Serene: A man fishes in Hanoi'€™s West Lake

It has been more than a millennium since Emperor Ly Thai Tho relocated, in 1010, his imperial court from Hoa Lu to Thang Long (Ascending Dragon), the former name of Hanoi.

On Sept. 2, 2015, Vietnam celebrated the 70th anniversary of its independence with a large-scale parade in Hanoi, involving over 30,000 people in Ba Dinh Square, in memory of founding father Ho Chi Minh.

Over the last decade, Hanoi has gradually been undergoing a transformation in its culture and paradigm of thought amid the dynamism of the era triggered by intense globalization. While agrarian life formerly dominated the city, today tourism, trade and industry are seen as symbols of modernity and a breath of new life.

The face of Hanoi has drastically changed. The supply of housing has increased albeit in apartment form. Public transportation has made headway in line with the ever rising ownership of motor vehicles. This facelift has been made in order to attract investment, domestic as well as foreign.

The history of Hanoi began when Emperor Ly Thai Tho of the Ly dynasty built a new royal capital in the present location of Hanoi, not far from the Red River, by the name of Thang Long or Ascending Dragon. The move was confirmation of the end of 1,000 years of Chinese domination. Thang Long was then renamed Hanoi by the Nguyen dynasty'€™s Emperor Minh Mang in 1831 after the imperial capital was moved to Hue in central Vietnam in 1802.

Flying high: A balloon vendor stands on a busy roadside

In the last several years, Vietnam has become a major tourist destination in Southeast Asia, offering its lofty values of history, culture and certainly cheap accommodation. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism plays an increasingly important role in the development of Vietnam.

This sector contributed 367.2 trillion dong (US$16.4 billion) to its economy last year, equivalent to 9.3 percent of the gross domestic product. In the first half of 2015, almost 10 million visitors were recorded, rising by 3.38 percent year on year, including 1.53 million foreign arrivals, up by 5 percent compared with the same period last year.

Although Hanoi has grown into a metropolis, most people still live in a traditional way. They buy bread, fruit and other foods in traditional markets or from sidewalk vendors. It is also hard to find supermarkets, let alone shopping malls, in the city center. Many sellers walk or cycle on the streets peddling their goods, alongside small and modern shops. Regardless of economic and social status, many people also wear bamboo hats everywhere, making them look alike.

People consume traditional foods such as noodles; they grow fruit and vegetables on their own land and distribute the yields to customers by bicycle or on foot, some by motorcycle. Most residents of Hanoi live in small homes in alleyways. Despite its resemblance to Jakarta, especially in the disorderly behavior of drivers and riders, Hanoi is still a more appealing city to tourists.

Side by side: A man rides a motorcycle down an alley alongside a railway track in Hanoi

'€” Photos by JP/Agung Prameswara