At the floating village of Kenh Ga or ˉChicken Canalˇ, just about the entire community spend their lives on the water, and the village is accessible only by boat. Northern Vietnam, the area centred on the Red River Delta with its capital at Hanoi, extends from the Chinese frontier in the north to the Ma River in Thanh Hoa Province to the south. In the west, the Truong Son or ˉLong Mountainsˇ and the Lao frontier form the border; while to the east lies Vinh Bac Bo, the ˉNorthern Gulfˇ. In earlier times Europeans generally called northern Vietnam Tonkin, a term originating from a 17th century name for Hanoi derived from the Chinese Dong Kinh, or ˉEastern Capitalˇ. Even today, Vinh Bac Bo is known internationally as the Gulf of Tonkin.