The Huc Bridge on Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

A brief history of Hanoi – the venue for 2012 ETL Learning Conference:

The site where Hanoi stands today has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Emperor Ly Thai To moved his capital here in AD 1010, naming it Thang Long (City of the Soaring Dragon). The decision by Emperor Gia Long, founder of the Nguyen dynasty in 1802, to rule from Hue relegated Hanoi to the status of a regional capital for a century.

Down the centuries, Hanoi has been called many names, including Dong Kinh (Eastern Capital), from which the Europeans derived the name they eventually applied to all of northern Vietnam – Tonkin. The city was named Hanoi (The City in a Bend of the River) by Emperor Tu Duc in 1831. From 1902 to 1953, Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina. Hanoi was proclaimed the capital of Vietnam after the August Revolution of 1945, but it was not until the Geneva Accords of 1954 that the Viet Minh, driven from the city by the French in 1946, were able to return.

During the American War, US bombing destroyed parts of Hanoi and killed hundreds of civilians; almost all the damage has since been repaired. One of the prime targets was the 1682m-long Long Bien Bridge, originally built between 1888 and 1902 under the direction of the same architect who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. US aircraft repeatedly bombed the strategic bridge, yet after each attack the Vietnamese managed to improvise replacement spans and return it to road and rail services. It is said that the US military ended the attacks when US prisoners of war (POWs) were put to work repairing the bridge.

(Source: Lonely Planet)

On 26 January 2012, we lost a beloved colleague and friend of 8 and a half years… Kinnari Sharma, our 31-year old unit manager from Mumbai lost her battle with cancer. Leaving behind grieving family and friends, a 6 year old son and many beautiful memories.

Kinnari was passionate about so many things… our TDP (which she bought even before her son was born), travel, life. A very devoted mother, she learnt to balance her personal and work life. She treated her son to a 10-day trip to France and another 7-day holiday in Singapore, and dreamed and planned many such trips. She felt they would be an education for him and provide him with wonderful experiences and memories. She herself enjoyed every minute of her last trip with ETLI to St Petersburg, Russia in November 2011, after recovering from an exhausting treatment for breast cancer.

Unfortunately she succumbed to the dreaded disease when it reappeared, more aggressive than before, despite putting up a brave fight. We will miss you Kinnari, your lovely smile and lovelier spirit. Our prayers are with your family – may God give them courage!  (By Anu Talati)

You may leave your condolence for the family as comments below.

[Kinnari is second from the left in the photo, taken at St. Petersburg in Nov. 2011. Few other photos collected here.]

Another customer interview in Jakarta today. Can’t wait to meet some more customers during the upcoming trips to Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Another customer interview in Bandung (Indonesia): Manik Prajana has been using CFL and ET with his 1.5-year old since he was four months.

You may also watch it on YouTube.

How much do you know about the venue for ETL Learning Annual Conference 2012:

• Vietnam is about 8 times the size of Switzerland with a population of 83 million and is shaped like a narrow ‘S’.
• There are an estimated 10 million motorbikes on Vietnamese roads.
• Vietnam has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Third World.
• Vietnamese specialty is ruou ran (snake wine). This is basically rice wine with a pickled snake floating in it. This elixir is considered a tonic that allegedly cures everything.
• Hanoi has been the capital of Vietnam since 7^th century, and is considered one of the main cultural centres of Vietnam.
• Hanoi is also known as the “city of lakes” because it’s a city between the rivers, built from lowland. Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as Sword Lake, is the historical and cultural center of Hanoi, and is linked to the legend of the magic sword.  West Lake is the largest lake in Hanoi with many temples in the area.
• Hanoi has been named as one of the top ten cities for shopping in Asia.
• Hanoi has been selected as one of the top ten cities for food in the world. Vietnam’s national dish Phở has also been named as one of the top five streetfoods in the world.

What other interesting facts can you add about Vietnam or Hanoi? Check out more on this page.

[Photo of the West Lake in Hanoi]

Wow, we got some wonderful submissions for the photo contest! We also know there were even more wonderful photos that never got submitted due the single-minded focus on sales after the conference. We have picked three winner after each submission was scored individually by seven members of ETL Learning:

• Anant from Minor, Thailand
• Valerie from Filway, Philippines
• Jay from LearningTech, Singapore

The three winners will be getting Ray-bans of their choice (from the selected model)! The names above are linked to their winning photos. Also see the other submissions that were close.

My 10-year-old son said, ‘I love Walter because Walter is one of my best teachers! It teaches me a lot of things which can be applied to my future study.’”

[Wong Ching Wa. Hong Kong. January 2012.]