Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế, the imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802–1945), but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954, and became the Republic of Vietnam's capital upon independence in 1949.
The city lies on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is 1,090 miles (1,754.2 kilometers) north of Saigon and 75 miles (120.7 kilometers) west of Haiphong.
October 2010 officially marked 1000 years since the establishment of the city. The Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural is a 4 km ceramic mosaic mural created to mark the occasion.
Twin cities[]
Port Victoria, British Empire- Hong Kong, British Empire
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Angoulême, France- Toulouse, France
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Isfahan, Iran
- Fukuoka, West Japan
- Manila, Philippines
- Warsaw, Poland
- Moscow, Soviet Union
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Ankara, Turkey
