The unique stone architecture in the Ho Dynasty Citadel, a World Heritage site.

(PLO) - Although it did not exist for a long time, Ho Citadel, located in Vinh Loc, Thanh Hoa, is a capital city with many unique cultural characteristics and values, not only of Vietnam but also of the East Asian and Southeast Asian regions. It is a massive structure with many unique features in its stone architecture.

The citadel began construction in the spring of January 1397, the 10th year of the Quang Thai reign of Emperor Thuan Tong of the Tran Dynasty. The person who decided on the construction was Ho Quy Ly, who at that time held the position of Grand Tutor, Minister of Military Affairs, and Tuyen Trung Ve Quoc Dai Vuong, the position of Prime Minister, holding all the power of the court. The person directly organizing and managing the construction work was the Minister of Personnel and Grand Historian Do Tinh (some books write Man).

Ho Quy Ly built a new citadel in An Ton cave (now located in Vinh Long and Vinh Tien communes, Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province), establishing it as the new capital named Tay Do, with the aim of forcing the Tran dynasty to move its capital there, in preparation for overthrowing the Tran dynasty.

Nam Giao Altar

In March of the year Canh Than (March 26 to April 24, 1400), the Ho Dynasty was established (1400-1407), and Tay Do became the capital of the new dynasty. Thang Long, renamed Dong Do, still maintained its important role in the country.

Architecturally speaking, the Ho Dynasty Citadel is considered the only remaining stone citadel in Southeast Asia and one of the few remaining such structures in the world .

The citadel, comprising the inner citadel, outer wall, and sacrificial altar, is a unique ancient stone architectural structure in Vietnam. Its distinctive artistry lies in the meticulous assembly of these massive stone blocks in the shortest construction time, resulting in exceptional durability, making it a top-tier structure not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia.

UNESCO experts acknowledge that there is no other stone citadel similar to this one in Vietnam or Southeast Asia.

The entire city wall and four main gates were constructed from meticulously carved, square-shaped slabs of blue limestone, stacked tightly together. The slabs averaged 1.5 meters in length, with some reaching 6 meters and weighing an estimated 24 tons. The total volume of stone used in construction was approximately 20,000 cubic meters, and nearly 100,000 cubic meters of earth were meticulously excavated and filled.

The massive stone slabs, weighing tons, were simply stacked without any binding material, yet they remained remarkably stable. Over 600 years, through the vicissitudes of history and the effects of weather, the wall system remains remarkably intact, despite being built in a very short timeframe of only about three months.

Ho Dynasty Citadel is a large-scale imperial city, especially the Imperial Citadel and the Nam Giao Altar. The most unique value of the Ho Dynasty Citadel lies in its stone-built citadel, which is very durable and sturdy.

Numerous questions arose that needed answers, such as the source of the stone, the method of carving to the calculated dimensions suitable for the structure and design of the citadel, means of transportation, assembly and construction methods… All of this speaks of a human marvel, the organizational and managerial talent of the engineers, and the creative labor of the laborers and craftsmen in various trades such as stoneworking, brick and tile making, construction, and decoration…

Throughout Vietnam and the East, there are many stone structures, especially fortresses, temples, monuments, and tombs, but Ho Citadel is the only capital built primarily of large stones, a rarity in the world.

Despite numerous studies, there is still no convincing explanation as to how the Ho Dynasty managed to create such a comprehensive and detailed design for the structure, shape, and form of the city gates, using stones of varying sizes and weighing many tons to assemble the gates with such exquisite precision that the inner arches appear perfectly smooth, as if polished.

Standing tens of meters tall and weighing hundreds of tons, the city gates and walls have withstood numerous geological and stratigraphic changes for over six centuries without sinking, tilting, shifting, or cracking.

Surrounding the Imperial Citadel are six stone archways, with the southern gate having three archways—three gates built to a length of 38m, a height of 10m, and a thickness of 15.6m, consisting of nine layers of large stones stacked on top of each other.

By using manual labor, without modern machinery or equipment like today, how did our people manage to design, quarry, craft, transport, and assemble the stone fortifications—especially the gates, which required highly precise and technically demanding work—in just three months?

The answer was partially revealed when hundreds of large (the size of soccer balls) and small (the size of rattan balls) stone spheres were found during numerous archaeological excavations. The discovery of these stone spheres reinforced the hypothesis that ancient workers used them as rollers to hoist stones from the quarry (tens of kilometers away from the construction site). Combined with hoisting and earthwork, they were able to lift the stone slabs to build the ramparts.

Many sociologists have shared the same idea, likening the Ho Dynasty citadel to a sculpture in which the architectural and design elements reveal artistic attributes, from the assembly of details to the structural form, strongly reflecting Eastern painting styles.

Unlike the aforementioned countries, Ho Citadel possesses unique characteristics and holds mysteries regarding its architectural structure that need to be explored , preserved, honored, and promoted for their profound social significance.

The Ho Dynasty Citadel is located in the communes of Vinh Tien and Vinh Long, Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province. After more than 600 years of existence, the architectural structures within the citadel have been destroyed. The remains of the ancient palace's foundations are now hidden somewhere beneath the lush green rice and corn fields of the villagers.

On June 27, 2011, at the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held in Paris, France, a decision was signed to recognize Ho Citadel as a World Cultural Heritage site. The citadel has also been recognized by CNN as "one of the 21 most outstanding and greatest heritage sites in the world".

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/kien-truc-da-doc-dao-trong-di-san-van-hoa-the-gioi-thanh-nha-ho-post274667.html