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Hanoi is to its 1,000th birthday on October 10th. The city was as Vietnam’s capital one millennium ago and was first called Thanglong. The party will be the of 10 days of celebrations. Officials have spared no expense in up the city, but many residents believe the event is a of money. Hanoi is home to more than six million people and has its fair of problems. Many of its citizens believe the money would have been better spent on traffic congestion or providing defences. Nguyen Thi Lan, 44, told reporters: "Our capital is dirty and chaotic. Not tourists return after the first trip.” Tran Van Lam, 65, said the party would bring chaos to the city: "Transport will be a ,” he said.

City authorities are confident the celebrations will be a success. They to many projects that have already made the city more . Among these is the transfer of unsightly overhead telecommunications underground. The festivities will include hundreds of cultural performances and events, like exhibitions of 1,000 turtles and 1,000 farm tools. The city will see the of new bridges, monuments, and a new museum, as as Vietnam's biggest-ever parade; over 30,000 participants will through the streets. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said: "We must no effort to make impressions on our citizens and foreign guests.”