Hanoi estimated population 3,145,300(2005), is the capital of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, it was the political center of an independent Vietnam with a few brief interruptions. It was eclipsed by Huế during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but served as the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1945. From 1945 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam. The city is located on the right bank of the Red River.