Vietnam's Ho Citadel — An unlikely UNESCO World Heritage
site
www.digitaljournal.com /life/travel/vietnam­s­ho­citadel­an­unlikely­unesco­world­heritage­site/article/442482
By Karen Graham Aug 30, 2015 in Travel
Rather than ignore its Imperialist past, the Vietnamese government is embracing it,
seeing the value of celebrating the country's history and welcoming tourism.
UNESCO has helped out, designating a total of eight locations as World Heritage
sites.
Of the eight locations getting the honored designation, three are citadels, dating
back to Vietnam's dynastic age. And many of the sites have great geographical and
historical significance, such as Ha Long Bay and the monuments complex in Hue.
But the Ho Citadel, the most recent location to join the UNESCO list in 2011, is
almost unknown. It sit in the rural backwater province of Thanh Hoa in the north­
central part of the country, between the Ma and Buoi Rivers, which flow on either
side of it.
The east (left) gate of Tay Do castle, Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam.
Thành viên:Silviculture
The historical significance of the Ho Citadel There is really not much left of the
Ho Citadel, just four walls. But before you turn away with disinterest, UNESCO will
tell us that its historical significance is justified. Let's go back 6,000 years in history.
Thanh Hoa province was one of the earliest destinations for the ancient
Vietnamese. Archaeological excavations have revealed the first culture
represented there was the Đa Bút Culture, a culture located along the Sông Đáy
river and the Sông Mã river. It was 1,000 years ago that wet­rice cultivation was
developed along the Song Ma and Red River floodplains. It was during this time
that the early kingdoms of Văn Lang and Âu Lac appeared. By 275 BC, the first of
the dynasties, the Hồng Bàng dynasty of the Hùng kings appeared, but for the next
1,000 years or so, Vietnam remained under Chinese rule.
The North (back) gate of Tay Do castle, Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam.
Thành viên:Silviculture
The short­lived Ho Dynasty We now are coming to the 1400s and the very short­
lived Ho dynasty. According to historians, here is what happened. By 1398, the
reigning Tran dynasty had fallen into disarray. Ho Quy Ly, a regent in the court of
Emperor Tran Thuan Tong in Thang Long (Hanoi) devised a plan to usurp the
throne. Ho had workmen to build a new citadel, and it only took three months to
construct because it was built without the use of mortar, an amazing feat in a time
before power tools.
Notice the size of the blocks of stone. No mortar was used in erecting the walls of
the Western Capital, Tay Do.
ngọc xuân
But I digress. Ho had the citadel built using the principles of feng shui, testimony to
the advent of neo­Confucianism of the period. The structure was built on a site of
great beauty, with the axis joining the Tuong Son and Don Son mountains in a plain
between the two rivers. It was a new style that was to represent on Asian Imperial
city. Ho then invited the emperor to inspect his new "western capital," called Tay
Do. Ho imprisoned Tran Thuan Tong and executed him, making himself the new
emperor of the Ho dynasty. He only ruled for one year, and then turned rule over to
his son, Ho Han Thuong, but he only lasted six years. The Ho dynasty ended when
it was overrun by the Ming dynasty of China. Ho Quy Ly didn't last very long, but he
is credited with introducing paper money, limited land ownership, opening ports to
foreign trade and expanding the educational curriculum to include mathematics and
agriculture. From 1398 to 1407 Ho Citadel was the capital of Vietnam, and also the
political, economic and cultural centre of North Central Viet Nam from the 16th to
the 18th century, according to UNESCO.
Cattle grazing inside the walls of Tay Do.
Medievalists
The story behind the Ho Citadel is rather interesting because, for years, thoughts of
Vietnam brought not­so­good memories of another time when war reigned
supreme in the now peaceful and bucolic countryside surrounding the historic site
only 150 kilometers south of Hanoi. Corn and rice fields replace the ravages of war,
children pass by on bicycles, coming home from school. And in the middle of it all
sits a solid limestone block structure, 600 years old.
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