Den Ngoc Son; or 鈥楯ade Mountain Temple' is one of the most revered religious complexes in the capital. Established by the scholarly mandarin Nguyen Van Sieu (1799-1872) appropriate symbols of learning and literature mark the temple complex.

Ho Hoan Kiem means 鈥楲ake of the Restored Sword'; a body of water that lies at the heart of Hanoi. Until the 15th century it was called Luc Thuy or 鈥楪reen Water'. Legend has it that during the Ming occupation (1407-28); General Le Loi was presented with a magical sword by a divine turtle that lived in the waters. With the help of this sword; Le Loi expelled the Chinese from northern Vietnam and established himself as Emperor Le Thai To. Later; when the emperor was sailing on the lake; the turtle rose to the surface and reclaimed the sword. Ever since it has been known as Ho Hoan Kiem.

???; Dong fa hu矛 - French Indochina (French: Indochine fran莽aise; Vietnamese: 脨么ng Duong thu?c Ph谩p; frequently abbreviated to 脨么ng Ph谩p) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions; Tonkin (North); Annam (Central); and Cochinchina (South); as well as Cambodia; was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tch茅ou-Wan in 1900.

The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II; the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941; the Viet Minh; a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh; began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954; after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu; France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina. Pictures From History