The Red River begins in China’s Yunnan province, at 1,776 m above sea level. The river flows through Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc province before reaching Hanoi. From there, the River continues through Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Thai Binh province to the East Sea, its final destination. The river is 1,150 km long, meandering for 800 km through steep mountains and highlands, where violent and unpredictable currents swell during the rainy season. When the river reaches the plain, at an elevation of about three meters, it turns quiet and gentle. For millennia the alluvia of the Red River have been enriching the river’s vast fertile delta. The Red River is not only a symbol of wet rice civilization but also a reflection of Vietnamese cultural values. Professor Tran Tri Doi is a Cultural Researcher at Vietnam National University in Hanoi: "The Red River has several names: Cai, Lo, Xich Dang, Dai Hoang and Hoang Giang. It was the French who gave it the name Red River after seeing the River’s red alluvium. These different names of the Red River reflect the different cultures that the River embraces”.

The part of the Red River that runs through Hanoi is short compared to its total length but it is enough to engender typical characteristics of wet rice civilization. The traditions and customs of the fishing and craft villages along the river embody Vietnamese culture. More than a thousand years ago, King Ly Cong Uan, who understood the strategic advantage of the site, decided to move his capital there from Hoa Lu. The scenery on both sides of the river has inspired poets, songwriters and artists. Nowadays, tourists can tour the river by boat. Tour guide Nguyen Manh Hung told us:"The Red River civilization is one of the 36 main civilizations in the world. It is the cradle of wet rice cultivation and of the typical village culture of northern Vietnam. Vietnamese people have a saying that it is best to live near a market or a river. Indeed, river travel used to dominate transportation. Back then, many craft villages and markets were established on the bank of the Red River”.

Tourists touring the Red River can admire the poetic landscape of the ancient villages, stop at the many temples and pagodas along the river, participate in folk festivals to discover the Mother worshiping religion, and visit the famous pottery village of Bat Trang, which dates back over 700 years.