In colonial times, the Europeans referred to North Vietnam as Tongking. Today, the Vietnamese people call it, Bac Bo. Hanoi is North Vietnam's lively capital city. It was here that in 1882, the French created their administrative headquarters and main capital city. Compared to other southeast Asian cities that have developed into modern metropolises at breathtaking speed, Hanoi could be described as being a provincial city. The Hoh Chi Minh Museum, a three story concrete building, was inaugurated in May 1990 to commemorate Hoh's 100th birthday. Den Dao Quan is one of the most beautiful Taoist temples in Vietnam and an oasis of tranquility. It is a place dedicated to the worship of benevolent spirits and for those who believe in divine and spiritual natural powers. Hai Phong is the most important industrial harbor town in North Vietnam and has a population of 1.5 million. Under French rule, thousands of workers built this city at record speed and the harbor was enlarged, making it the largest in Indo China. Hoa Binh is one of the north's less attractive provincial towns but this, the former centre of a prehistoric Bronze Age culture on the Black River, is the gateway to the mountains of the north. Located within a remote and mountainous landscape, the village of Ban Lac Thai is a peaceful place set within an elevated and fertile valley. It is believed that the Viet are related to the Thai people and originally separated from the Muong tribe when they cultivated the Red River Delta. Everywhere, the Thai folk offer hand made arts and crafts for sale such as knitted blankets, woven cloth and numerous bags. From the nostalgic capital of Hanoi, as far as the mountain tribes of the north, North Vietnam is a country of charm and beauty with natural wonders and ancient cultures full of age-old traditions and new hope for the future! -- Container.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.