A host of treasures hidden underneath and left on the ground over 1,300years has earned the core of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel UNESCOrecognition as a world cultural heritage site.
The site encompasses the No. 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site and thecentral axis of the Hanoi ancient citadel which are nestled in theForbidden Area in the heart of Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
The area was the centre of the Dai La citadel under the Chinese Tang domination (7 th -8 th century).
Itwas called the Dai La citadel under the Dinh-Le dynasties (10 thcentury), Thang Long, Dong Do, and Dong Kinh under the Ly dynasties(1009-1226), the Tran dynasty (1226-1400), the Early Le dynasty(1428-1527), the Mac dynasty (1527-1592), and Le Trung Hung (1593-1789)before becoming the Hanoi citadel under the Nguyen dynasty (19 thcentury).
At the No. 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site,scientists found imprints typical of the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties thatrevealed much about the origin of Thang Long Imperial Citadel more than1,300 years ago.
Lying adjacent to Kinh Thien Palace tothe west, the No. 18 Hoang Dieu archeological site is a component of theForbidden Area from the Ly dynasty to the end of the Le Trung Hung era.
Coveringa land area of 47,700 sq. m, the site is enclosed by Hoang Van Thu roadto the north, Bac Son road to the south, Hoang Dieu road to the eastand Doc Lap road to the west.
From December 2002 to March 2004,archaeologists excavated numerous artefacts on 19,000 sq. m of the site,exposing layers of cultures of different dynasties which reigned inVietnam and proving that Thang Long Imperial City played akey role as a political centre throughout 1,300 years.
Architecturalvestiges of palaces, pavilions, and the foundations of architecturalstructures of the Imperial Citadel have also been revealed.
Atthe site, scientists found a cluster of architectural structures builton land areas in rectangular and polygonal shapes, which were arrangedin line with a city’s standards.
They unearthed a great deal ofdecorative objects placed on the roofing of architectural structures toprovide proof of the ancient Vietnamese people’s artistic skills inconstructing big and magnificent works.
Those decorative objectsincluded an earthen phoenix head dating from the 11 th -12 th century,an earthen dragon head from the 12 th century, earthen tube roof tileswith Bodhi tree leaf and dragon decoration dated from the 12 thcentury.
Of them, with the majority made for the King, weretransparent ceramic bowls decorated with a five-toe dragon image datedto the 15 th century, and decorative glazed terracotta pots made in the10 th century.
At the 18 Hoang Dieu site, archaeologistsunearthed many precious ceramic and glazed terracotta items,architectural materials, jewellery, weapons, and metal artefacts, ofwhich many were personal objects of the kings and the royal families.
Theyalso found a cannon weighing 100kg with a length of 1.2 m. It wascarved with the words, “Tu dai sung nhat hieu” (literally translated as“The first cannon among four big cannons”).
A system of ancientwells was exposed, including two believed to exist in the Dai La era,two built under the Ly dynasty, two under the Tran dynasty, and sixunder the Le dynasty. These wells have similar shape and size as thosefound in the forbidden citadels in Japan , China and the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea .
The No. 18 Hoang Dieuarchaeological site has supplied clear evidence of the site’s importantrole throughout the nation’s history, at least nearly 1,000 years, from1010 to 1789.
Situated to the east of the 18 Hoang Dieuarchaeological site is Hanoi ’s ancient citadel area - the remainderof the central axis of the Vauban building.
The Vauban-styledbuilding was built in the heart of the old Thang Long Citadel by KingGia Long in 1803. The building, with a perimeter of 4km, served as theheadquarters of the Bac Thanh and the stop-over palace for the Kingduring his visits to the north.
At present, there sit thesurrounding walls of the stop-over palace which were built under theNguyen dynasty in the 19 th century.
In the centre of theancient citadel lies the foundation of Kinh Thien palace which wasconstructed under the Early Le dynasty (1428).
Other constructionworks which still remain in the Hanoi ancient citadel were mostlybuilt from the 19 th century afterwards.
Walls and almost allgates of the Hanoi ancient citadel were built by the Nguyen dynastyin early 19 th century when Thang Long was the headquarters of the BacThanh and the King’s stop-over palace.
Many buildings inside the citadel were constructed by the French colonists during the 1880’s after they occupied Hanoi .
There are also some important buildings built after 1954, which served as the headquarters of the Defence Ministry until 2004.
The most important existing remains of the Kinh Thien Palaceare its foundations and the stone steps with a handrail carved in theshape of a dragon, called the dragon's entrance.
The foundationsare believed to have been built in 1428 and are seen as a Vietnamesearchitectural masterpiece. The palace was situated at the centre of theImperial Citadel and the two dragons were carved from solid blocks ofstone during the Early Le dynasty in the late 16th and early 17thcenturies.
Doan Mon, the southern gate, was the main entrance toCam Thanh (the Forbidden Area). The gate was built by the Early Ledynasty in the 15 th century and was later upgraded in the 19 thcentury.
The U-shaped gate was built of brick and stones andmeasured 46.5m by 26.5m by 6m and covers 3.970 m2. The Doan Mon Gate hadfive domed doors. The largest one in the middle was for the King,flanked by two smaller ones, one for mandarins and the other for membersof the royal family.
The Ky Dai, flag tower, was built in 1805, the same time as the Vauban-styled citadel.
Itwas built on the former foundations of the Tam Mon, the outer gate ofthe Forbidden Citadel during the Le dynasty. It is among the lastremaining intact structures from the Nguyen dynasty.
The tower, built in brick, has a square base with three storeys on top of it, each one progressively smaller.
Itis 33.4 m high and has a 54-step spiral staircase leading from thebottom to the top of the tower where there is a 3.1 m-high observatorywith a rectangular doorway on each side and a 40cm diameter flagpole onthe top.
The Hau Lau, Princess Pavilion, was built in 1821,but was destroyed at the end of the 19th century. The remainingstructure was rebuilt by the French.
Bac Mon, thenorthern gate, was built in 1805 and is the only remaining out of thefive gates of Hanoi citadel from the Nguyen dynasty. It is designedin the trapezium architectural style, with each side sloped at an angleof 15 degrees. Above the gate is a two-storey observatory tower with acurved roof and the traditional spearhead.
The external wall wasbuilt in 1805 running from Doan Mon (southern gate) to surround theinternal palace, where the Nguyen Kings to work and rest when theyvisited the north.
At present, the eight gates of the palacestill remain and were recognised as relics in 1925. Between 1954 and2004, the Palace served as the headquarters of the High Command of theVietnam People's Army.
The French-styled buildings, the D57bunker and the offices of the Party Central Committee’s Politburo, theCentral Military Committee, General Vo Nguyen Giap and the headquartersof the General Staff of Vietnam People’s Army are now open for visitors.
Relicsfrom the Thang Long royal citadel have been recognised as a worldcultural heritage by UNESCO and have brought honour and pride to everyVietnamese citizen as part of the nation’s cultural history./.
The site encompasses the No. 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site and thecentral axis of the Hanoi ancient citadel which are nestled in theForbidden Area in the heart of Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
The area was the centre of the Dai La citadel under the Chinese Tang domination (7 th -8 th century).
Itwas called the Dai La citadel under the Dinh-Le dynasties (10 thcentury), Thang Long, Dong Do, and Dong Kinh under the Ly dynasties(1009-1226), the Tran dynasty (1226-1400), the Early Le dynasty(1428-1527), the Mac dynasty (1527-1592), and Le Trung Hung (1593-1789)before becoming the Hanoi citadel under the Nguyen dynasty (19 thcentury).
At the No. 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site,scientists found imprints typical of the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties thatrevealed much about the origin of Thang Long Imperial Citadel more than1,300 years ago.
Lying adjacent to Kinh Thien Palace tothe west, the No. 18 Hoang Dieu archeological site is a component of theForbidden Area from the Ly dynasty to the end of the Le Trung Hung era.
Coveringa land area of 47,700 sq. m, the site is enclosed by Hoang Van Thu roadto the north, Bac Son road to the south, Hoang Dieu road to the eastand Doc Lap road to the west.
From December 2002 to March 2004,archaeologists excavated numerous artefacts on 19,000 sq. m of the site,exposing layers of cultures of different dynasties which reigned inVietnam and proving that Thang Long Imperial City played akey role as a political centre throughout 1,300 years.
Architecturalvestiges of palaces, pavilions, and the foundations of architecturalstructures of the Imperial Citadel have also been revealed.
Atthe site, scientists found a cluster of architectural structures builton land areas in rectangular and polygonal shapes, which were arrangedin line with a city’s standards.
They unearthed a great deal ofdecorative objects placed on the roofing of architectural structures toprovide proof of the ancient Vietnamese people’s artistic skills inconstructing big and magnificent works.
Those decorative objectsincluded an earthen phoenix head dating from the 11 th -12 th century,an earthen dragon head from the 12 th century, earthen tube roof tileswith Bodhi tree leaf and dragon decoration dated from the 12 thcentury.
Of them, with the majority made for the King, weretransparent ceramic bowls decorated with a five-toe dragon image datedto the 15 th century, and decorative glazed terracotta pots made in the10 th century.
At the 18 Hoang Dieu site, archaeologistsunearthed many precious ceramic and glazed terracotta items,architectural materials, jewellery, weapons, and metal artefacts, ofwhich many were personal objects of the kings and the royal families.
Theyalso found a cannon weighing 100kg with a length of 1.2 m. It wascarved with the words, “Tu dai sung nhat hieu” (literally translated as“The first cannon among four big cannons”).
A system of ancientwells was exposed, including two believed to exist in the Dai La era,two built under the Ly dynasty, two under the Tran dynasty, and sixunder the Le dynasty. These wells have similar shape and size as thosefound in the forbidden citadels in Japan , China and the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea .
The No. 18 Hoang Dieuarchaeological site has supplied clear evidence of the site’s importantrole throughout the nation’s history, at least nearly 1,000 years, from1010 to 1789.
Situated to the east of the 18 Hoang Dieuarchaeological site is Hanoi ’s ancient citadel area - the remainderof the central axis of the Vauban building.
The Vauban-styledbuilding was built in the heart of the old Thang Long Citadel by KingGia Long in 1803. The building, with a perimeter of 4km, served as theheadquarters of the Bac Thanh and the stop-over palace for the Kingduring his visits to the north.
At present, there sit thesurrounding walls of the stop-over palace which were built under theNguyen dynasty in the 19 th century.
In the centre of theancient citadel lies the foundation of Kinh Thien palace which wasconstructed under the Early Le dynasty (1428).
Other constructionworks which still remain in the Hanoi ancient citadel were mostlybuilt from the 19 th century afterwards.
Walls and almost allgates of the Hanoi ancient citadel were built by the Nguyen dynastyin early 19 th century when Thang Long was the headquarters of the BacThanh and the King’s stop-over palace.
Many buildings inside the citadel were constructed by the French colonists during the 1880’s after they occupied Hanoi .
There are also some important buildings built after 1954, which served as the headquarters of the Defence Ministry until 2004.
The most important existing remains of the Kinh Thien Palaceare its foundations and the stone steps with a handrail carved in theshape of a dragon, called the dragon's entrance.
The foundationsare believed to have been built in 1428 and are seen as a Vietnamesearchitectural masterpiece. The palace was situated at the centre of theImperial Citadel and the two dragons were carved from solid blocks ofstone during the Early Le dynasty in the late 16th and early 17thcenturies.
Doan Mon, the southern gate, was the main entrance toCam Thanh (the Forbidden Area). The gate was built by the Early Ledynasty in the 15 th century and was later upgraded in the 19 thcentury.
The U-shaped gate was built of brick and stones andmeasured 46.5m by 26.5m by 6m and covers 3.970 m2. The Doan Mon Gate hadfive domed doors. The largest one in the middle was for the King,flanked by two smaller ones, one for mandarins and the other for membersof the royal family.
The Ky Dai, flag tower, was built in 1805, the same time as the Vauban-styled citadel.
Itwas built on the former foundations of the Tam Mon, the outer gate ofthe Forbidden Citadel during the Le dynasty. It is among the lastremaining intact structures from the Nguyen dynasty.
The tower, built in brick, has a square base with three storeys on top of it, each one progressively smaller.
Itis 33.4 m high and has a 54-step spiral staircase leading from thebottom to the top of the tower where there is a 3.1 m-high observatorywith a rectangular doorway on each side and a 40cm diameter flagpole onthe top.
The Hau Lau, Princess Pavilion, was built in 1821,but was destroyed at the end of the 19th century. The remainingstructure was rebuilt by the French.
Bac Mon, thenorthern gate, was built in 1805 and is the only remaining out of thefive gates of Hanoi citadel from the Nguyen dynasty. It is designedin the trapezium architectural style, with each side sloped at an angleof 15 degrees. Above the gate is a two-storey observatory tower with acurved roof and the traditional spearhead.
The external wall wasbuilt in 1805 running from Doan Mon (southern gate) to surround theinternal palace, where the Nguyen Kings to work and rest when theyvisited the north.
At present, the eight gates of the palacestill remain and were recognised as relics in 1925. Between 1954 and2004, the Palace served as the headquarters of the High Command of theVietnam People's Army.
The French-styled buildings, the D57bunker and the offices of the Party Central Committee’s Politburo, theCentral Military Committee, General Vo Nguyen Giap and the headquartersof the General Staff of Vietnam People’s Army are now open for visitors.
Relicsfrom the Thang Long royal citadel have been recognised as a worldcultural heritage by UNESCO and have brought honour and pride to everyVietnamese citizen as part of the nation’s cultural history./.
