The National Museum of Vietnamese History

National Museum of Vietnamese History

The National Museum of Vietnamese History (Vietnamese: Viện Bảo tàng Lịch sử Việt Nam) is located in the Hoan Kiem district of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Vietnam History Museum in Hanoi

National Museum of Vietnamese History building The museum used to be the museum of the Research Institute for Far-East history under French colonial rule (École française d'Extrême-Orient). 

Today, it is a museum showcasing Vietnam's history with a very large display of every period. It is housed in a colonial French building. The building, designed by the architect Ernest Hébrard is considered as a successful blend between the colonial French architecture and traditional Vietnamese architecture.

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Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi

Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi

Thong Nhat Park is surrounded by Tran Nhan Tong, Le Duan, Dai Co Viet, and Nguyen Dinh Chieu streets in Hanoi. Characteristics: Thong Nhat Park covers an area of more than 50ha. It is an elegant place in Hanoi.

Thong Nhat Park - Hanoi

The park was built in 1958 and inaugurated in 1960. At that time, the country was divided into two parts with two different political regimes; the park was named Thong Nhat, meaning "united," to express the hope of reunification of the people.

In April 1980, on the 110th anniversary of Lenin’s birthday, Thong Nhat Park was renamed Lenin Park. Nowadays, Lenin Park is situated on Dien Bien Phu St. Thong Nhat Park has its original name.

The park features many gardens and trees, as well as an island in the middle of the lake. There are games for children such as driving carts, a mirror house, train rides, and boats on the lake.

During Tet holiday, the Spring Flower Festival is held in the park.

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West Lake Water Park in Hanoi

West Lake Water Park in Hanoi

Ho Tay Water Park is located in Tay Ho District, Hanoi. Characteristic: Ho Tay Water Park covers an area of 35,560m², comprising five entertainment sections. The first phase of its construction was completed on 19 May 2000, putting into operation several entertainment amenities.

West Lake Water Park in Hanoi - Vietnam

Among them are seven sliding lanes with the average height of 12m, of which two are high-speed lanes ever installed in Vietnam with the height of 14.5m; a three-meter wave-making pool can bring about waves as high as 1.2m. Adventurers should not miss out on the Tibetan suspension bridge, the hair-raising swinging ropes, and the 3.5-meter diving pool where they can dive using specific devices or spring-boards. The 0.6-meter massage pool ensures a relaxed feeling. Children can go to specially-designed pools, sliding lanes and water games. The 4.5-meter ‘lazy river’ spans 450m, flowing past five bridges.

Moon Park stands adjacent to the Water Park. Sitting on the 60-meter swing, one gets a panoramic view of Hanoi. The Moon Park also boasts a three-dimension cinema, new-generation electronic games, and a supermarket. There is a sports complex where tourists can play tennis, badminton, ping-pong, and billiards. Fascinating extras include a pond for fishing, a mini golf court, as well as bumping cars and a roller coaster.

As the most modern and exciting theme park in Hanoi, the Ho Tay Water Park has received millions of visitors so far.

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Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi

Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi

Hoan Kiem Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword", also known as Hồ Gươm - Sword Lake) is a lake in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.

Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi Capital

The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for its public life. Tortoise Tower (Thap Rua) in the center of the lake According to the legend, emperor Le Loi handed a magic sword called Heaven's Will which brought him victory in his revolt against the Chinese Ming Dynasty back to the Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) in the lake and hence gave it its present name (the lake was formerly known as "Luc Thuy" meaning "Green Water"). The Tortoise Tower (Thap Rua) standing on a small island near the center of lake is linked to the legend.

Large soft-shell turtles, either of the species Rafetus swinhoei or a separate species named Rafetus leloii in honor of the emperor, have been sighted in the lake. The species is critically endangered and the number of individuals in the lake is unclear.

The Huc Bridge Near the northern shore of the lake lies Jade Island on which the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) stands. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honors the 13-century military leader Tran Hung Dao who distinguished himself in the fight against the Yuan Dynasty, Van Xuong, a scholar, and Nguyen Van Sieu, a Confucian master and famous writer in charge of repairs made to the temple in 1864. Jade Island is connected to the shore by the wooden red-painted Huc Bridge (The Huc, meaning Morning Sunlight Bridge).

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Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City

Cu Chi Tunnels

Construction of the first tunnels actually started under the French rule and spanned 25 years. The network is extensive, over 200 km of galleries in Cu Chi district alone.

Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City

Other branches reach as far away as the Cambodian border. The network, built several stories deep, included living quarters, specially designed Dien Bien Phu kitchens' which diffused the smoke so as to be invisible from the skies, a weapons factory, command centers and even field hospitals.

Ironically, ignorant of the existence of the tunnels, US military installed a large base camp right on top of the network. It too them months to figure out why, at night, soldiers were being shot right in their tents. The Americans and Australian tried a variety of methods to pacify the area around Cu Chi, at that time known as the Iron Triangle. But neither bombs, napalm, defoliant, hunting dogs, nor tunnel rats were successful in driving Viet Cong guerrillas away. In 1969 the Americans decided to carpet bomb the whole area with B-52s, turning the area into what has been described as 'the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and devastated area in the history of warfare'. Although they managed this time to destroy most of the tunnel network, along with everything else around, it was too late: the war was ending and the tunnel had been an important component of the Viet Cong victory.

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