Hanoi Flag Tower is a special historical structure and has the most majestic scale in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel complex. Not only is it a symbol of the Hanoi capital, the Flag Tower is a special historical relic. This work is considered a “historical witness” to the resilience and indomitability of the local people during the glorious resistance war against the French.
General information about Hanoi Flag Tower
The Hanoi Flag Tower was built during the Nguyen Dynasty, from 1805 to 1812, at the same time as the Hanoi Citadel. The project was built in a tower structure, serving as an observation tower for the inner and suburban areas at that time. This is also the reason why the French colonial government did not demolish this structure in the period from 1894 to 1897.
During the resistance war against the US, the Flag Tower was guarded and used by Hanoi Air Defense troops for the same purpose. In 1945, after the success of the August Revolution, the red flag with a yellow star was placed on top of the Flag Tower for the first time. In 1954, the resistance war against the French colonialists was completely victorious, and the National Flag once again flew.
On October 10, 1954, exactly at 15:00 p.m. was the moment when the National Anthem echoed amid cheers and the image of the flag flying. From that moment, the red flag with yellow star flying on the Hanoi Flag Tower became a symbol of the independence and freedom of Vietnam. In 1989, the Flag Tower was officially recognized by the State as a historical relic.
Location, opening hours and ticket price
The flag tower is only about 300m from “Đoan Môn” (the main gate leading to the ancient Forbidden Citadel, currently located in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic area); 500m from Kinh Thien Palace (Central Thang Long Imperial Citadel) and about 1,000m from the North Gate of Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
Address: 28A Dien Bien Phu Street, Dien Bien Ward, Ba Dinh District.
Visitors can visit the Hanoi Flag Tower from Tuesday to Sunday every week (except Monday) with opening hours from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m.
Ticket prices to visit will vary depending on each subject, specifically as follows:
- Adults: 20,000 VND/person
- People over 60 years old: 10,000 VND/person
- Students: 10,000 VND/guest
- Pupils under 15 years old: free
A small note for you is that you need to bring identification as proof so the ticket sales staff can apply the correct price to you.
Unique architecture of Hanoi Flag Tower
The Flag Tower has a height of about 33m, including the flagpole which is 44m, so from afar visitors can easily see the Hanoi Flagpole. The general structure includes 3 base floors and 1 tower, connecting the floors with a spiral staircase for movement.
The base floors are shaped like a truncated square pyramid, gradually getting smaller, overlapping each other, and surrounded by bricks. The first floor is each 42.5m long; 3.1m high, with two brick stairs leading up. Second floor, each length is 27m; 3.7m high with 4 doors, above each door are engraved with Chinese characters such as: “Nghênh Húc” (welcoming the morning light) in the east, “Hồi Quang” (reflected light) in the west, “Hướng Minh” ” (towards the light) in the South, the North door has no inscription. The third floor, each length is 12.8 m, 5.1 m high, has a door to the stairs facing the North.
The upper floor is the body of the flagpole, which is 18.2m high, has an eight-sided cylindrical shape, gradually getting smaller up, each bottom edge is about 2m wide. Inside the pillar’s body, there are 54 spiral steps up to the top. The cylinder’s heart is illuminated by 39 rosette-shaped holes and 6 fan-shaped holes. These holes are placed along the cylindrical sides, each side has 4 to 5 holes. Thanks to that design therefore the inside of the pillar has natural light and the air always ventilated.
The remaining part is the top of the Hanoi Flag Tower. From a distance, this part looks like an octagonal building, functioning as a guard post. This watchtower is 3.3m high, has 8 windows on 8 sides. In the middle of the floor there is also a round cylindrical column, 40cm in diameter, reaching to the top – that is where the flagpole is placed.
According to the design, the flag hung on top of the Hanoi Flag Tower is 4m wide, 6m long, and has a surface area of 24m². The flag is made of non-glossy fabric, sewn with 3 threads, and the flag tail is quilted many times to be able to withstand strong winds.
From the Hanoi Flag Tower lookout, looking out into the distance, you can see a quite large area inside and outside the ancient Thang Long citadel.
From the North of the Flagpole, you can see many ancient relics such as Main Gate, Rear Palace, North Gate; East facing the Post Office reflecting on Hoan Kiem Lake; to the west is Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the open space is to the south.
Source: collected by An
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