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Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội), estimated population 3,083,800 (2004), is the capital of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, it was the political center of an independent Vietnam with a few brief interruptions. It was eclipsed by Huế during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but served as the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1945. From 1945 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam. The city is located on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is located at 21°2' North, 105°51' East (21.0333, 105.85), 1,760 km (1,094 mi) north of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). *
History
Climate Hanoi experiences the typical climate of northern Vietnam, where summers are hot and humid, and winters are cold and dry. The summer months from May to September receive the majority of rainfall in the year (1,682 mm rainfall/ year). The winter months from November to March are relatively dry, although spring then often brings light rains. The minimum winter temperature in Hanoi rarely goes lower than 6–7 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit), while summer can get as hot as 38–40 degrees Celsius (100+ degrees Fahrenheit). Central heating is not common in Hanoi, and wind chills may make one feel rather cold in winter. Hanoi experiences four full seasons in a year. Education Hanoi, as the capital of Indochina, was home to the first western-style universities in Indochina, including: Hanoi Medical College (1902), Indochina University (1904), and École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de L'Indochine (1925). Hanoi is the largest center of education in Vietnam. Admissions to undergraduate study are through entrance examinations, which are conducted annually and open for everyone in the country. The majority of universities in Hanoi are public, although in recent years a few private universities have started their operation. Because most of the national universities are located in Hanoi (and Ho Chi Minh City), students from other provinces wishing to enter university often travel to Hanoi for the annual entrance examination. Such events often take place in June/July, when a large number of students and their families converge on the city a few weeks before and after the exam dates. There are also many pre-tertiary schools in Hanoi which mainly serve their local districts. Education is equivalent to the K–12 system in the US, with elementary school between grades 1 and 5, middle school (or junior high) between grades 6 and 9, and high school for grades 10 to 12. Some schools might have a few selective classes for students with higher entry scores, with a stronger emphasis on subjects such as mathematics or sciences. A number of schools are designated as selective where admissions are also by entrant examination on the subjects of choice. A few major universities in Hanoi also run a limited number of high-school and middle-school classes out of their Hanoi campuses for gifted students in subjects such as mathematics, chemistry, physics, information technology, linguistics, biology, and other social science and humanity subjects. Places of interest
Population Hanoi's population is constantly growing, a reflection of the fact that the city is both a major metropolitan area of Northern Vietnam, and also the country's political centre. This population growth also puts a lot of pressure onto the infrastructure, some of which is antiquated and dates back from the early 20th century. When you talk to Hanoians, they will concede that most people you meet in Hanoi these days are from somewhere else. If you define a native Hanoian as someone who has been here for three generations or more, that number is likely to stay relatively small as compared to the overall population of the city. Even in the Old Quarter, where commerce started a few hundreds years ago and was mostly a family business, many of the street-front stores nowadays are owned by merchants and retailers from other provinces. The original owner family may have either rented out the store and moved to live further inside the house, or just moved out of the neighbourhood altogether. The pace of change has especially escalated after the abandonment of central-planing economic policies, and the loosening of the district-based household registrar system. The considerate and genteel nature of Hanoians is occasionally quoted in idioms and literature, which may appear as annoyingly snobbish. In reality, they are a reflection of a past where Hanoi is the convergent point for much of the country's talents in arts and education. They are also a reflection of a system heavily entrenched in Confucian values where modesty and consideration of others were regarded with a higher priority than one's self. As the opening up of the economy has brought in other pressures on people's daily life, advocates for those "old" values are in many ways helping to counter an "everyone for himself" mentality, to maintain social cohesion. Transportation
Economy Though representing only 3.6 percent of the country's population and 0.3 percent of the national territory, Hanoi contributes 8 percent to the national GDP and 45 percent of the Red River Delta's economy. Industrial production in the city has experienced a rapid boom since the 1990s, with average annual growth of 19.1 percent from 1991–95, 15.9 percent from 1996–2000, and 20.9 percent during 2001–2003. In addition to eight existing industrial parks, Hanoi is building five new large-scale industrial parks and 16 small- and medium-sized industrial clusters. The non-state economic sector is expanding fast, with more than 25,000 businesses currently operating under the Enterprise Law. Trade is another strong sector of the city. In 2003, Hanoi had 2,000 businesses engaged in foreign trade, having established ties with 161 countries and territories. The city's export value grew by an average 11.6 percent each year from 1996–2000 and 9.1 percent during 2001–2003. The economic structure also underwent important shifts, with tourism, finance, and banking now playing an increasingly important role. Agriculture, previously a pillar in Hanoi's economy, has striven to reform itself, introducing new high-yield plant varieties and livestock, and applying modern farming techniques. Together with economic growth, Hanoi's appearance has also changed significantly, especially in recent years. Infrastructure is constantly being upgraded, with new roads and an improved public transportation system. The rate of telephone users was 30 per 100 people in 2003. New urban areas are growing rapidly, with 1.5 million square metres of housing constructed during 1996–2000 and 1.3 million square metres built in 2003 alone. Social services have been developed in both scale and quality. The public healthcare network has been strengthened, ensuring at least one doctor for each commune and ward. Thanks to these accomplishments, Hanoi has the highest development index in the country. Movements such as raising donations for poor people or promoting a "cultural lifestyle", have received support from local people and been maintained. Health care and other facilities The following medical facilities are located in Hanoi: Photos of Hanoi image:Hanoi_temple_de_la_litterature.jpg|The Temple of Literature Image:EOS_6339_raw.jpg|The Temple of Literature, second court yard Image:EOS_6341_raw.jpg|The Temple of Literature, steles with names of those succseful at the imperial exams Image:EOS_6343_raw.jpg|The Temple of Literature, third court yard Image:EOS_6354_raw.jpg|The Temple of Literature, third court yard Image:EOS_6346_raw2.jpg|The Temple of Literature, main hall Image:EOS_6351_raw2.jpg|The Temple of Literature, main hall image:Van_mieu_1.jpg|The Temple of Literature image:Chua_mot_cot.jpg|One Pillar Pagoda image:Hanoi_Oper.jpg|Grand Opera House image:Phu_toan_quyen_2.jpg|President Place (formerly Place of The Governor-General of French Indochina) image:Bacbophu2.jpg|State Guest House (formerly Residence of Resident - Superior of Tonkin) image:Hanoi 4.jpg|Historic hotel Sofitel Metropole Hanoi image:Cot co.jpg|Flag Tower of Hanoi image:chua_tran_quoc.jpg|Tran Quoc pagoda image:CathedraleSTJosephHanoi.jpg|The cathédrale St-Joseph image:Hanoi lythaito.jpg|Statue of Ly Thai To, founder of Hanoi Image:EOS_6366_raw.jpg|Hoan Kiem lake image:Cau_the_huc.jpg|The Huc bridge and Hoan Kiem lake image:Pho_co.jpg|The Old Quarter image:Pho_kham_thien.jpg|Kham Thien street, old days image:pho_phan_dinh_phung.jpg|Phan Dinh Phung street image:bao_tang_my_thuat.jpg|National Museum of Fine Art image:bao_tang_lich_su.jpg|National Museum of History image:Hilton_hn.jpg|Hanoi tower (built on the land of the famous prison Hanoi Hilton) image:Long_bien_bridge_vn.jpg|Long Bien bridge image:Chieu_ho_tay.jpg|West Lake image:Pho_trang_tien.jpg|Trang Tien street image:Le thai to str.jpg|A busy street image:Vietnam Hanoi HoChiMinhMausoleum.jpg|Ho Chi Minh mausoleum image:Ha_noi_moi.jpg|A new street image:Chungcumoi dem.jpg|A new quarter image:ha_noi_from_nikko.jpg|Park of Reunification (former Lenin park) image:Hoaxinh.jpg|Selling flower in the street image:Hanoi-292.jpg|A French colonial-style house image:Pho_hang_hom.jpg|An old house (Pho Hang Hom) image:Pho19.jpg|Old street—A photo of a painting by Bui Xuan Phai—a famous Vietnamese painter | ||||||||||||||
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