The first significant events in the city’s history however can be traced back to 214 BC when a military garrison was established there by the Han Chinese who used it as a base from which to control the entire country. The indigenous Vietnamese remained quietly ill at ease with the Chinese occupation until 938 when, following the collapse of the Tang Dynasty, rebels under the leadership of Ngo Quyen rose up against their oppressors and subsequently established an independent Vietnamese state. A period of anarchy however set in following the death of Ngo Quyen. In 1400, the Chinese returned and captured the city once again but a period of struggle which saw one of the country’s most revered warriors Le Loi' lead battles against the occupying forces, leading to the reestablishment of Vietnamese independence. The French were the next to make their mark on Hanoi, capturing it in 1864 and adding it to the other Vietnamese cities that they had already established as French colonies. It remained in the hands of the French until 1954 when theywithdrew from the country following their dicisive defeat at Dien Bien Phu. At a conference in Europe is was decided that the North and South of Vietnam would be temporarily separated ahead of a national election. This never happened and Hanoi became the capital of the new Northern Vietnam until re-unification in 1975. As the Vietnam War of the 1970’s was focused primarily in the south of the country, Hanoi was largely unaffected by military skirmishes however its transportation network was disrupted somewhat by the destruction of railways and bridges from air attacks. At the end of the war when the North and South of the country were united, the city was named the capital of all Vietnam. | 
