1000 years of Thang Long- Ha Noi

This week Hanoi is celebrating its 1000th anniversary. 

In 1010 AD, the capital city of Vietnam was relocated here from a nearby northern province. It was originally called Thang Long, or ascending dragon, as this is what the King claimed to have seen in the Red River at the time. Hanoi has endured occupation by the Chinese for 20 years in the 14th century, who changed the name to Dong Quan, meaning eastern gateway; then the French who established it as Indochina's capital in 1837, and the Japanese during World War II. Under the Nguyen Dynasty in the early 19th century, the capital was also briefly located in Hue.

The celebrations in Hanoi have been many and fitting for this deeply patriotic country which has survived through countless wars, poverty and famine and now in itself could be described as the ascending dragon. Flags and flowers line the streets and buildings in central Hanoi have been spruced and painted. There have been dozens of events and ceremonies, including the opening of a new park and museum, and recognition of the Thang Long Royal Citadel as a UNESCO site. 

I borrowed the above photo from a local newspaper, which was reporting the arrival in Hanoi of 1000 Heroic mothers, Heroes of the Armed Forces and Labour Heroes for the celebrations. These heroes spent 2 weeks travelling 2,000 kilometres from Dong Nai province near Saigon. They visited a number of historical sites along their journey to the northern capital, including the home of the Hung Kings, the founders of Vietnam.

Nong Duc Manh, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, stands in the middle of this photo, and I was particularly interested to read about the woman on his right, Kan Lich. She was the first ethnic minority woman to be honored with the title 'Hero of the People's Armed Forces.' The article I read listed her achievements, which included fighting in 49 battles and killing 150 enemy soldiers. She also met Ho Chi Minh on seven occasions. Here she is (top right corner) on one of those occasions.

Apparently there is a Vietnamese saying, 'When war comes, even women have to fight,' and the stories of fearless, epic female warriors go back thousands of years in this country.