{"id":82486,"date":"2020-09-29T12:13:02","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.expatinfodesk.com\/?page_id=82486"},"modified":"2023-02-01T13:46:30","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T13:46:30","slug":"introduction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.expatinfodesk.com\/destinations\/hanoi\/introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

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An Introduction to Living in Hanoi for Expats<\/h2>\n

Hanoi is a bustling metropolis at a bend in the Red River a hundred kilometers inland from the Gulf of Tonkin. Human settlement in Hanoi dates back 2500 years, and traces of ancient times still remain amid the modern development of the city. The Chinese colonized North Vietnam for a thousand years until driven out in the eleventh century A.D., and Chinese influence is visible in architecture and in monuments such as the Temple of Literature, a Confucian temple that is more than a thousand years old. The name \u201cHanoi\u201d comes from the Chinese name \u201cHe Nei,\u201d meaning \u201cwithin the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

The French ruled Vietnam from 1862 till the end of World War II, when the French-Indochina war began, with Ho Chi Minh\u2019s struggle for independence. The system of writing Vietnamese with the Roman alphabet came from the French, as did the many spacious colonial villas scattered around Hanoi (ocher plaster now flaking from their walls). The French also inculcated the Vietnamese with a love for coffee, and the unique style of coffee mixed with condensed milk can be enjoyed in thousands of caf\u00e9s around Hanoi.<\/p>\n

Hanoi was ravaged by bombs during the American-Vietnam war, most famously in President Nixon\u2019s Christmas bombings of 1972. It was then that John McCain parachuted into a lake on the north side of Hanoi when his plane was shot down. Museums and monuments commemorate the \u201cstruggle against imperialism,\u201d but despite years of war and millions of deaths, today the Vietnamese people are welcoming and friendly to Westerners, and treat them as honored guests.<\/p>\n

Vietnam was closed to the West from 1975 till the early 1990s when it began to open up to foreign tourism and trade. Since then the economy has boomed, with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with rapid expansion. While Hanoians have greater prosperity and access to consumer electronics and other goods, the city has grown more crowded and polluted as hundreds of thousands of immigrants have poured in from the countryside.<\/p>\n

Today Hanoi is vibrant, hectic, colorful, sometimes wonderful, sometimes maddening. Noise and air pollution can be oppressive to Western visitors, but the rich cultural traditions, unbroken despite wars, famines and social upheaval, keep many ex-pats charmed by this ancient-modern marketplace.<\/p>\n

Western amenities have proliferated rapidly since the early 1990s\u2014there are now plenty of bars, cafes, markets, and specialty stores catering to western tastes and ex-pat workers in Hanoi<\/a>. The ex-pat social scene, too, has expanded, with enough groups and clubs to keep everyone busy and entertained.<\/p>\n

Despite years of deprivation, war, and oppression\u2014or because of them\u2014Vietnamese are among the kindest, most amiable people on earth. They are friendly and curious towards Westerners, and many students spontaneously approach Westerners to make friends and practice English. Because Vietnam was a closed society for many years, young people in Hanoi will be eager to learn as much as they can about you and your country and to share their culture with you in return.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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01<\/td>\nThough there are many shopping options in Hanoi, you may find that the style or size you need is unavailable. Large western sizes can be very elusive!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
02<\/td>\nLearning Vietnamese offers an important window onto Hanoi society and culture & helps at all levels of social interaction and day-to-day convenien<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
03<\/td>\nGET OUT OF TOWN! just a weekend away can work restorative miracles. Don\u2019t wait till you feel run down\u2014plan excursions in advance and keep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
04<\/td>\nMail delivery from overseas is not always reliable, so try to think in advance of any books, CDs, or software you may need in Vietnam.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
05<\/td>\nSet up online banking before you leave, and be sure to notify your bank you\u2019ll be using your ATM card in Vietnam\u2014otherwise they may think<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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