The Red River, one of the two longest streams in Northern Vietnam, is vital to the everyday lives of the people who live there. The river rises in China's Yunnan province and runs southeast through steep, tight gorges to reach Vietnam at Lao Cai, then passes southeast across nine local provinces until emptying into the Gulf of Tonkin via a large delta. The name Red River derives from its silt-laden water, which has a high concentration of iron oxide, causing its water to become red all year.
The river runs through Hanoi and brings nutrient-rich freshwater to the delta, where locals have practised wet-rice production for decades. The nutrients carried by the Crimson River create rich tones of earthy green and red on both sides. Because local farmers cultivate grain, peas, canola, corn, and other subtropical crops in addition to rice, the delta's main crop. Because the area is prone to flooding on an annual basis, residents constructed a complex network of dams and waterways to safeguard the people and land from the floods.
Replanting labour, which is required in Southeast Asian monsoon areas such as the Red River Delta to achieve exceptionally high rice yields and two harvests per year, has traditionally required a big workforce. Farmers kept the land fallow during the off-season, encouraging them to engage in non-agricultural activities to supplement their income. That is the genesis of the delta's clustered craft settlements. Communities specialized in a broad range of crafts, from conical hat creation to ceramic and pottery production. The tradition lives on in the shape of the Red River Delta's famed artisan villages, which are largely centred in the remote regions around Hanoi and have now become significant tourist attractions.
First-time visitors to Hanoi can learn about various Red River bridges. The two most important are Nhat Tan as well as Long Bien Bridge. Nhat Tan is Vietnam's longest suspension bridge, stretching 5 kilometres between Noi Bai International Airport and the city centre of Hanoi. It was completed in 2015 and has since become a new emblem of the contemporary capital city, with its five towers representing the five historic gates of Hanoi.
Especially, the Hanoi city trip would be incomplete without a visit to the famous Long Bien Bridge, which was erected between 1898 and 1902 by the French firm Daydé & Pille. It is not just a Hanoi emblem, but also a public gallery of the capital city's history. Despite the development of newer and more contemporary bridges across the Red River, the two-century-old Long Bien Bridge remains a popular destination for Hanoians, allowing people to ponder the Red River in peace and enjoy the architectural gem in this history crown.