VGP - UNESCO and the Hà Nội People’s Committee on Wednesday in Hà Nội signed the project “Preserving the cultural heritage site of Thăng Long-Hà Nội,” under which a Japanese trust fund will offer over US $1.1 million.
Skillfulness
Bringing the quintessence to Hanoi * Business villages, streets, guilds * Not only have brains and hands * The qualification of workers ‘conscience * Business town specialized street
Sowing the Trang An elegance in every family
We all know and are proud that Hanoi is the thousand-year civilized Thang Long land strip; Hanoi is a heroic capital in struggling to protect the country and in creating and labor; Hanoi is the city for peace, the center of politic, culture, science… Mentioning Hanoi, we cannot help emphasizing that this is the elegant Trang An land strip.
The one-thousand-year civilized land
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
The youth of Hanoi today
Mentioning Hanoi, people immediately thinks of a thousand-year cultural quintessence with the values which were recognized, honored and became the symbol of Vietnam. They are the thirty six antique streets, One-Pillar pagoda, Quoc Tu Giam Temple of literature, Hoan Kiem Lake, etc.
Craftsman Nguyen Ba Muu: Who brings dried flowers to art
In Ha Noi capital, when talking about flowers and decorative plants, people always think about well-known flower villages, such as Ngoc Ha, Nhat Tan, Tay Tuu and Me Linh. But in the field of making dried flower, only name was mentioned. He is the craftsman Nguyen Ba Muu. He is the vanguard in making dried flowers and using them to create vivid and colorful pictures.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Pottery from Thăng Long Citadel
VGP - The new archaeological discoveries at the Thăng Long Citadel in Ba Đình District have opened up new doors for studies of Thăng Long pottery.
Thăng Long Royal Citadel opened for public visitors
VGP – Under the decision of Permanent Deputy PM Nguyễn Sinh Hùng, the Thăng Long Royal Citadel vestige complex will receive visitors on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thăng Long–Hà Nội.
Thăng Long royal citadel – An invaluable heritage
VGP - Under the Cultural Heritage Law, the Government assigned the Institute of Archaeology to conduct an excavation on an area of ten thousand square meters near Ba Đình Square in Hà Nội. Vast arrays of relics and artifacts have been revealed.
A new understanding
VGP - With the Vietnamese government’s permission in late 2002 and early 2003 to open to the public the largest-ever archaeological site near Ba Đình Square in the center of Hà Nội, Việt Nam’s urban archaeology has been officially born.
Vestiges of different historical periods
VGP - From 2002 to the end of 2003, an archaeological excavation was carried out on a 40,000 square meter site. The site is located at Hoàng Diệu Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội. About 20,000 sq.m were excavated and divided into 4 sections which are coded as A, B, C, and D. The depth of each archaeological lot is about 4 meters, which includes many artifacts from different dynasties.
Vestiges of different historical periods
VGP - From 2002 to the end of 2003, an archaeological excavation was carried out on a 40,000 square meter site. The site is located at Hoàng Diệu Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội. About 20,000 sq.m were excavated and divided into 4 sections which are coded as A, B, C, and D. The depth of each archaeological lot is about 4 meters, which includes many artifacts from different dynasties.
Map of excavation sections
At the depth of about 1 meter underground is the most recent cultural stratum which has been uncovered. Here, artifacts from the 19th–20th centuries (Nguyễn Dynasty) have been unearthed. Artifacts found include: two wells built of stone and bricks; ceramic bowls, plates, jars, containers, incense burners, and bottles. The artifacts are items that were used daily and were all produced at Bát Tràng and Phù Lãng. They have different colored glozes (blue, white, grey, etc.) and different ornamental patterns (flowers, bamboo, line dots, brown lines).
At the depth of 1 to 2 meters, there were cultural relics from the Posterior Lê Dynasty (15th to 18th centuries). In fact, this layer of artifacts also includes traces of the early Lê Dynasty (circa 15th century), the Mạc (circa 16th century), the Restored Lê (circa 17th–18th centuries), and even the Tây Sơn (early 18th century).
A phoenix motif of the roof tile from the Lý Dynasty
The cultural stratum of the Lê era has exposed artifacts from the 15th–18th centuries. Items include fragments of the brick foundations from buildings; bowls, plates, jars, jugs, cups, pots, food containers, and lime-pots (white, turquoise and glue glazes). Most of the objects uncovered belonged to the king, the royal family, or aristocrats. These items were all decorated with a five-clawed dragon, the Chinese character “Guan” and the characters Trường Lạc (the name of the queen during Lê Thánh Tông’s rule), or Trường Lạc khố, (Lê Hiến Tông’s mother).
Vestiges of the Lý, Trần and Nguyễn Dynasties are also present at this layer. But most of the artifacts during this era have been heavily disturbed. This is common among artifacts from the Lê Dynasty. At the depth of 2 to 3 meters, there is the cultural stratum of the Lý (11th–12th centuries) and the Trần (13th–14th centuries) Dynasties. These two historical periods shared many similarities with each other. This was a period when Vietnamese civilization produced a brilliant culture referred to as Thăng Long. Though most of the artifacts in this layer were from the Lê and Trần Dynasties, it also included artifacts from the Đinh through the Anterior Lê Dynasties (10th–14th centuries). The artifacts found include: the foundation of ancient buildings (stone column bases with lotus decorations typical of the Lý–Trần sculpture), the foundations with brick-paved edges; red brick wells; a square pond filled up with construction materials and ceramic objects. Many of the smaller artifacts included items such as: bowls, boxes with covers, lamp-plates, replicas of towers, big jars, and pots. The design on the items shows that the objects belonged to the royal family and aristocracy. Among the artifacts are bricks carved with Chinese characters showing that they were produced in 1057, under the reign of the third king of the Lý Dynasty.
A sacred animal head from the Trần Dynasty
At the depth of 3-4 meters there is the cultural stratum of the historical period known as Đại La, when Việt Nam was ruled by the Chinese Tang Dynasty, Đại La was also the name of a citadel at that time, on the same location of the excavation site.
This stratum bears the cultural characteristics of Việt Nam under the Tang (a Chinese Dynasty) rule. This period existed from the 7th to 9th centuries, before King Lý Thái Tổ founded the Thăng Long capital in 2010. This layer is referred to as the pre-Thăng Long layer.
In brief, the excavation at the Thăng Long citadel has revealed 4 cultural strata.
1 – Đại La or pre-Thăng Long period: 7th to early 10th centuries (primarily the 9th century).
2 – Lý–Trần period: 11th–14th centuries (some vestiges of the Đinh–Anterior Lê Dynasties in the 10th century).
3 – Lê period (Early Lê, Mạc, Restored Lê, Tây Sơn): 15th–18th centuries.
4 – Nguyễn period: 19th century. This included traces of the French colonial period (late 19th–early 20th centuries) up until the 20th century. The excavation site demonstrates a 1,300-year course of development of Vietnamese culture. It is located next to the Hà Nội Citadel (built in 1805 and destroyed in 1897) and to the west of what used to be the Royal Citadel and the Forbidden Citadel of Thăng Long. It is an invaluable asset for the history and culture of Việt Nam.
Map of excavation sections
At the depth of about 1 meter underground is the most recent cultural stratum which has been uncovered. Here, artifacts from the 19th–20th centuries (Nguyễn Dynasty) have been unearthed. Artifacts found include: two wells built of stone and bricks; ceramic bowls, plates, jars, containers, incense burners, and bottles. The artifacts are items that were used daily and were all produced at Bát Tràng and Phù Lãng. They have different colored glozes (blue, white, grey, etc.) and different ornamental patterns (flowers, bamboo, line dots, brown lines).
At the depth of 1 to 2 meters, there were cultural relics from the Posterior Lê Dynasty (15th to 18th centuries). In fact, this layer of artifacts also includes traces of the early Lê Dynasty (circa 15th century), the Mạc (circa 16th century), the Restored Lê (circa 17th–18th centuries), and even the Tây Sơn (early 18th century).
A phoenix motif of the roof tile from the Lý Dynasty
The cultural stratum of the Lê era has exposed artifacts from the 15th–18th centuries. Items include fragments of the brick foundations from buildings; bowls, plates, jars, jugs, cups, pots, food containers, and lime-pots (white, turquoise and glue glazes). Most of the objects uncovered belonged to the king, the royal family, or aristocrats. These items were all decorated with a five-clawed dragon, the Chinese character “Guan” and the characters Trường Lạc (the name of the queen during Lê Thánh Tông’s rule), or Trường Lạc khố, (Lê Hiến Tông’s mother).
Vestiges of the Lý, Trần and Nguyễn Dynasties are also present at this layer. But most of the artifacts during this era have been heavily disturbed. This is common among artifacts from the Lê Dynasty. At the depth of 2 to 3 meters, there is the cultural stratum of the Lý (11th–12th centuries) and the Trần (13th–14th centuries) Dynasties. These two historical periods shared many similarities with each other. This was a period when Vietnamese civilization produced a brilliant culture referred to as Thăng Long. Though most of the artifacts in this layer were from the Lê and Trần Dynasties, it also included artifacts from the Đinh through the Anterior Lê Dynasties (10th–14th centuries). The artifacts found include: the foundation of ancient buildings (stone column bases with lotus decorations typical of the Lý–Trần sculpture), the foundations with brick-paved edges; red brick wells; a square pond filled up with construction materials and ceramic objects. Many of the smaller artifacts included items such as: bowls, boxes with covers, lamp-plates, replicas of towers, big jars, and pots. The design on the items shows that the objects belonged to the royal family and aristocracy. Among the artifacts are bricks carved with Chinese characters showing that they were produced in 1057, under the reign of the third king of the Lý Dynasty.
A sacred animal head from the Trần Dynasty
At the depth of 3-4 meters there is the cultural stratum of the historical period known as Đại La, when Việt Nam was ruled by the Chinese Tang Dynasty, Đại La was also the name of a citadel at that time, on the same location of the excavation site.
This stratum bears the cultural characteristics of Việt Nam under the Tang (a Chinese Dynasty) rule. This period existed from the 7th to 9th centuries, before King Lý Thái Tổ founded the Thăng Long capital in 2010. This layer is referred to as the pre-Thăng Long layer.
In brief, the excavation at the Thăng Long citadel has revealed 4 cultural strata.
1 – Đại La or pre-Thăng Long period: 7th to early 10th centuries (primarily the 9th century).
2 – Lý–Trần period: 11th–14th centuries (some vestiges of the Đinh–Anterior Lê Dynasties in the 10th century).
3 – Lê period (Early Lê, Mạc, Restored Lê, Tây Sơn): 15th–18th centuries.
4 – Nguyễn period: 19th century. This included traces of the French colonial period (late 19th–early 20th centuries) up until the 20th century. The excavation site demonstrates a 1,300-year course of development of Vietnamese culture. It is located next to the Hà Nội Citadel (built in 1805 and destroyed in 1897) and to the west of what used to be the Royal Citadel and the Forbidden Citadel of Thăng Long. It is an invaluable asset for the history and culture of Việt Nam.
Preserving this cultural site in our responsibility
VGP – A letter from the Honorary President of the Việt Nam Association of Historical Sciences, General Võ Nguyên Giáp, to Party and State Leaders.
General Võ Nguyên Giáp
Recently, I heard an archaeological report on the excavations at a site intended for building the National Assembly House. After that, I myself went to the site, looking at the historical vestiges and talking with the historians and archaeologists. I greatly appreciated the results of the archaeological excavations and the significance of the discovered site.
This is the first time Vietnamese archaeologists have had the opportunity and conditions to excavate sites from the ancient Royal Citadel of Thăng Long. By the end of September 2003 they excavated about 14,000 square meters of land, and recently another thousands of square meters. This is the largest archaeological excavation ever in Việt Nam and among the largest in Southeast Asia. At the site, remains of the western part of the citadel were exposed. This uncovered an architectural foundation larger than the royal palace in Huế, a drainage system, and wells. It helps us understand the magnitude and appearance of the royal citadel. Among the artifacts included tiles, bricks, column foundations, stone column bases, iron wood columns and terracotta decorations, royal daily life utensils, pottery (Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Middle East), gold decorations, and various weapons. The discovered items manifest the unique values and skill of traditional Vietnamese workmanship.
I would like to stress the significance of the site and the long history that it entails. This specific piece of land dates back to the pre-Thăng Long period beginning with the Đại La citadel in 7th-9th centuries and lasting until the Đinh and Anterior-Lê dynasties in the 10th century, the Thăng Long citadel existed on the site from the Lý and Trần Dynasties until the Early Lê, Mạc, and Restored Lê dynasties in the 11th-18th centuries. After this time period, the Hà Nội citadel stood through the early Nguyễn dynasty in the 19th century. The site is also connected with the revolutionary and resistance war sites during the Hồ Chí Minh era. For example, Hồ Chí Minh’s house-on-stilts, the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, Ba Đình Square, the command headquarters of the Vietnamese People’s Army during the anti-Vietnamese war, and the Ba Đình Meeting Hall are all on this land. This has created an invaluable complex of cultural sites lasting from the 7th to the 20th century. This is a special and rare feature that is of great historical value to Hà Nội. This land remained the capital city of the country for almost 13 successive centuries except for some intervals in the Tây Sơn and Nguyễn periods.
I appreciate the government’s policy allowing the archaeologists to carry out excavations before a construction project is started and delaying construction. Given the results of the excavations, I suggest an in-depth exploration of the entire area and the designing of a master plan for the preservation of this priceless cultural site, including the present Ba Đình Meeting Hall. I suggest choosing another larger site for the construction of the National Assembly House and the new Ba Đình Meeting Hall.
I know it is difficult and costly to preserve such an outdoor cultural and historical site while our country lacks relevant expertise and experience. Nonetheless, I believe when the Party, National Assembly, and State have introduced a correct policy, we will receive support from the population and the rest of the world to devise a proper solution to preserve this site. It is necessary to consider this task a long-term project and carefully plan stages for it. Beside the relevant administrative and scientific bodies in the country, we should seek cooperation with and assistance from international organizations such as the UNESCO and countries that have rich experience in this field. Preserving this cultural site is a responsibility of the Party, National Assembly, and State for our people and culture.
General Võ Nguyên Giáp
Recently, I heard an archaeological report on the excavations at a site intended for building the National Assembly House. After that, I myself went to the site, looking at the historical vestiges and talking with the historians and archaeologists. I greatly appreciated the results of the archaeological excavations and the significance of the discovered site.
This is the first time Vietnamese archaeologists have had the opportunity and conditions to excavate sites from the ancient Royal Citadel of Thăng Long. By the end of September 2003 they excavated about 14,000 square meters of land, and recently another thousands of square meters. This is the largest archaeological excavation ever in Việt Nam and among the largest in Southeast Asia. At the site, remains of the western part of the citadel were exposed. This uncovered an architectural foundation larger than the royal palace in Huế, a drainage system, and wells. It helps us understand the magnitude and appearance of the royal citadel. Among the artifacts included tiles, bricks, column foundations, stone column bases, iron wood columns and terracotta decorations, royal daily life utensils, pottery (Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Middle East), gold decorations, and various weapons. The discovered items manifest the unique values and skill of traditional Vietnamese workmanship.
I would like to stress the significance of the site and the long history that it entails. This specific piece of land dates back to the pre-Thăng Long period beginning with the Đại La citadel in 7th-9th centuries and lasting until the Đinh and Anterior-Lê dynasties in the 10th century, the Thăng Long citadel existed on the site from the Lý and Trần Dynasties until the Early Lê, Mạc, and Restored Lê dynasties in the 11th-18th centuries. After this time period, the Hà Nội citadel stood through the early Nguyễn dynasty in the 19th century. The site is also connected with the revolutionary and resistance war sites during the Hồ Chí Minh era. For example, Hồ Chí Minh’s house-on-stilts, the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, Ba Đình Square, the command headquarters of the Vietnamese People’s Army during the anti-Vietnamese war, and the Ba Đình Meeting Hall are all on this land. This has created an invaluable complex of cultural sites lasting from the 7th to the 20th century. This is a special and rare feature that is of great historical value to Hà Nội. This land remained the capital city of the country for almost 13 successive centuries except for some intervals in the Tây Sơn and Nguyễn periods.
I appreciate the government’s policy allowing the archaeologists to carry out excavations before a construction project is started and delaying construction. Given the results of the excavations, I suggest an in-depth exploration of the entire area and the designing of a master plan for the preservation of this priceless cultural site, including the present Ba Đình Meeting Hall. I suggest choosing another larger site for the construction of the National Assembly House and the new Ba Đình Meeting Hall.
I know it is difficult and costly to preserve such an outdoor cultural and historical site while our country lacks relevant expertise and experience. Nonetheless, I believe when the Party, National Assembly, and State have introduced a correct policy, we will receive support from the population and the rest of the world to devise a proper solution to preserve this site. It is necessary to consider this task a long-term project and carefully plan stages for it. Beside the relevant administrative and scientific bodies in the country, we should seek cooperation with and assistance from international organizations such as the UNESCO and countries that have rich experience in this field. Preserving this cultural site is a responsibility of the Party, National Assembly, and State for our people and culture.
The Cultural Heritage Complex of Thăng Long-Hà Nội
VGP - The Cultural Heritage Complex of Thăng Long-Hà Nội consists of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, Thăng Long Tứ Trấn (Temples of Four Guardian Gods of Thăng Long) and the Văn Miếu-Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature).
Location of the Imperial Citadel and excavated area in the map
of Ba Đình Complex
Thăng Long, which is Hà Nội's center nowadays, was chosen by Lý Thái Tổ, the founding king of the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225), as the capital of Đại Việt Kingdom (nowadays Việt Nam) since Autumn of 1010.
Thăng Long means “ascending dragon,” symbolizing the will and thirst for independence of the Vietnamese people after more than one thousand years of Chinese domination.
Since then, Thăng Long was almost continuously the capital city of Việt Nam through different reigns: Lý (1010-1225), Trần (1226-1400), Early Lê (1428-1527), Mạc (1572-1592), and the Restored Lê-Trịnh (1592-1789). In the periods when it was not the capital, Thăng Long still remained a central city in the vast area of Bắc Thành or North Việt Nam (1789-1831), Hà Nội Province (1831-1888), or Bắc Kỳ (also known as Tonkin) and the French-ruled Federation of Indochina (1888-1945). During the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945), the capital was moved to Huế. In 1945, Hà Nội was chosen by the Government of Democratic Republic of Việt Nam as the capital.
Previously, from the 7th to 9th centuries, under the domination of feudal China, it was also chosen by the ruling governments as Annam Prefecture (An Nam Đô Hộ Phủ), which included the North and North Central part of present Việt Nam.
From the 11th to 18th centuries, as a capital city, Thăng Long was constructed to adapt to physical features of the area that endowed with rivers and lakes. The citadel system incorporated three rings of rampart. The outer ring was the Đại La Citadel, which ran along the Red River in the East, Tô Lịch River in the North and West, and the Kim Ngưu River in the South. Consequently, the Đại La Citadel functioned itself as both an outer defensive rampart for the whole capital city and a complete dyke system. The second ring, known with many names throughout different periods, was nevertheless called in a common name: Hoàng Thành (Imperial Citadel), housing central governmental bodies. The third ring was the Forbidden City (Cấm Thành), where the King and the royal family's residence located. The architectural structures (system of palaces) were most densely concentrated in the Forbidden City and Imperial City, whose center was the Càn Nguyên Palace (later known as Thiên An or Kính Thiên Palace) built on a hillock called Nùng Mount. Although slight displacement was observed, in general, the location of citadel rings and architectural structures has remained unchanged over different periods.
1. The Thăng Long Imperial Citadel (approximately 50 hectares)
The present relic complex is located in Ba Đình District, roughly surrounded by Nguyễn Tri Phương, Phan Đình Phùng, Điện Biên Phủ, Trần Phú, Hoàng Văn Thụ and Hùng Vương Streets. Relics in the areas of the Forbidden City and the Imperial Citadel that situated on the central axis of the old citadel are the Cửa Bắc (North Gate), Hậu Lâu, Kính Thiên Palace, Đoan Môn (South Gate), Flag Tower and the archaeological site at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street. The relics found on the ground remain relatively intact and have been well preserved. Archaeological artifacts underground have been discovered and studied for many years. Researchers have found out many architectural vestiges and artifacts from the Chinese domination period, Đinh, Anterior Lê, Lý, Trần, Posterior Lê and Nguyên Dynasties.
A gate of the Thăng Long Citadel
Specifically, in the campus of the Ba Đình Assembly Hall at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street, significant architectural vestiges and artifacts of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel were unearthed.
From December 2002 to the beginning of 2004, the Việt Nam Archaeology Institute excavated on a large scale the archaeological site at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street with the total area of 19,000 m2. This is biggest archaeological excavation site in Việt Nam and Southeast Asia. Here a complex of abundant relics and vestiges from the Đại La Citadel (7th-9th centuries) to Thăng Long Citadel (11th-18th centuries) and Hà Nội Citadel (19th century) was discovered.
In the whole area, cultural layers appear in all locations with cultural and historical vestiges of Thăng Long-Hà Nội during the period of 1,300 years of history. In general, the cultural layers often exist in the depth of 1m downwards with thickness of 2.0-3.50m. At the location of some excavation holes such as A10 – A11, B3 - B9 and D4 - D6 it can be recognized the relics of different periods lying on each other, from the depth of 0.90m to 1.90m is the cultural layer of the Lê Dynasty from the 15th to 18th centuries; from the depth of 1.90m-3m is the cultural layer of the Lý and Trần dynasties (11th to 14th centuries); the depth of 3m-4.20m, the cultural layer of the Pre-Thăng Long period (7th-9th centuries). In cultural layers, it is always found out architectural vestiges typical for the different periods.
The numbers of founded vestiges are many but the majority is bricks, tiles and ceramic ware. In each period the vestiges have a specific feature.
During the 5th-6th centuries, there are grey red bricks, the boarders printed with olive shape, and blue-glazed ceramic bowls.
During the 6th-9th centuries, there are many bricks, tiles, especially bricks inscribed with Chinese characters "Giang Tây quân" in grey color; head of the tiles are decorated with the faces of sacred animals, joker, lotus, etc.
In the 10th century, some bricks and tiles are found, typical is the red bricks of which the surface is inscribed in Chinese characters "Đại Việt quốc quân thành chuyên"; also found out are ridge tiles with statues of bird couple; earthen wares.
In the Lý Dynasty (11th-13th centuries) brick and tile production was strongly developed with various sizes as rectangular and square bricks, the brick face are inscribed with Chinese characters "Lý gia đệ tam đế Long Thụy Thái Bình tứ niên tạo" (Made in the 4th year of Long Thụy Thái Bình, the 3rd king of the Lý - 1057); some square bricks decorated with lotus and daisy. The ceramic wares in the Lý Dynasty, bearing beautiful decoration and sharp colors of pearl, white, green enamels, prove the high skills of ceramics producers at that time.
The Trần Dynasty had continued and developed the artistic styles of the Lý Dynasty, through the ceramic wares with nice decoration in iron brown, white-and-blue colors. The period of the Posterior Lê Dynasty is long and divided into small stages: The Early Lê and Lê-Mạc Dynasties, and the Restored Lê Dynasty.
At the beginning of the Lê Dynasty, the typical vestiges are wooden-hammer brick and Yin-Yang tiles with large dimensions, blue-and-white, white ceramic wares of high quality. In the Lê-Mạc period the tiles carved with dragon motif appeared. The dragon motif style in the Lê-Mạc Dynasties is almost similar to the dragon pattern carved on the lamp stand in the Mạc Dynasty. On the ceramic wares, the dragon motifs are painted in a simple way, not careful in details as at the beginning of the Lê Dynasty. Wooden-hammer bricks with medium and small sizes were used both in the Lê-Mạc Dynasties and the Restored Lê Dynasty. The ceramic wares were abundant but not beautiful as in the previous periods.
2. Surrounding architecture buildings
Bạch Mã Temple in Hàng Buồm Street
In the ancient Thăng Long, there existed four sacred temples dedicated to four guardian gods of the city. They are Bạch Mã (White Horse), Voi Phục (Kneeling Elephant), Kim Liên, and Quán Thánh (Holy Mandarin)
According to the concept of geomancy, these are worship places of the Gods who guard at four main directions (East - West - South - North) of the citadel. These are also benchmarks forming the good layer of earth of the imperial city. Through many ups and downs of history, the four temples still exist.
Văn Miếu-Quốc Tử Giám is considered to be the first university in Việt Nam.
Văn Miếu (Temple of Literature) was built in October 1070 to worship Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, Chu Văn An, headmaster of Quốc Tử Giám (Imperial College), and other well-known scholars representing for the high philosophy and ethics of Vietnamese education.
In 1076, Quốc Tử Giám was constructed next to Văn Miếu. At first it was the college for only princes and then it also collected the best students in the whole country.
Location of the Imperial Citadel and excavated area in the map
of Ba Đình Complex
Thăng Long, which is Hà Nội's center nowadays, was chosen by Lý Thái Tổ, the founding king of the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225), as the capital of Đại Việt Kingdom (nowadays Việt Nam) since Autumn of 1010.
Thăng Long means “ascending dragon,” symbolizing the will and thirst for independence of the Vietnamese people after more than one thousand years of Chinese domination.
Since then, Thăng Long was almost continuously the capital city of Việt Nam through different reigns: Lý (1010-1225), Trần (1226-1400), Early Lê (1428-1527), Mạc (1572-1592), and the Restored Lê-Trịnh (1592-1789). In the periods when it was not the capital, Thăng Long still remained a central city in the vast area of Bắc Thành or North Việt Nam (1789-1831), Hà Nội Province (1831-1888), or Bắc Kỳ (also known as Tonkin) and the French-ruled Federation of Indochina (1888-1945). During the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945), the capital was moved to Huế. In 1945, Hà Nội was chosen by the Government of Democratic Republic of Việt Nam as the capital.
Previously, from the 7th to 9th centuries, under the domination of feudal China, it was also chosen by the ruling governments as Annam Prefecture (An Nam Đô Hộ Phủ), which included the North and North Central part of present Việt Nam.
From the 11th to 18th centuries, as a capital city, Thăng Long was constructed to adapt to physical features of the area that endowed with rivers and lakes. The citadel system incorporated three rings of rampart. The outer ring was the Đại La Citadel, which ran along the Red River in the East, Tô Lịch River in the North and West, and the Kim Ngưu River in the South. Consequently, the Đại La Citadel functioned itself as both an outer defensive rampart for the whole capital city and a complete dyke system. The second ring, known with many names throughout different periods, was nevertheless called in a common name: Hoàng Thành (Imperial Citadel), housing central governmental bodies. The third ring was the Forbidden City (Cấm Thành), where the King and the royal family's residence located. The architectural structures (system of palaces) were most densely concentrated in the Forbidden City and Imperial City, whose center was the Càn Nguyên Palace (later known as Thiên An or Kính Thiên Palace) built on a hillock called Nùng Mount. Although slight displacement was observed, in general, the location of citadel rings and architectural structures has remained unchanged over different periods.
1. The Thăng Long Imperial Citadel (approximately 50 hectares)
The present relic complex is located in Ba Đình District, roughly surrounded by Nguyễn Tri Phương, Phan Đình Phùng, Điện Biên Phủ, Trần Phú, Hoàng Văn Thụ and Hùng Vương Streets. Relics in the areas of the Forbidden City and the Imperial Citadel that situated on the central axis of the old citadel are the Cửa Bắc (North Gate), Hậu Lâu, Kính Thiên Palace, Đoan Môn (South Gate), Flag Tower and the archaeological site at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street. The relics found on the ground remain relatively intact and have been well preserved. Archaeological artifacts underground have been discovered and studied for many years. Researchers have found out many architectural vestiges and artifacts from the Chinese domination period, Đinh, Anterior Lê, Lý, Trần, Posterior Lê and Nguyên Dynasties.
A gate of the Thăng Long Citadel
Specifically, in the campus of the Ba Đình Assembly Hall at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street, significant architectural vestiges and artifacts of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel were unearthed.
From December 2002 to the beginning of 2004, the Việt Nam Archaeology Institute excavated on a large scale the archaeological site at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street with the total area of 19,000 m2. This is biggest archaeological excavation site in Việt Nam and Southeast Asia. Here a complex of abundant relics and vestiges from the Đại La Citadel (7th-9th centuries) to Thăng Long Citadel (11th-18th centuries) and Hà Nội Citadel (19th century) was discovered.
In the whole area, cultural layers appear in all locations with cultural and historical vestiges of Thăng Long-Hà Nội during the period of 1,300 years of history. In general, the cultural layers often exist in the depth of 1m downwards with thickness of 2.0-3.50m. At the location of some excavation holes such as A10 – A11, B3 - B9 and D4 - D6 it can be recognized the relics of different periods lying on each other, from the depth of 0.90m to 1.90m is the cultural layer of the Lê Dynasty from the 15th to 18th centuries; from the depth of 1.90m-3m is the cultural layer of the Lý and Trần dynasties (11th to 14th centuries); the depth of 3m-4.20m, the cultural layer of the Pre-Thăng Long period (7th-9th centuries). In cultural layers, it is always found out architectural vestiges typical for the different periods.
The numbers of founded vestiges are many but the majority is bricks, tiles and ceramic ware. In each period the vestiges have a specific feature.
During the 5th-6th centuries, there are grey red bricks, the boarders printed with olive shape, and blue-glazed ceramic bowls.
During the 6th-9th centuries, there are many bricks, tiles, especially bricks inscribed with Chinese characters "Giang Tây quân" in grey color; head of the tiles are decorated with the faces of sacred animals, joker, lotus, etc.
In the 10th century, some bricks and tiles are found, typical is the red bricks of which the surface is inscribed in Chinese characters "Đại Việt quốc quân thành chuyên"; also found out are ridge tiles with statues of bird couple; earthen wares.
In the Lý Dynasty (11th-13th centuries) brick and tile production was strongly developed with various sizes as rectangular and square bricks, the brick face are inscribed with Chinese characters "Lý gia đệ tam đế Long Thụy Thái Bình tứ niên tạo" (Made in the 4th year of Long Thụy Thái Bình, the 3rd king of the Lý - 1057); some square bricks decorated with lotus and daisy. The ceramic wares in the Lý Dynasty, bearing beautiful decoration and sharp colors of pearl, white, green enamels, prove the high skills of ceramics producers at that time.
The Trần Dynasty had continued and developed the artistic styles of the Lý Dynasty, through the ceramic wares with nice decoration in iron brown, white-and-blue colors. The period of the Posterior Lê Dynasty is long and divided into small stages: The Early Lê and Lê-Mạc Dynasties, and the Restored Lê Dynasty.
At the beginning of the Lê Dynasty, the typical vestiges are wooden-hammer brick and Yin-Yang tiles with large dimensions, blue-and-white, white ceramic wares of high quality. In the Lê-Mạc period the tiles carved with dragon motif appeared. The dragon motif style in the Lê-Mạc Dynasties is almost similar to the dragon pattern carved on the lamp stand in the Mạc Dynasty. On the ceramic wares, the dragon motifs are painted in a simple way, not careful in details as at the beginning of the Lê Dynasty. Wooden-hammer bricks with medium and small sizes were used both in the Lê-Mạc Dynasties and the Restored Lê Dynasty. The ceramic wares were abundant but not beautiful as in the previous periods.
2. Surrounding architecture buildings
Bạch Mã Temple in Hàng Buồm Street
In the ancient Thăng Long, there existed four sacred temples dedicated to four guardian gods of the city. They are Bạch Mã (White Horse), Voi Phục (Kneeling Elephant), Kim Liên, and Quán Thánh (Holy Mandarin)
According to the concept of geomancy, these are worship places of the Gods who guard at four main directions (East - West - South - North) of the citadel. These are also benchmarks forming the good layer of earth of the imperial city. Through many ups and downs of history, the four temples still exist.
Văn Miếu-Quốc Tử Giám is considered to be the first university in Việt Nam.
Văn Miếu (Temple of Literature) was built in October 1070 to worship Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, Chu Văn An, headmaster of Quốc Tử Giám (Imperial College), and other well-known scholars representing for the high philosophy and ethics of Vietnamese education.
In 1076, Quốc Tử Giám was constructed next to Văn Miếu. At first it was the college for only princes and then it also collected the best students in the whole country.
A long-term conservation plan needed for the Imperial Citadel
VGP – It is necessary to adopt a master planning scheme for the long-term conservation of the historical site of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel at No. 18 Hoàng Diệu Street, said Mr. Nguyễn Văn Sơn, Director of the Conservation Center for Cổ Loa and the Hà Nội Ancient Citadel.
According to Mr. Sơn, vestiges and artifacts of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel are suffering negative weather impacts. Lying in the earth at the depths of 2–4m for thousands of years, they are now exposed to tropical climate with high humidity and heavy rains.
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| An excavation site of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel at No. 18 Hoàng Diệu Street, Hà Nội |
The Director said that it is an urgent necessity to adopt a master planning scheme for long-term preservation of the citadel.
So far, a number of seminars have been organized to discuss methods of preserving outdoor vestiges and unearthed artifacts to serve scientific research and tourist purposes.
Some architectural items, such as Kính Thiên Palace
He added that some open storages should be built to preserve artifacts while show-casing them to the public.
The Conservation Center
