Hanoi. A beautiful city with a name derived from the meaning "rising dragon," this busy, urbanized center represents the capital of Vietnam. Seven million people occupy this city, and an estimated two million motorcycles roam the perimeters each day. Whereas most southern areas are fairly warm, Hanoi, which is located in the northern regions of Vietnam, has cool breezes and can even be described as chilly. It is not unusual for this area to experience snow during the winter, which I've heard to be quite magnificent.
As well as being known for many attractions, Hanoi is a city that holds much of Vietnam's historical value. The capital of a unified state nearly two hundred years ago, Hanoi was stripped of the title only to be renamed as capital city in 1976 after the North's victory in the Vietnam War. To this day, it is a incredible city with tons of shops, restaurants, attractions, and more.
My family flew into Hanoi from the Saigon airport around early Wednesday morning. The first thing I recognized upon our arrival was the different accent. Just like the United States is popular for its Californian and Midwestern accents, Vietnam is known for its Bac and Nam accents. Bac, representing the accents of the North, and Nam, representing the accents of the South. Though my family does have relatives in northern regions of Vietnam, we are most familiar with the Nam accent. It takes just a while longer for me to understand the Bac accents, but I have to admit they are very interesting.
The following pictures and posts will pertain to different sites we visited during our tour around the city of Hanoi. They will include some historical information I picked up along the way, as well as my personal descriptions of each location. Hope all my viewers enjoy, and if there are any questions about places I visited, I will be happy to answer them.
I love reading your blogs. Ms. C
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