hanoi () is the capital of vietnam. it is also the second most populated city in the country. in 2004, about 3,083,800 people lived in the city. it has been the capital of the democratic republic of vietnam (north vietnam) since 1945 and the capital of the socialist republic of vietnam (all of vietnam) since 1976. before that, it was the capital of the country now called vietnam for most of the time from at least the 11th century until 1802. the city is on the right of the red river, and the city's name translates to english as "inside the river". things made there include machine tools, plywood, textiles, chemicals and handicrafts. hanoi is at 21°2' north, 105°51' east, 1,760 km north of ho chi minh city (formerly saigon). popular tourist sites in the city include ho chi minh's mausoleum, hoa lo prison, and the palace of literature. nearby hanoi is also where pho, vietnamese beef noodle soup, was first created.