In 1010, King Ly Thai To (Ly Cong Uan) issued the 'Edict on the Relocation of the Capital' (Thien Do Chieu), deciding to move the capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to the Dai La region — land lying in the heart of the Red River Delta, with excellent transport connections, elevated and spacious terrain. When the royal fleet arrived at the landing, the king witnessed a golden dragon rising from the ground, and named the new capital Thang Long — 'rising dragon'.
Before this, the capital of Hoa Lu in the rugged mountains of Ninh Binh had been the defensive choice of the Dinh and Early Le dynasties during the period when the newly independent nation faced constant threats from the north. When Ly Cong Uan founded the Ly dynasty (1009), the country's strength and stability were sufficient to place the capital in the open plains — better suited for economic development and long-term governance.
The Edict on Relocation — considered one of the most important founding documents in Vietnamese history — reads: 'Looking across the land of Viet, only this place is the most excellent. Truly it is the strategic hub of the four directions, the supreme capital for ten thousand generations.' This brief document expresses a strategic vision and the aspiration to build a prosperous and enduring nation.
Thang Long became the continuous capital of the Ly, Tran, and Le dynasties for over 700 years, surviving countless historical upheavals and repeated devastation by invaders followed by rebuilding. The city's name changed across dynasties — Thang Long, Dong Do, Dong Kinh, Bac Thanh — before Emperor Minh Mang renamed it Hanoi in 1831.
In 2010, marking the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long–Hanoi, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — acknowledging its outstanding historical and cultural value. The archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu Street (today's Thang Long Imperial Citadel) reveals layers of relics from the 7th to the 20th century, serving as living evidence of Hanoi's 1,300 years of urban history.