Cầu Giấy district

Cầu Giấy is an urban district of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. It is located within the Nhuệ and Tô Lịch River, situating roughly to the south-west of West Lake. With the sixth-highest population density among Hanoi's districts, Cầu Giấy hosts many administrative and corporate headquarters within the Trung Hoà–Nhân Chính urban area and is the central education hub of Hanoi.

Present-day Cầu Giấy district was a rural agricultural area and lay within Từ Liêm, a periphery district of Thăng Long city. By the Nguyễn dynesty, the area belonged to Hoài Đức district. On 22 November 1996, the district was officially incorporated. It experienced very rapid urbanization since the 2000s, causing intense gentrification and disappearance of traditional artisan economy. By 2030s, all of Cầu Giấy's farmland will be completely displaced by urban developments.

Prior to 20th century
Present-day Cầu Giấy district was a rural agricultural area and lay within the periphery of Thăng Long. A gate to Thăng Long was situated at the Cầu Giấy bridge, crossing over Tô Lịch River.

20th century
The modern incarnation of Cầu Giấy district was formed on 22 November 1996, via the merger of four towns (Cầu Giấy, Nghĩa Đô, Nghĩa Tân, Mai Dịch) and three communes (Dịch Vọng, Yên Hòa, Trung Hòa) within the old Từ Liêm district. All towns and communes were reclassified to wards, and Cầu Giấy town was renamed to Quan Hoa ward.

21st century
On 5 January 2005, Quan Hoa and Dịch Vọng ward's border was slightly adjusted to form the new Dịch Vọng Hậu ward. On 1 January 2021, the border of Nghĩa Tân and Mai Dịch wards was slightly expanded, reducing the nearby Bắc Từ Liêm and Nam Từ Liêm district area.

On April 14, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken officiated a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $1.2 billion U.S. embassy compound in Hanoi. The embassy compound, spanning 3.2 hectares, will be located on Pham Van Bach Street in Cầu Giấy District and will be leased for 99 years.

Administrative wards
The district is divided into eight wards (phường):


 * 1) Dịch Vọng
 * 2) Dịch Vọng Hậu
 * 3) Mai Dịch
 * 4) Nghĩa Đô
 * 5) Nghĩa Tân
 * 6) Quan Hoa
 * 7) Trung Hòa
 * 8) Yên Hòa

Neighborhoods and zoning
Trung Hoà - Nhân Chính is emerging as the new city's commercial center. It lies partly in the southern part of the district (Trung Hoà ward).

Landmarks
Cầu Giấy district has many points of interest, such as:


 * Cầu Giấy bridge
 * Hà Temple
 * Vòng village
 * Nhà Xanh market
 * Cầu Giấy park
 * Nghĩa Đô park
 * Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower
 * Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
 * Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), which contains the Vietnam National Museum of Nature

Education
Compare to other districts in Hanoi, Cầu Giấy has a high concentration of education institutions. Cầu Giấy host the main Hanoi campus of the Vietnam National University university system, which includes the University of Languages and International Studies. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam National University are the two largest university systems in Vietnam.

Other universities that have campus in the district includes Hanoi National University of Education, Thuongmai University, Hanoi Metropolitan University, University of Labour and Social Affairs, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (within the campus of VAST), Hanoi Financial and Banking University, Hanoi Community College and Phuong Dong University.

Notable academies that are in the district include the Academy of Journalism and Communication, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, Vietnam Academy of Dance, and Vietnam Judicial Academy. The district also hosts two national-level military academies in Vietnam: Military Technical Academy and National Defense Academy.

Cầu Giấy hosts three magnet schools: Hanoi – Amsterdam High School, Foreign Language Specialized School, and High School for Gifted Students within Hanoi National University of Education. In particular, Hanoi – Amsterdam is considered to be one of the most competitive school in Vietnam. Notable International schools and schools that have an international curriculum include the Korean International School in Hanoi and Nguyễn Siêu School.