The 1000th year celebration in Hanoi


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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi
October 15th 2010
Published: October 15th 2010
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Parade on morning 10/10/10Parade on morning 10/10/10Parade on morning 10/10/10

This shot was taken by my English friend Ned on morning 10/10. He walked from his hotel next to Hanoi Opera House to the parading area. I was scared of traffic jam, so I stayed at home and watched it on TV. The parade lasted from 8am to 9:15am.
On 10 October 2010, Hanoi celebrated its 56th Liberation Day anniversary. 56 years ago, the French war in Indochina ended after the French troops were defeated on Điện Biên Phủ battlefield in north west Vietnam. The last French soldiers left Hanoi at Long Biên bridge on afternoon 9 October 1954. Next day Vietnamese soldiers entered the city and they were greeted by 20,000 Hanoians standing along the streets (see photos No. 27 and 28).

This year the celebration was more special because of an important event "the 1000th year anniversary of Thăng Long - Hanoi". In 1010, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ moved his capital from Hoa Lư (100km south of Hanoi). Thăng Long was the first name of Hanoi and it meant "the City of the Soaring Dragon". The city had been renamed many times. Hanoi (ie the City in a Bend of the River) was named by Emperor Tự Đức in 1831.

The Hanoi Millennium Year celebration lasted 10 days, from the 1st to 10th of October. The opening ceremony took place on morning 1 October and there were more than 50 activities during 10 days. For example, performance of traditional dresses Áo Dài, music and old dances,
Chiếu dời đô - Capital Moving ProclamationChiếu dời đô - Capital Moving ProclamationChiếu dời đô - Capital Moving Proclamation

A model of the Capital Moving Proclamation by King Lý Thái Tổ in 1010 was set up near Ba Đình square.
street festivals, photo exhibitions, opening of Hanoi citadel (excavated area), calligraphy, food and kite festivals, opening of new parks, cinemas and statues. The mosaic wall along the Red River was recognized as a Guinness record. The last day (10/10/10) of the great celebration was the most important day and it attracted the most attention. In the morning, Hanoi streets were blocked from traffic and the parade took place on Ba Đình square and its surrounding area. The parade lasted from 8am to 9:15am with 10 helicopters carrying Vietnam flags and celebration banners. 31,000 people participated in the parade, including foreigners. The great celebration ended with fireworks and musical performance at Mỹ Đình stadium.

As I was busy working during the week, I couldn't go out to see all these events. People from other provinces flocked to the city the night before the parade and they even slept by the lake. Hanoi was beautifully decorated with red banners, lanterns and lighting. However, with such big crowds at the major sites, traffic jam was unavoidable and garbage also ruined the landscape.

On morning 10/10, I was scared of traffic jam so I decided to stay at home and watch the parade on TV. Then I went to meet my English friend Ned, his old staff Chi and her husband. When we were having some drinks, a Spanish guy named Angel, who is traveling in Vietnam for a month, joined to chat with us. After that, I took Ned and Angel to Hanoi citadel. For the first time, the excavated area inside the citadel was open to public (see photos No. 29 - 31). Hanoi citadel has just been recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site, so it was another honor for the city. The excavation work in 33,000 m2 area was carried out during 2002 - 2009 and artifacts from the 8th to 15th centuries were found.

We enjoyed some Vietnamese food then we went to Hoàn Kiếm lake in Hanoi's center. There were some stages by the lake where we could see circus and traditional opera performance. Then Ned and Angel walked along the night market while I waited for them in another place. It was so crowded in Hanoi's center. People expected to see fireworks, but it was canceled with a public notice the day before. The only place in Hanoi where people could see fireworks was Mỹ Đình stadium, but it's far away from the center. Traffic jam was even worse there and many people were stuck in the crowds until mid night.

While I am writing this blog, my English friend Ned is already back home in the UK. I believe he misses Hanoi very much when he looks at these photos. Some of them were taken by him, especially the ones relating to the parade. He was walking from his hotel near Opera House to some street in the parading area. He said he was pushed by the crowd as well. Ned was hoping to convince his wife to let him go back to Vietnam one more time, in April next year, but this is difficult because his wife never likes to travel. This may be Ned's last trip to Vietnam after his 13 trips on business of EU projects during the past 4 years. Even though it's impossible, I still want to say to my friend "Never say never again!".

Các bức ảnh trong Blog này được chụp tại: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, Quảng trường Ba Đình, Hoàng thành Thăng Long, Lễ hội ẩm thực Hà Thành tại công viên nước Hồ Tây, Văn Miếu, hồ Thuyền Quang, đường Điện Biên Phủ, phồ Hàng Gai và Hàng Trống.

Đại lễ kỷ niệm 1.000 năm Thăng Long - Hà Nội

Ngày khai mạc “Đại lễ kỷ niệm 1.000 năm Thăng Long” (1/10) mở màn cho trên 50 hoạt động khác nhau trong 10 ngày Đại lễ. Có thể kể tới các hoạt động văn hoá nghệ thuật như “Đêm Hồ Gươm lung linh và trình diễn áo dài truyền thống” tại xung quanh khu vực hồ Hoàn Kiếm (đêm 1/10), Biểu diễn các điệu múa cổ Thăng Long - Hà Nội tại vườn hoa Lý Thái Tổ (đêm 4/10), Biểu diễn Âm nhạc của các nghệ sỹ nổi tiếng Việt Nam tại Nhà hát lớn (đêm 5/10), Biểu diễn của các đoàn nghệ thuật quốc tế tại các sân khấu ngoài trời (đêm 9/10), Chương trình Lễ hội đường phố của Tuổi trẻ Thủ đô và cả nước tại Quảng trường Cách mạng Tháng Tám (đêm 8/10)…

Hoạt động trưng bày hiện vật lịch sử 1.000 năm Thăng Long - Hà Nội tại Trung tâm Hoàng thành Thăng Long, số 9 và 18 Hoàng Diệu sẽ khai mạc ngày 2/10.
Ba Đình squareBa Đình squareBa Đình square

This is the place where the parade took place on morning 10/10/10. The grey building is Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum.
Kế tiếp đó, trong 10 ngày Đại lễ có nhiều triển lãm như: Triển lãm các trận đánh và chiến dịch nổi tiếng trong lịch sử quân sự Việt Nam (khai mạc chiều 4/10), Triển lãm và Liên hoan thư pháp Thăng Long - Hà Nội tại Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám (khai mạc chiều 4/10), Triển làm Những tấm lòng với Thăng Long Hà Nội tại Cung Văn hoá Lao động Hữu nghị (sáng 6/10)…

Cũng trong dịp Đại lễ có liên hoan ẩm thực Hà thành tại công viên nước Hồ Tây (tối 6/10), liên hoan nghệ thuật Diều - Hà Nội tại Quảng trường Sân vận động quốc gia Mỹ Đình (sáng 6/10), Liên hoan du lịch quốc tế Thăng Long - Hà Nội tại Thiên đường Bảo Sơn (đêm 2/10)…

Nhiều công trình trọng điểm chào mừng 1.000 năm Thăng Long - Hà Nội cũng được khánh thành trong dịp Đại lễ như khánh thành tượng đài Bác Hồ và Bác Tôn (tại công viên Thống Nhất), Công viên Hoà Bình, Bảo tàng Hà Nội, Rạp Công nhân, …

“Con đường gốm sứ” cùng được khánh thành trong dịp này (5/10). Đặc
Hanoi at night Hanoi at night Hanoi at night

Beautiful lighting decoration along Điện Biên Phủ street.
biệt hơn, Tổ chức Kỷ lục Guinness sẽ có mặt tại buổi lễ khánh thành “Con đường gốm sứ” và trao bằng chứng nhận “Bức tranh gắn gốm lớn nhất thế giới’

Sự kiện quan trọng trong dịp Đại lễ là Lễ mít tinh, diễu binh, diễu hành diễn ra sáng 10/10 tại Quảng trường Ba Đình. Đây là chương trình mít tinh, diễu binh diễu hành cấp quốc gia quy mô lớn nhất từ trước tới nay với sự tham gia của 31.000 người.

Đêm hội văn hoá nghệ thuật kỷ niệm 1.000 năm Thăng Long tại SVĐ quốc gia Mỹ Đình (đêm 10/10) là đêm nghệ thuật hoành tráng được “chốt” lại bằng màn bắn pháo hoa nghệ thuật khép lại 10 ngày Đại lễ.


Additional photos below
Photos: 37, Displayed: 28


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Lantern for Hanoi 1000th year celebration Lantern for Hanoi 1000th year celebration
Lantern for Hanoi 1000th year celebration

This lantern can be seen on many streets in Hanoi. There is a symbol of Hanoi on the lantern.
By Hoàn Kiếm lake in HanoiBy Hoàn Kiếm lake in Hanoi
By Hoàn Kiếm lake in Hanoi

Girls are wearing red tapes over their foreheads with words "I love Hanoi" or "Hanoi 1000th year". My English friend Ned is standing behind them. He is going to take a photo with these girls.
Photo exhibition at Hanoi Food FestivalPhoto exhibition at Hanoi Food Festival
Photo exhibition at Hanoi Food Festival

B&W photo exhibition at Hanoi Food Festival which was organized at the West Lake Water Park from 1st to 11th October. (Tại Lễ hội ẩm thực Hà Thành - Công viên nước Hồ Tây)
Poster and red banner Poster and red banner
Poster and red banner

This poster with picture of King Lý Thái Tổ (1010) and red banner can be seen everywhere in Hanoi during the celebration.
1000 year Thăng Long - Hanoi1000 year Thăng Long - Hanoi
1000 year Thăng Long - Hanoi

Thăng Long was the first name of Hanoi in 1010. It means "Soaring Dragon".
Cốm (young rice)Cốm (young rice)
Cốm (young rice)

This woman is selling green rice at Hanoi Food Festival. This rice is best tasted during the autumn. It can be eaten with banana or used to make cakes and sweet soup. This is one of specialties of Hanoi.


15th October 2010

great photos
I'm so pleased to see these photos of the celebrations. I was thinking of Hanoi on the 10th October (also my birthday). I've alo always wanted to see inside the citadel, so it's great to see those photos too. Thanks so much.
16th October 2010

Liberation day
Congratulations for Hanoi 56th Liberation Day Anniversary ! from Kob
16th October 2010

Thanks for sharing the bloig and photos, it would have been great to be in Hanoi for htis celebration. Many of our friends in Hanoi shared photos with us of this event and we were very happy it was such a great celebration. Take care.
15th December 2010
Girls with Vietnam flags on their cheeks

nice shot
This is really a nice shot. three girls with flag on their cheeks.

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