Hoàn Kiếm () is one of the four original
urban districts (quận) of
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, the capital city of
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. 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 (phường), covering a total area of .
[ 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 Metropolitan People's 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 Hanoi Opera House (), or the Grand Opera House (, ) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. Hanoi Opera House is one of three opera houses that the French built ...
, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, the National Museum of Vietnamese History (formerly the École française d'Extrême-Orient), the Grand Palais
The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
, and the Tonkin Palace.
History
The district has been witness to the long history of Hanoi.
In the early Lý dynasty
The Lý dynasty (, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 朝李, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''triều Lý''), officially Đại Cồ Việt (chữ Hán: 大瞿越) from 1009 to 1054 and Đại Việt (chữ Hán: 大越) from 1054 to 1225, was ...
, in 545, the emperor Lý Nam Đế settled his encampment, and built a wooden raft on the Tô Lịch River to defend against invasion of the Liang dynasty
The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () or Xiao Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was pre ...
.
During the Nguyễn dynasty
The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...
, Emperor Minh Mạng
Minh Mạng (), also known as Minh Mệnh (, vi-hantu, 明 命, lit. "the bright favour of Heaven"; 25 May 1791 – 20 January 1841; born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, also known as Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu), was the second emperor of the Nguyễ ...
established the province of Hanoi in Hoàn Kiếm in 1831.
In 1920, this district was home to the country's first business school.
Between 1954 and 1961, the current district covered all of Hoàn Kiếm ward, Đồng Xuân ward and a part of Hàng Co ward and Hàng Bài ward. In 1961, the entire area was combined into Hoàn Kiếm ward. In January 1981 the ward was upgraded into Hoàn Kiếm district, including 18 wards that have remained since.
Cityscape
The district has a distinctive north–south division among its wards. Its northern-half houses the Old Quarter with small street blocks and alleys, and a traditional Vietnamese atmosphere. Many streets in the Old Quarter have names signifying the goods ("hàng") the local merchants were or are specialized in. For example, "Hàng Bạc" (''silver stores'') still have many stores specializing in trading silver and jewelries.
Hoàn Kiếm's 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 Hanoi Opera House (), or the Grand Opera House (, ) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. Hanoi Opera House is one of three opera houses that the French built ...
, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, the National Museum of Vietnamese History (formerly the École française d'Extrême-Orient), and the Tonkin Palace. Many of the French-styled buildings in the south of the districts are now used as foreign embassies and government offices. Ba Đình district is also called the "French Quarter" because of the high concentration of French architecture.
Wards
*" Old Quarter" area
**Cửa Đông (Eastern Gate)
**Đồng Xuân (Springfield)
**Hàng Bạc
**Hàng Bồ
**Hàng Bông (partially also in the French Quarter)
**Hàng Buồm
**Hàng Đào
**Hàng Gai
**Hàng Mã
*"French Quarter" area
**Cửa Nam (Southern Gate)
**Hàng Bài
**Hàng Trống
**Lý Thái Tổ
**Phan Chu Trinh
**Trần Hưng Đạo
**Tràng Tiền (Mint
Mint or The Mint may refer to:
Plants
* Lamiaceae, the mint family
** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint"
Coins and collectibles
* Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins
* Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
)
*Beyond the Red River dike area
**Chương Dương
**Phúc Tân
Tourist destinations
Many of Hanoi's tourist attractions are located in Hoàn Kiếm, including the Old Quarter, the Hanoi Opera House
The Hanoi Opera House (), or the Grand Opera House (, ) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. Hanoi Opera House is one of three opera houses that the French built ...
, the St. Joseph's Cathedral, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, and the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre.
File:Cau The Huc (Pont du soleil levant).jpg, Thê Húc Bridge on Hoàn Kiếm Lake
File:Hanoi_opera_house._Made_as_a_copy_of_the_Opera_Garnier_in_Paris_(22334215449).jpg, Hanoi Opera House
The Hanoi Opera House (), or the Grand Opera House (, ) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. Hanoi Opera House is one of three opera houses that the French built ...
modeled on the Palais Garnier
The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the ...
in Paris
File:St._Joseph%27s_Cathedral_-_Hanoi,_Vietnam.jpg, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi resembling Notre Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
File:La Terrasse, Sofitel Metropole - 2022-09-02 03.jpg, A corner of Hôtel Metropole
File:Hanoi,_Vietnam_(12036416576).jpg, Tonkin Palace, formerly housing the French governor of Tonkin
Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, including both the ...
File:Bâtiments_172.jpg, Museum of Vietnamese History, formerly the first '' École française d'Extrême-Orient''
File:Dong_Xuan_market.jpg, Đồng Xuân Market
File:ExpositionHanoi1902 GrandPalais (1).jpg, Grand Palais
The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
built for the Hanoi Exhibition, destroyed during WWII
File:Trung Vuong Secondary School - 1.jpg, Trưng Vương Lower Secondary School, where the last physical depiction of Hanoi's seal from French colonial times remains.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoan Kiem District
Districts of Hanoi