Over the last millennium, Thang Long-Hanoi has always been the crucible of the nation’s brave soul. Civilization, righteousness, generosity, and tradition have mingled in the capital city. The civilization of Thang Long-Hanoi represents the civilization of Vietnam.

For the next ten days, the Vietnamese people will be celebrating the millennial anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. This is the event of a lifetime, the culmination of a thousand years of effort by the Vietnamese nation.

 

Legend has it that the Hung kings established the nation more than 3,000 years ago.

 

Later, the country was invaded by foreigners who oppressed the people and exploited the country’s natural resources. But the foreigners also brought with them their culture which objectively speaking, more advanced than that of the local people at that time. The ancestors of today’s Vietnamese population learned from the invading soldiers, monks, priests, and merchants, carefully sorted out what was best in their cultures and moulded it all with the Vietnamese nature to create the Vietnamese civilization.

In recorded history, the Vietnamese people’s struggle for independence, freedom, and human dignity began with the insurrection of the Trung Ladies in the year 43 AD. This was followed by a thousand years of struggle for national independence. Vietnam completely regained its independence only near the end of the first millennium after Ngo Quyen defeated northern invaders on the Bach Dang river and established the Ngo dynasty (949-959), laying the foundation for the modern country of Vietnam. Following Ngo Quyen was Dinh Bo Linh with the Dinh dynasty (968-980) and Le Hoan with the early Le dynasty and the setting up of a capital in Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh.

 

In the lunar year of Canh Tuan, 1010, King Ly Thai To made a momentous decision to transfer his capital to Thang Long. This event took place one thousand years ago.

 

While safeguarding and consolidating their independence, the Vietnamese people have peacefully expanded their country to the south and southwest.

 

The names of pioneers in this process are written in Vietnam’s history. Early in the 14th century, Huyen Tran, a princess of the Tran dynasty, was married off to a Champa king in return for Chau O and Chau Ri which today are parts of Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien – Hue provinces. In the 17th century, army commander Nguyen Huu Canh led the militia from central Vietnam to reclaim land and set up the towns of Gia Dinh and Tan Binh. In the 19th century, general Nguyen Van Thoai mobilized tens of thousands of people to dig the Thoai Ha and Vinh Te canals, build roads and set up villages to fix permanently Vietnam’s southwestern border. Soldiers volunteered for the settlement and defence of Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Phu Quoc and Con Son islands, among others.  National heroes such as Nguyen Tri Phuong, Hoang Dieu, Truong Dinh and Nguyen Trung Truc fought Vietnam’s enemies with arms while Nguyen Dinh Chieu used his pen to fight against the invaders.

 

Over the last millennium, the Vietnamese people have overcome numerous obstacles and met numerous challenges. They smashed the Song army in the Ly dynasty, defeated the Yuan invaders in the Tran dynasty, defeated the Ming aggressors in the Le dynasty, and routed the Ch’ing army in the Nguyen (Quang Trung) dynasty. In the Ho Chi Minh era, Uncle Ho and the Communist Party of Vietnam led partriots to win the August 1945 Revolution, the Dien Bien Phu victory over the French in 1954, and the great victory over the US in 1975.

 

On the millennial anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, the Vietnamese people, wherever they live, should be grateful to our ancestors, our nation, and Uncle Ho Chi Minh. We should strengthen our unity and work side by side for independence, development and the success of this historic national celebration.

 

(VOVNEWS)