The North of Vietnam

Hanoi
Hanoi's history dates back almost a thousand years to the founding of the city by Emperor Ly Thai To. In 1010 he renamed the area Thang Long - 'Soaring Dragon'. Hanoi is a city rich in tradition and legend, the most famous of which is the Arthurian tale of Hoan Kiem Lake. Legend has it that in the 15th century Emperor Le Thai To vanquished the invading Chinese with the help of a magical sword. Whilst rowing on the lake an enormous turtle seized the sword from his grasp. The Emperor took this to mean that peace had returned and the sword had been given back to its guardian spirit. In honor of the event he renamed the lake 'Ho Hoan Kiem' - Lake of the Restored Sword.

The city's main period of growth stems from the arrival of the French in 1888. Within a short time Hanoi was transformed into an elegant city with broad tree-lined boulevards, avenues and parks, making it one of the greenest cities in Asia. Fortunately many of the old boulevards and residences have survived and are used to house Foreign Embassies and Government institutions.

Today Hanoi is a bustling capital city of nearly 4 million people. Its focal point is Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, immediately to its north.

Here are some of the capital's main attractions:

Old Quarter
This bustling area of 36 narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally each of the streets names' related to the products being sold there.

Ho Chi Minh Complex
Completed in 1975 the complex contains Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

Temple of Literature
This is the site of Vietnam's first university dating back to 1070. One of its main features is the stone stele mounted on the backs of turtles inscribed with the names of the university s graduates.

Museum of Ethnology
A must for anyone intending to visit either Mai Chau or Sapa. This museum is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority peoples.

Water Puppet Theatre
This is a uniquely Vietnamese creation with its origins dating back nearly a thousand years. Originally these plays would have taken place on lakes and ponds during the monsoon season, depicting daily life as well as numerous tales and legends.

Halong Bay
Halong literally means descending dragon and legend has it that an enormous dragon caused the phenomenon of Halong Bay by thrashing its tail against the earth, creating the huge bays before descending into the sea. Another legend says that the giant limestone rocks themselves are dragons, protecting Vietnam from hostile invaders. Certainly the bay has played an important part in protecting the country from foreign aggressors. On at least two occasions the Vietnamese repelled marauding Chinese fleets near here.

Halong Bay is an impressive collection of over 3,000 islands covering an area in excess of 1,500km in the Gulf of Tonkin, 170km east of Hanoi. The bay was formed as a result of millions of years of erosion on the limestone rocks. Then when the last ice age finished, the seas rose as the glaciers melted, flooding the entire area transforming hills into the islands we see today.

Sapa & the Northern Highlands
Sapa is a charming former French hill-station, created during the 1920s so that Hanoi's colonial residents could escape from the stifling summer heat in the plains. At an altitude of 1,650m Sapa boasts warm days and cool evenings. Nowadays its popularity is due to its beautiful scenery and colorful ethnic people.

Situated in the northwest in an area known as the Tonkinese Alps, Sapa is reached via a winding road that snakes its way up through lush rice-terraced valleys and mountains covered in pine trees towering over the ethnic minority villages nestled below. The valleys surrounding Sapa are home to several of Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority groups, each with their own distinctive dress, customs and dialects.

Apart  from  its fascinating ethnic diversity, Sapa is also renowned for its trekking. With Vietnam's highest peak, Mt. Fansipan (3,143m) only 9km away the valleys and mountains provide the perfect backdrop for some great treks.