Restoring the oldest ancient capital in Southeast Asia.

(NLĐO) - From the important results obtained through excavations at the Ho Dynasty Citadel World Heritage site, the oldest ancient capital in Southeast Asia is gradually coming to light.

The People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province has approved the expenditure of over 350 billion VND (phase 1) to restore several structures within the Ho Dynasty Citadel (Tay Do commune, Thanh Hoa province) that were unearthed through archaeological excavations. This is an important milestone, paving the way for projects to restore one of the oldest ancient capitals in the history of feudal Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

The Ho Dynasty Citadel, a World Heritage site in Thanh Hoa province, has just received approval from the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee for a budget of 354 billion VND for restoration and reconstruction, making it the largest ancient capital in Southeast Asia.

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These findings are groundbreaking.

Although it only lasted for 7 years (1400-1407) and is considered the shortest dynasty in the history of Vietnamese feudalism, the Ho Dynasty left behind for Vietnam and the world a unique stone citadel, one of the most remarkable in Southeast Asia. With its outstanding global value, in 2011 the Ho Citadel was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Mr. Trinh Huu Anh, Deputy Director of the Management Board of Ho Citadel Heritage and Key Relics of Thanh Hoa Province, said that in order to provide a basis for preserving and promoting the global value of the Ho Citadel World Heritage site, more than 20 archaeological excavations have been carried out in recent years. From these excavations, many important pieces of evidence and traces have been unearthed, creating an important foundation for restoring the core values ​​of the heritage that were erased in the past.

The Royal Road was discovered at the South Gate of Ho Dynasty Citadel.

Specifically, excavations have uncovered the central architectural complex of the King's foundation; the architectural complex in the southeastern part of the Inner Citadel; traces of four moats; traces of the Royal Road and the foundation of the Southern Gate Square during the Ho Dynasty; traces of the Nam Giao sacrificial altar, and a stone quarry used for the construction of the Ho Dynasty Citadel…

Among archaeological excavations, the two-year excavation in 2020-2021 at Ho Citadel, covering a total area of ​​25,000 m2, is considered the largest excavation in the history of Vietnamese archaeology, in terms of the total area excavated in a single operation. Notably, the excavation uncovered many important traces and clusters of traces, including four clusters dating from the Tran-Ho dynasties, two clusters of early Le dynasty architecture, and one cluster of later Le dynasty architecture, comprising over 20 architectural units of immense value, affirming the outstanding global value of the Ho Citadel World Heritage site.

Associate Professor Dr. Tong Trung Tin, President of the Vietnam Archaeological Association - who has spent more than 10 years involved in excavations at Tay Do Citadel - believes that the excavation has identified unique architectural remains, on a scale one of the largest to date in the history of research on traditional Vietnamese architecture in the central area of ​​Ho Dynasty Citadel (also known as the King's Foundation).

The Royal Road, which passed through the South Gate and into the inner city, was excavated earlier and is now located beneath rice paddies.

According to him, initial calculations combined with the location of the royal tomb led archaeologists to predict that it could be the remains of the main palace of Tay Do citadel. This is the oldest remains of a main palace in the history of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian capitals discovered to date.

During the excavations, the Royal Road was revealed in front of the South Gate, consisting of three parallel lanes: a central lane and two side lanes. The central lane ran through the city gate and extended north and south. The road was paved mainly with large, grayish-blue limestone blocks of various shapes: rectangular, square, triangular, trapezoidal, rhombus, etc.

The paving stones were mostly carefully crafted to create a flat surface for the road, and the surfaces of the stones all showed quite distinct chisel marks similar to those used to build city walls.

The excavations in 2020-2021 uncovered many important remains and clusters of remains.

The oldest capital city in Southeast Asia is gradually emerging.

According to Mr. Trinh Huu Anh, with the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee approving over 350 billion VND for the restoration and renovation of many major items, it will open up development opportunities, turning Ho Citadel into a key tourist destination of the nation and the region, while also contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

The Deputy Director of the Management Board of Ho Citadel Heritage and Key Relics of Thanh Hoa Province also stated that the restoration and renovation project is divided into two phases, lasting from 2025 to 2028. Phase one (2025-2027) focuses on several important items such as archaeological preservation and reconstruction of the foundation of the Hoang Nguyen Palace area on an area of ​​9,000 m2; restoration and repair of the entire southern moat, over 1.4 km long; and restoration of the Royal Road, over 615 m long.

These important findings laid the foundation for the restoration of structures within the inner city such as the East Thai Mieu Temple, the West Thai Mieu Temple, the West Do Main Hall, etc.

Simultaneously, the project will implement waterproofing solutions for roofs and walls at the city gates; construct five internal transportation routes, a lighting system, plant landscaped trees, build public restrooms, and construct other technical infrastructure facilities.

In phase two (2027-2028), Thanh Hoa province plans to continue restoring and renovating structures in the inner city area such as Dong Thai Mieu, Tay Thai Mieu and Nam Thanh bridge...

"With over 600 years of existence, many structures at Ho Citadel have deteriorated. The implementation of the conservation project by Thanh Hoa province is not only an urgent task to preserve the heritage, but also contributes to affirming the commitment of Thanh Hoa in particular, and Vietnam in general, to preserving and promoting the value of human culture. When the constructions are completed, the heritage space will gradually become visible, creating a foundation for other important restoration projects within the citadel, including the project to restore and renovate the main palace of Tay Do Citadel - the oldest and most magnificent capital in Southeast Asia," said Mr. Trinh Huu Anh.

A peaceful scene at the Ho Dynasty Citadel World Heritage site.

According to Mr. Trinh Huu Anh, the completion of the restoration and preservation projects promises to open a new chapter in the development of the heritage site, creating connections between heritage areas in the region and beyond.

"When the project is revived, the scientific basis and data will help complete the dossier on the Ho Dynasty Citadel heritage, while further clarifying the heritage's outstanding global criteria in terms of construction techniques, architecture, and cultural aspects. In addition, it will help managers have a more comprehensive overview in closely managing the Ho Dynasty Citadel heritage from a sustainable development perspective," Mr. Huu Anh shared.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/khoi-phuc-lai-kinh-do-co-nhat-dong-nam-a-196260216163355651.htm