The History:
In 1005 AD, Lê Long Đĩnh took over the throne of the Lê Dynasty, at the age of 20. Lê Long Đĩnh was famous for his cruelty, tortures, and orgies. He has been compared to Emperor Nero of the Roman Empire, and became one of the most hated kings in Vietnamese history. Toward the end of his short reign and life, Lê Long Đĩnh became so ill that he resided over his court lying down, earning him the nickname Lê Ngọa Triều ("lying in court"). He died in 1009 AD at the age of 24, leaving an infant son to succeed him.
At the time, the Buddhist monks were powerful in court, and they disapproved of Lê Long Đĩnh's rule. Instead of enthroning his infant son, the court, being heavily influenced by Buddhist monks, decided to appoint the head commander of the palace guard, Lý Công Uẫn, to be the next king. Even though Lý Công Uẫn was a loyal servant to Lê Long Đĩnh, he was also a temple orphan who was raised by the monks, and was a devout Buddhist. Lý Công Uẫn became Lý Thái Tổ, the first in a long line of Lý kings (216 years) that brought the country to great prosperity. The Lý Dynasty marked the beginning of a golden era in Vietnamese history, building a strong economy, expanding the country south (Nam Tiến), building the first university (Văn Miếu, 1070) and the first noble university (Quốc Tử Giám), and having the first declaration of independence (Nam Quốc Sơn Hà, composed by Lý Thường Kiệt). In 1054, king Lý Thánh Tông renamed the country from Đại Cồ Việt to Đại Việt ("Great Việt").
In 1010, Lý Thái Tổ decided to change the direction of the country, from one based on military defense to one of economic expansion, thus deciding to move the capital city from Hoa Lư (a natural fortress) to Đại La (in the middle of the Red River delta) to the north. Legend has it that, during an outing, Lý Thái Tổ saw a dragon ascending from the Red River. He then renamed Đại La to Thăng Long ("ascending dragon"), thus began its 1000 years of history as the [on-and-off] capital of Viet-Nam.
Over the years, Thăng-Long was renamed many times. Today, the name is still used, in nostalgia and in reference to a proud past and a proud country.
The Names:
Over the 5000 years since it was first inhabited, Thăng-Long took on many names.
The first inhabitants settled on the delta of the Red River around 3000 BC.
Around 300 BC, a citadel named Cổ Loa (古螺, "old spiral" from its shape) was founded.
From 207 BC to 866 AD, the Chinese, under its three dominations, changed the name to Tống Bình (宋平, "made peaceful by the Song [Dynasty]") and later to Long Đỗ (龍肚, "dragon's belly").
In 866, the Chinese turned it into a citadel and renamed it Đại La (大羅, "the great net [to catch birds]").
In 1010, Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital of Đại Việt to Đại La, and renamed it Thăng Long (昇龍, "ascending dragon").
In 1397, when the capital was temporarily moved to Thanh Hóa (also known as Tây Đô, 西都, "western capital"), Thăng Long then became Đông Đô (東都, "eastern capital").
In 1408, Ming Dynasty of China occupied Đại Ngu (then Viet-Nam), renamed Đông Đô to Đông Quan (東關, "eastern gateway").
In 1428, Lê Lợi overthrew the Chinese and renamed Đông Quan to Đông Kinh (東京, "eastern capital", the same name used for Tokyo, Japan). The name was known to Europeans as Tonkin (as in "Gulf of Tonkin").
After the end of Tây Sơn Dynasty in 1802, it was named Bắc Thành (北城, "northern citadel").
In 1802, the Nguyễn Dynasty moved the capital down to Huế. The name Thăng Long (昇龍, "ascending dragon") was eventually modified to become a different Thăng Long (昇隆, "to ascend and flourish").
In 1831, Minh Mạng renamed it Hà Nội (河内, "river interior"). The name stays to this day.
Hà Nội was occupied by the French in 1873 and became the capital of French Indochina after 1887.
In 1954, Hà Nội became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Việt-Nam.
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