A Journey through Vietnam’s Past: Visiting the Citadel of Hanoi

Established by the Lý Dynasty in the 11th century, and used as a command base throughout the American War of the 1970s, the Citadel of Hanoi was the seat of Vietnamese power for nearly a thousand years. Visiting the citadel provides glimpses into various periods of the country’s complex history.

Having already visited the citadel in Hue, we expected something similar in Hanoi. But it wasn’t the case at all. Hanoi’s citadel is both much older than Hue’s, and at the same time more modern. Hist...