Flag planted on Fansipan peak to mark Hanoi’s birthday

A flag commemorating symbolising the capital city of Hanoi’s millennium was planted by amateur climbers on the nation’s highest mountain - Fansipan peak at 3,143 m above sea level - in the northern province of Lao Cai on Nov. 2.
The flag planting ceremony was the culmination of an international contest for tourists hosted by the Lao Cai authorities and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in celebration of Hanoi’s 1,000-year anniversary.
Nguyen Tien Vung, who won the competition’s second stage at the 2,800m altitude, earned the honour to plant the flag on the peak dubbed the ‘roof of Indochina ’.
In the evening of the same day, a closing ceremony of the international competition was held in Sa Pa town.
Besides an individual prize for Vung and an collective prize for the team of businesses in eight northwestern provinces, the organisers also presented four prizes for best collections of photos of Fansipan and the competition.
The two-day and one-night tour to climb up the Fansipan and plant the flag marking the Thang Long-Hanoi’s birthday included three stages, with the first beginning at the Nui Xe mountain to the 2,200m altitude, the second from the 2,200m to 2,800m altitude and the last stage – from the 2,800m to the highest peak.
The tour aimed to promote the tourist potentials of Lao Cai province and the country as well.