Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi


The Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi was celebrated from 1 to 10 October 2010, the 1,000th anniversary of the foundation of the capital Thăng Long by the emperor Lý Thái Tổ. There were many events that were held in 2009 and 2010 to commemorate the Millennial Anniversary including cultural and traditional festivals, inaugurations of major projects of Hanoi among others.

History

According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, Lý Thái Tổ, the first emperor of the Lý Dynasty, decided to move the capital of the country from Hoa Lư to Đại La in the seventh month of the Lunar calendar, 1010. When the convoy of Lý Thái Tổ arrived in Đại La, a golden dragon rose beside the emperor's boat, hence Lý Thái Tổ changed the name of the new capital from Đại La to Thăng Long.

Commemorative projects

There are many major projects of the city of Hanoi that were constructed and inaugurated in commemorating the Millennial Anniversary. Amongst them several construction works would have their inauguration days from 1 to 10 October 2010:
ProjectVietnamese nameArea
Hanoi MuseumBảo tàng Hà NộiPhạm Hùng road, Từ Liêm district
Hòa Bình ParkCông viên Hòa BìnhTừ Liêm district
Workers' TheatreRạp Công nhânTràng Tiền street, Hoàn Kiếm district
Thanh Trì BridgeCầu Thanh TrìAcross the Red River
Vĩnh Tuy BridgeCầu Vĩnh TuyAcross the Red River
Láng - Hòa Lạc HighwayĐường cao tốc Láng - Hòa Lạc

In February 2010, a project was announced in which 1,000 objects will be buried with a message for the future generations in 1,000 years. They are 63 representative items for 63 provinces of Vietnam and another 937 items from ordinary life suggested by people of Hanoi. All objects will be kept in a container of 1,000 liters which symbolizes 1,000 years of Thăng Long - Hanoi and would be buried in the site of the Hanoi Museum.

Events

The Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi was officially celebrated from 1 to 10 October 2010, with the great celebration held on Sunday, 10 October 2010, which is also the Liberation Day of Hanoi. The ceremony is considered one of the most important events of Vietnam in the year 2010 after the official instruction No. 32-CT/TU of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to organize the Millennial Anniversary, a committee was established with members from the Politburo, the Government of Vietnam and the City of Hanoi. The main purpose of the ceremony is expressing gratefulness to generations of Vietnamese in the past who contributed to the defence and development of the country, and passing this tradition on to the future generations. Exactly 1,000 days before the official ceremony, a count-down clock of 17 m high and 8m wide was inaugurated at the Bà Kiệu Temple, in front of the Hoan Kiem Lake, on 13 January 2008.
2010 Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi Football Championship was held from 20 September to 24 September.

Surrounding events

Commemorative events are not only organized in Hanoi but also in other provinces of Vietnam from Phú Thọ to Huế and Ho Chi Minh City. For example, in Bắc Ninh, the native land of Lý Thái Tổ, an incense offering ceremony at the Lý Bát Đế Shrine and other festivals will be held during the ten days from 1 to 10 October 2010 while the Ho Chi Minh City will organize its own festival named "Thang Long – Hanoi: 1000 Years of History".

Main events

On 10 June 2009, the Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng issued a decision approving the detailed scheme of the Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi as following:
DayAt A glance
1 October

2–9 October
  • Film festival about Hanoi, art show at the Hanoi Opera House, street festivals.
  • Final matches of the Thăng Long - Hanoi Football Cup, the Marathon of the Hà Nội Mới newspaper, the cycling tournament from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.
  • Tourism Festival of Hanoi, Festival for Craft Villages of Hanoi and various exhibitions, festivals.
  • Awards ceremony of the "Hanoi - Your Rendezvous", an international competition on knowledge about Thăng Long - Hanoi.
    • 10 OctoberGreat Ceremony of the Millennial Anniversary