Explore Vietnamese Culture with Writer Nguyen Ngoc Ngan

By: Nguyen Ngoc Ngan

Abstract:

Writer Nguyen Ngoc Ngan: In a previous issue of VietSun Magazine, I mentioned pretty much the details the reason why Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital. I’d like to summarize as follows: The land that we now call Hà Nội, in the past it was called by different names: Tống Bình or Long Biên or Đại La citadel. When Lý Công Uẩn succeeded the throne, became Lý Thái Tổ, our capital was at Hoa Lư. History had written that: “The Emperor saw that the land Hoa Lư was too small, therefore he moved the capital to Đại La citadel. Then he saw a golden dragon descended on his boat, then flied into the sky, and therefore changed Đại La citadel into Thăng Long (flying dragon)”. The name Thăng Long was kept until the time of Emperor Minh Mạng when it was changed to Hà Nội.