Red River Delta

On December 19, 1946, Viet Minh soldiers detonated explosives in Hanoi, and the ensuing battle, known as the Battle of Hanoi marked the opening salvo of the First Indochina War.

French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1947 as the Indochinese Federation, was a grouping of French colonial territories in Mainland Southeast Asia until its demise in 1954. It comprised Cambodia, Laos (from 1899), the Chinese territory of Guangzhouwan (from 1898 until 1945), and the Vietnamese regions of Tonkin in the north, Annam in the centre, and Cochinchina in the south. The capital for most of its history (1902–1945) was Hanoi; Saigon was the capital from 1887 to 1902 and again from 1945 to 1954. The Second French Empire annexed Cochinchina in 1862 and established a protectorate in Cambodia in 1863. After the French Third Republic took over northern Vietnam through the Tonkin campaign, the various protectorates were consolidated into one union in 1887. Two more entities were incorporated into the union: the Laotian protectorate and the Chinese territory of Guangzhouwan. The French exploited the resources in the region during their rule, but also contributed to improvements of the health and education system in the region. Nevertheless, deep divides remained between the native population and the colonists, leading to sporadic rebellions by the former. After the Fall of France during World War II, the colony was administered by the Vichy government and was under Japanese occupation until March 1945, when the Japanese overthrew the colonial regime. After the Japanese surrender, the Viet Minh, a communist organization led by Hồ Chí Minh, declared Vietnamese independence, but France subsequently took back control of French Indochina with the help of the British. An all-out independence war, known as the First Indochina War, broke out in late 1946 between French and Viet Minh forces. To counter the Viet Minh, the State of Vietnam, led by former Emperor Bảo Đại, was proclaimed by the French in 1949. French efforts to retake Vietnam were unsuccessful, culminating in defeat at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ. On 22 October and 9 November 1953, the Kingdom of Laos and Kingdom of Cambodia proclaimed their respective independences. Following the Geneva Accord of 1954, the French were forced to withdraw from Vietnam, which had been split into the two countries (until 1976), and French Indochina was no more.

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hanoi (Latin: Archidioecesis Metropolitae Hanoiensis, Vietnamese: Tổng giáo phận đô thành Hà Nội, French: Archidiocèse Metropolitain d'Hanoï) is a Catholic metropolitan archdiocese of Vietnam. It is one of the earliest in the history of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. The creation of the diocese in present form was declared 24 November 1960. It covers an area of 7,000 km2 and has been led by Archbishop Joseph Vũ Văn Thiên since November 2018.

Hanoi Garden is a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam. It opened in 1998 on Hang Manh street in the Old Quarter. It serves Vietnamese cuisine with a twist and is quite popular with the local Vietnamese. The restaurant has seating for about 200 people. The Vietnam Economic Times has praised its variety of dishes, saying, "You can't fault the Hanoi Garden in this respect, at least. Its bill of fare has page after page of Vietnamese dishes."

The Ngọc Sơn Temple (Vietnamese: Đền Ngọc Sơn, chữ Nôm: 𪽛玉山) is located on a islet in Hoàn Kiếm Lake, central Hanoi, Vietnam.

Hàng Bông Street (Vietnamese: Phố Hàng Bông), formerly Rue du Coton during the French colonial period, is a street in ancient quarter of Hanoi. It continues from the crossroad Hàng Bông - Hàng Gai - Hàng Trong - Hàng Hom to the former city gate Cửa Nam (South Gate) with length about 932 m. Hàng Bông was once a street which produced cotton to make clothes or winter blankets. Today Hàng Bông is one of the busiest streets of Hanoi for shopping with art galleries, silk shops, and clothes shops.

Hàng Mã Street (phố Hàng Mã) is a street in Hanoi famous for selling toys, paper goods, and in particular paper votive offerings. The street has been selling paper goods for more than 500 years. The street carries some of the wares of religious goods stores.

St. Joseph's Cathedral (Vietnamese: Nhà thờ Lớn Hà Nội, Nhà thờ Chính tòa Thánh Giuse; French: Cathédrale Saint-Joseph d'Hanoï) is a Catholic church on Nhà Chung Street, in the Hoàn Kiếm District of Hanoi, Vietnam. It is a late 19th-century Gothic Revival (Neo-Gothic style) church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi. The cathedral is named after Joseph, the patron saint of Vietnam. Construction began in 1884, with an architectural style resembling the Notre Dame de Paris. The church was one of the first structures built by the colonial government of French Indochina when it opened in December 1886. It is the oldest church in Hanoi.The cathedral conducts Mass several times during the day. For Sunday evening mass at 6:00 PM, large crowds spill out into the streets. Prayer hymns are broadcast to the plaza outside; Catholics who are unable to enter the cathedral congregate in the street and listen to hymns.

Hoàn Kiếm (chữ Hán: 郡還劍; transl. Returned Sword) is one of the four original urban districts of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. It is named after the scenic Hoàn Kiếm Lake. The lake is in the heart of the district and serves as the focal point of the city's public life. The majority of tourist attractions in Hanoi are also located in the district. The district currently has 18 wards, covering a total area of 5.29 square kilometres (2.04 sq mi). As of 2019, there were 135,618 people residing in the district Hoàn Kiếm is the downtown and commercial center of Hanoi. Most of the largest Vietnamese public corporations and bank headquarters are located here, but the central government offices are located in Ba Đình district. The Hanoi City Committee is located on Đinh Tiên Hoàng street, adjacent to the Hoàn Kiếm lake. The district has a north–south division among its wards. Its northern half houses the Old Quarter with small street blocks and alleys, and a traditional Vietnamese atmosphere. The southern half has distinctive French-style villas and broad avenues, and is sometimes called the "French Quarter" in modern travel literature. Some notable buildings in Hoàn Kiếm's "French Quarter" are the Hanoi Opera House, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, the National Museum of Vietnamese History (formerly the École française d'Extrême-Orient), the Grand Palais, and the Tonkin Palace.

Hoàn Kiếm Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, chữ Hán: 湖還劍, meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword"), also known as Sword Lake (Hồ Gươm) or Tả Vọng Lake (Hồ Tả Vọng), is a fresh water lake, measuring some 12 ha in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. In the past, the lake was variously named "Lục Thủy Lake" (Vietnamese: Hồ Lục Thủy, meaning "Green Water Lake" - aptly named for the water's color) or "Thủy Quân Lake" (Vietnamese: Hồ Thủy Quân, meaning "Mariner's Lake"). The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for its public life.

The Al-Noor Mosque (Vietnamese: Thánh đường Hồi giáo Al-Noor) is a mosque in Hoàn Kiếm ward, Hanoi, Vietnam. It is the only mosque in Hanoi and northern Vietnam.

Việt Đức Hospital (aka. Việt Đức University Hospital, Vietnamese: Bệnh viện Việt Đức, literally "Vietnam – Germany Hospital") is the largest surgical center of Vietnam, situated at Trang Thi Street, Hanoi. The Hospital was founded in 1904 as a part of Indochina Medical College by the French colonial governor Paul Doumer. During its history it bore many names: Yersin Hospital (1943), Hospital of Vietnam – GDR (German Democratic Republic) Friendship (1958–1991), Viêt Duc Hospital (from 1991 now on). The well known Vietnamese surgeon Ton That Tung more than 40 years conducted his research and operations here. At present, the Hospital has more than 500 beds for patients and 18 surgery rooms and able to perform over 800 open-heart operations annually. It has good cooperation in exchange and training programs with medical facilities in France, Germany, Australia and some other countries. In 1998, the Medicinal Laser Unit was established here to study and apply laser techniques in diagnosis and treatment of some diseases including cancer. In 2006, Hans Messer Foundation in a partnership with East Meets West Foundation and Dräger donated new equipment of total value more than US$160,000 to increase the capacity for children's surgery in the Hospital. The hospital has been a site of collaboration with Facing the World, a UK charity that trains Vietnamese surgeons in craniofacial surgery, sends UK doctors to Vietnam to perform surgeries, and provides equipment to Vietnamese hospitals.