Flag Tower of Hanoi

The Flag Tower of Hanoi (Vietnamese: Cột cờ Hà Nội) is a tower in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is one of the symbols of the city. It is part of the Hanoi Citadel, a World Heritage Site. The tower is 33.4 metres (110 ft) tall, not counting the flag. History The tower was built in 1812. Unlike many other structures in Hanoi, it was not destroyed during the French administration (1896-1897). It was used as a military post. It is now in the Vietnam Military History Museum. Architecture The building has three tiers (levels). The tower is pyramid-shaped. A spiral staircase inside leads to the top. There are 42 windows. Of the windows, 36 are shaped like flowers and 6 are shaped like fans. The National Flag of Vietnam is on top of the tower. The words "Nghênh Húc" (English: "To welcome dawn's sunlight") are on the eastern door. The words "Hà Quang" ("To reflect light") are on the western door. The words "Hướng Minh" ("Directed to the sunlight") are on the southern door. Other websites A description of the tower Archived 2006-04-28 at the Wayback Machine A photo of the tower Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine Satellite photo at Google Maps