Ho Dynasty Citadel- A World Cultural Heritage Site
Visiting Ho Dynasty Citadel under the construction of Vietnamese people, tourists in Vietnam will have chance to admire its unique stone architecture. Recognized as the World Cultural Heritage Site at the 35th meeting in Bahrain in June, 2011, the Citadel is not only the pride of Thanh Hoa people, but also the pride of Vietnamese people all over the country.
Located in two communes Vinh Long and Vinh Tien of Vinh Loc District, Ho Dynasty Citadel is a unique stone architecture constructed by Vietnamese People. It is proud that Ho Dynasty Citadel was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site at the 35th meeting in Bahrain in June, 2011.
It is surprisingly said that Ho Dynasty Citadel had been built in only three months from January to March 1397. This citadel was used to be the capital of both Dai Viet nation during the final years of Tran Dynasty and Dai Ngu nation for seven years. It was officially named “Tay Do” (Western Capital) in order to distinguish from Thang Long – Dong Do Citadel (Eastern Capital). Ho Citadel is the only stone one in Vietnam which is constructed during a short period of time. It includes two layers: the inner called “Hoang Thanh” built with stone and the outer called “La Thanh” built with soil.
The outstanding feature of Ho Dynasty Citadel is that its stone walls were built to bear earthquakes with an average height of five meters. It is strange that the stones were laid without cement, each of them weighed up to 20 tonnes. Besides four gates covered Ho citadel, there was a canal surrounding the citadel as an extra layer of protection. Witnessing the ups and downs of over six-century history, some parts of the citadel are still kept its origins. Ho Dynasty Citadel is stated to be the symbol of power and military fortress. It was also built to represent both royalty and divine powers. It helped to link natural and human space. Especially, time and weather can not damage the major stone sections because of the citadel’s unique construction techniques
In the last days of June 2011, UNESCO recognized the citadel of Ho Dynasty as the World Cultural Heritage Sites. It is the pride of not only Thanh Hoa People, but aslo Vietnamese people all over the country. Presently, local authorities are trying their best to protect and preserve this site for its unique stone structure and identify it as an important site on the tourist map of all travelers in Vietnam tourism.
If you are in Vietnam travel, once pay a visit to Ho Dynasty Citadel where you can admire the unique architectural beauty of Vietnam’s World Cultural Heritage Site in Thanh Hoa province.
