Talk:Hà Nội

Etymology

Does it derive from 河内? 71.66.97.228 06:31, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

From 河內, rather. The Sino-Vietnamese readings of 河 and 內 are "hà" and "nội". From Wikipedia: "In 1831 the Nguyễn emperor Minh Mạng renamed it "Hà Nội" (河内, can be translated as Between Rivers or River Interior)". --Anatoli 11:34, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

What is the evidence that 河內 was originally Chinese, and not simply a Vietnamese usage/coinage using the Chinese characters that were used to record official histories in prior centuries? 71.66.97.228 04:33, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

You're right, it's coined using Chinese components. It's simply Sino-Vietnamese. In this case, it's still of Chinese origin, like điện thoại (電話) or telephone is from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “afar”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”). --Anatoli 00:02, 25 August 2010 (UTC)