Dr. Nguyen Khac Hao, former Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Union of Science and Technology Associations of Hung Yen Province.
Preserving, restoring, and promoting the value of the ancient town of Pho Hien in conjunction with tourism – feasibility in the context of regional development.
Pho Hien is a unique phenomenon within Vietnam's ancient urban system . Formed around the end of the 16th century, at the same time as Hoi An, Pho Hien flourished as a river port, an important international trade center in Northern Vietnam, and gradually declined from the 18th century onwards. The appearance of the ancient city of Pho Hien was a convergence of ports, markets, neighborhoods, trading posts of Westerners, and many bustling handicraft and trade industries. Notably, Pho Hien also played the role of a "front port," housing the government offices of the imperial court and serving as a protective belt for the capital Thang Long.
In the current context, new development spaces are creating a new position for Hung Yen province in general and Pho Hien in particular. Geographically, Pho Hien is located in the center of the Red River Delta, with a convenient water and land transportation system. The expanding space and increasingly improved infrastructure have created favorable conditions for implementing projects to restore, recreate, and revive the Pho Hien heritage associated with cultural tourism development. The feasibility of promoting the Pho Hien ancient urban heritage is demonstrated by many factors. First, the province's financial resources are increasingly enhanced, with stable annual budget growth, sufficient to allocate resources for key projects. In addition, there is still relatively abundant land in the Pho Hien University area, along the Red River, Luoc River, and other planned areas, opening up significant potential for the formation of new cultural and tourism spaces. More importantly, the restoration of the Pho Hien heritage needs to be considered within the overall regional development and spatial linkages. The cultural space of Pho Hien should not be limited to the old town but should be expanded and connected with surrounding areas, forming a unified whole. The "renewal of what has been lost" must adhere to a consistent architectural and landscape language, ensuring both the interests of the people and creating an attractive environment for tourists, especially international visitors.
Dr. Nguyen Viet, Center for Southeast Asian Prehistory
The geographical and cultural foundation and origins of Pho Hien
From a historical and geographical perspective, Pho Hien has a very early history. Before and after the Common Era, this area held the position of an ancient seaport, with two important river branches: the Luoc River on the left bank and the Chau River (Ha Lo) on the right bank. Archaeological discoveries, especially the system of Han-style brick tombs within the area of present-day Hung Yen city, suggest that Pho Hien may have been a seaport city from around the 1st-2nd centuries AD.
By the 15th century, when Thang Long – Ke Cho had established itself as the political and economic center of the nation, Pho Hien emerged as an important "pre-port" on the waterway route from the sea to Thang Long along the Red River. From the late 15th century, in addition to its functions as a market town and port city, it also played an administrative and military role under the name Hien Doanh. In the 16th-18th centuries, Pho Hien boomed amidst vibrant international trade, becoming a major urban center, likened to a "second Ke Cho" or "Little Chang'an" of the Northern region.
In the history of the development of the Northern Delta, the center of the rice granary has undergone a clear shift. From the 15th century, the major rice granary gradually moved down to the low-lying plains, where alluvial deposits were regularly deposited and the population was dense. According to the "Historical Records of Dynastic Constitutions," Pho Hien was located right in the middle of this new rice granary region, thus affirming its crucial role in the economy and trade.
The study and reconstruction of Pho Hien's history during its prosperous period not only aims to recreate an ancient city but also contributes to clarifying the cultural and economic value of this historically significant land that once played an important role in the entire Northern Delta region. This provides a scientific basis for guiding the economic and cultural development of Hung Yen province and related areas, while also drawing valuable lessons for sustainable development in the new context.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Vu Phuong, Deputy Director of the Academy of Strategy, Training of Construction Cadres, Ministry of Construction
Heritage resources and landscape of Pho Hien, and planning orientation for conservation linked with sustainable tourism and culture.
Pho Hien is a unique "heritage-landscape" entity, encompassing a system of historical relics, remnants of a trading port and craft streets, and an urban structure closely linked to the Red River. This organic relationship between heritage and natural landscape creates a distinctive "heritage within a landscape" identity, and is a crucial resource for conservation, urban renovation, and sustainable cultural tourism development. The urban natural landscape of Pho Hien, including rivers, ponds, ancient canals, open spaces, and historical viewpoints, not only shapes the ancient urban structure but also serves ecological functions. Therefore, the conservation of Pho Hien needs a holistic approach, linking the landscape-heritage components within a unified system, rather than preserving individual relics.
In this context, the historical urban landscape approach is particularly suitable for Pho Hien. The core value of this urban area lies in its "street-market-wharf" model connected to the Red River and the system of ancient ponds, canals, and waterways, along with a network of historical relics and community living spaces. The historical urban landscape approach allows for a shift from a static conservation mindset to a holistic management of the heritage city based on its value, context, and development dynamics.
Based on the theoretical framework of historical urban landscapes, four groups of solutions can be concretized according to the pillars of Green – Smart – Sustainable – Innovative. Among these, priority should be given to solutions implemented early to create a ripple effect, such as improving the quality of public spaces, strengthening green-blue connections, and enhancing heritage experiences linked to tourism. Through this, Pho Hien has a foundation to shape an adaptive heritage city model, where development is regulated according to carrying capacity, landscape criteria, and adaptation to climate change.
Dr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, Architect, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering
Recreating the image of Pho Hien heritage based on the idea of planning a cultural park.
The approach to preserving the Pho Hien heritage should aim towards an "open heritage" model, in which a part of the ancient city's space and activities are recreated so that locals and tourists can experience them directly. For Pho Hien, this recreation needs to be flexible, based on maximum respect for historical authenticity within the given conditions.
Heritage elements with sufficient scientific documentation and significant importance can be recreated as physical spatial highlights. Conversely, elements lacking sufficient verifiable evidence should be interpreted through intangible means such as light, images, projections, or virtual and augmented reality technologies. The application of digital technology is considered a key solution in recreating the Pho Hien heritage. Integrating technologies such as digital models, virtual reality, and augmented reality not only creates a vivid experience for tourists but also limits the risk of creating "fake heritage," because all digital content is built on verified historical data. Based on this, I propose the idea of planning the Pho Hien Cultural Park – a space recreating the image of the ancient trading port within the contemporary urban area of Hung Yen. This park comprises three main functional zones: the core heritage zone, which includes existing relics that are strictly preserved; The plan includes expanding the zoning to serve heritage recreation linked with tourism service activities; and zoning for connecting infrastructure, ensuring transportation, technical facilities, and tourism-related infrastructure.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association
The position of Pho Hien on the Red River axis
Pho Hien is a city with a long history of formation and development, reaching its peak of prosperity in the early 17th century and flourishing most brilliantly in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The rise and fall of Pho Hien was influenced by many domestic and international factors, but the most decisive factor was the role of the Red River. Located in the central section of the Red River, where it intersects with the Chau Giang River to the west and the Hai Trieu River (Luoc River) to the east, Pho Hien is situated in an area that converges important waterways, serving as the center of trade, state administration, economic activities, culture, and creativity for its inhabitants for centuries. It can be affirmed that Pho Hien is a typical riverine city, a city "on and within the river." The Red River not only provided resources for the development of the entire Northern Delta and the thousand-year-old capital of Thang Long, but also served as the vital foundation for the survival of Pho Hien. Therefore, the restoration, recreation, and revitalization of Pho Hien's urban heritage should focus intensely on the Red River area, especially the system of wharves, sandbanks, and riverside areas in the central region. Furthermore, the restoration of Pho Hien should not be separated from major regional projects, including the project to create a scenic Red River boulevard extending south to Me So Bridge. This connection will not only contribute to completing the iconic scenic axis of the Capital – a city of culture, civilization, and modernity – but also create new impetus for Pho Hien's development within a broader regional context.
Dao Ban
Source: https://baohungyen.vn/nhan-dien-gia-tri-hoi-sinh-di-san-pho-hien-3189296.html
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