Founder). It was originally built on the bank of the Red River (then West Lake and the Red River met). In the time of King Le Kinh Tong (1600-1618), the pagoda was removed to the Kim Ngu (Golden Fish) Islet due to the river bank crumbling and was renamed Tran Quoc (National Defence).

Unlike other ordinary pagodas, the Tran Quoc Pagoda was built intri­Behind the worshipping shrine is the Buddhist trinity followed by corridors, ten shrines and the belfry.

In the pagoda, there are many valuable statues, such as the red lac­statue trimmed with gold of Sakyamouni Buddha's Parinirvana and many ancient stele, with the old- one made in 1639 by Doctoral lau- Nguyen Xuan Chinh recording the Pagoda's history.

In 1959, on his visit to Vietnam, Indian Prime Minister Razendia Prasat offered the Pagoda a bodhi tree as a gift. The plant was grafted from the holy bodhi tree where Sakyamuni sat in zen (meditation) position 25 centuries ago. Now the bodhi tree is green and luxuriant, shading part of the pagoda's yard.

As a religious relic among spectac­scenery, Tran Quoc Pagoda is a favourite stop-over of many foreign visitors and pilgrims.

Tran Quoc pagoda

Quan Su Pagada : Quan Su Pagoda was first built on the land of An Tap village, Tho Xuong district, on the southern gate of Thang Long capital.

Formerly, it was a small Buddhist pagoda, located near the Quan Su house which had been constructed during the Le dynasty in the 15th century to receive foreign envoys and ambassadors.

In 1934, the pagoda was the headquarter of the Tonkin Buddhist Association.

Since 1942, the pagoda has been restored and expanded many times, with a larger and better architectural structure. Nowadays, this place acts as the headquarters of the Vietnam Central Buddhist Congregation, at 73 Quan Su Street, Tran Hung Dao ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.

Duong Lam old village: If considered Hanoi old town and old town Hoi An is a museum urban lifestyle, the ancient village of Duong Lam is the museum of the lifestyle of rural, agricultural lifestyle. The first survey research, the scientists Vietnam property Department and cultural Japan, Showa University - Tokyo defined here as places carrying value characteristics of a Vietnamese village need to conserve .

Duong Lam including 9 villages, 5 villages in the Mong Phu, Dong Sang, Cam Thinh, Doai Giap and Cam Lam and close together. The village this link together into a unified the customs, habits, beliefs, and thousands of years does not change.

Today, Duong Lam village still keeps the road most of the features of a Vietnamese village with village gate, banian tree, water wharves, courtyard house, pagoda, temple, sentry box, water rice field, water well, field water, wood hills . Road system by Duong Lam is very special because they have pictures of fish bone. With this structure, if the self will never turn back on Taoist temple.

One particular road do is keep a port village of Mong Phu village. This is not a port of the village as other villages in the Northern with arch doom rolling that is a house of the two roof is right on the road to the village. Also at the Mong Phu village has Mong Phu communal house in the village - was built in 1684 (date Vinh To of the king Le Hy Tong) - one house is featured for the traditional Vietnamese home. Yard of communal house in the village is lower deck space around it when rain, water flows into the ground and then release the two at the image forming two dragon horn. Every year, communal house in the village organization festival from the first day of the month to the 10 th January lunar year with games such as worship of pigs, and chickens to worship ... 

The gate of O Quan Chuong suburb is one of the city gates of the Thang Long city. The gate was built in 1749 and then rebuilt in the third year of Gia Long dynasty. The main and two auxiliary gates of the structure are still preserved intact. Three Chinese letters “Dong Ha Mon” engraved on the main gate mean Dong Ha suburb’s gate. The gate is also called Quan Chuong suburb.

The name of the gate is told to be related to the event that the French attacked Ha Noi in November 1873. When arrived at the gate of Dong Ha suburb, they had a lot of damage caused by the resistance of the Vietnamese army. But since the French got reinforcements, the Vietnamese army of one hundred people died. The gate was named “Quan Chuong” – the title of the brave leader of the army - in order to show admiration for him. However, this event is still a supposition