20 Interesting Facts About Hanoi

Hanoi Facts

Facts About Hanoi

  • Hanoi covers an area of 3,358.6 km2.
  • Hanoi is the second-largest city in Vietnam, comprising 12 urban districts, 1 district-levelled town and 17 rural districts
  • Hanoi has been the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since 1976.
  • Hanoi was the only Asia-Pacific locality to be granted the “City for Peace” title by UNESCO on July 16, 1999, recognizing its contributions to the struggle for peace, its efforts to promote equality in the community, protect the environment, promote culture and education and care for younger generations.
  • Hanoi joined UNESCO’s Network of Creative Cities as a Design City on 31 October 2019 on the occasion of World Cities’ Day.
  • Hanoi averages 1,612 millimetres of rainfall per year, the majority falling from May to October. There is an average of 114 days with rain.
  • The highest recorded temperature was 42.8 °C in May 1926, while the lowest recorded temperature was 2.7 °C in January 1955.
  • In 2010, the Vietnamese celebrated the 1000th birthday of their capital.
  • The estimated population of Hanoi is 4.7 million people.
  • Hanoi is part of the Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast through the Strait of Malacca towards the southern tip of India to Mombasa, from there through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region to the northern Italian hub of Trieste with its rail connections to Central Europe and the North Sea.
  • Hoan Kiem Lake is named after a unique 15th Century Legend.
  • Hanoi is twinned with: Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Beijing, China; Angoulême, France; Île-de-France, France; Toulouse, France; Hong Kong; Jakarta, Indonesia; Isfahan, Iran; Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan; Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan; Seoul, South Korea; Warsaw, Poland; Manila, Philippines; Bucharest, Romania; Moscow, Russia; Victoria, Seychelles; Bangkok, Thailand & Ankara, Turkey.
  • Hanoi is a member of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
  • Hanoi is abundant with French Colonial Architecture.
  • Hanoi means “city inside rivers” in Vietnamese reflecting its location between the Red River and Nhue River.
  • The old name of Hanoi though was Thang Long which can translate as “Ascending Dragon“.
  • The highest peak is at Ba Vi with 1281 m, located west of the city proper.
  • The Long Bien Bridge of Hanoi was designed by Alexandre Gustav Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty.
  • Hanoi is famous for the world’s largest mosaic mural. The Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural is about 2.5 miles long and appears on a wall for Hanoi’s dike system.
  • Hanoi is that the houses are tall but very narrow because the property tax is based on the width of the building. This taxation law was introduced in the 19th century by the French.
Hanoi Facts
Facts About Hanoi