Hanoi became an important city when the Vietnamese emperor Ly Thai To, founder of the Ly dynasty, moved his capital to the site of an old fortress on the Red River delta and gave it the name Thang Long, meaning rising dragon. According to the account of the move, he saw a dragon ascend from the river. The city developed as the political and cultural centre of Dai Viet under the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties, with temples, a Temple of Literature and a university. It took its present name in the nineteenth century, and the French made it the capital of French Indochina. Hanoi became the capital of North Vietnam after 1954 and of unified Vietnam after 1976.
Before and after
- 1006Construction of Gonbad-e Qabus
- 1006SN 1006
- 1006The brightest supernova in recorded history appears
- from 1007 to 1090Construction of Qal'at Bani Hammad
- c. 1010Origins of Hanoi
- 1010Construction of Prahadisvarar Temple
- c. 1010sMurasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji
- from c. 1011 to 1215Ghurid dynasty
- from 1011 to 1934Construction of Saint Sophia Cathedral
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- 1373Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 11th century.