Which Asian capital was called Thang Long after 1010? Hanoi. In 1010, King Lý Thái Tổ moved the Vietnamese capital to Đại La and renamed it Thăng Long, meaning “Ascending Dragon.”
The move transferred the capital from Hoa Lư to a broader, more strategically connected site beside the Red River plain. Vietnamese historical tradition says that a golden dragon appeared around the royal boat when the king arrived, inspiring the new name. Thăng Long became the political and cultural center of Đại Việt under the Lý dynasty.
The city did not keep that name continuously. It was called Đông Đô during the Hồ dynasty, Đông Quan under Ming occupation, and Đông Kinh under the Later Lê dynasty. The modern name Hà Nội, meaning “within the rivers,” was adopted in 1831 under Emperor Minh Mạng. The Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long preserves archaeological and architectural traces of the long capital tradition.