Hoa Lu ancient capital

History
The capital of Hoa Lu is located in the ancient alluvial zone at the foot of the mountains, in which archaeologists have found the vestiges of the cultures of Trang An, Hoa Binh, Dong Son, and Da But which show that man prehistoric lived in the caves of Hoa Lu for 30,000 years.
In the history, Hoa Lu was the capital under three feudal dynasties the Dinh, the former and Lý, from 968 to 1010, with 6 kings, like Đinh Tien Hoang, Đinh Toan, Le Đai Hanh, Le Trung Tong, Le Long Đinh và Ly Thai To.
Coming from Hoa Lu, Đinh Tien Hoang defeated twelve warlords then declared himself emperor in 968, founded the Dinh dynasty and the Dai Co Viet and ended the first period of Chinese domination for a thousand years. He made the most of the rugged mountainous terrain and the river system to build the capital Hoa Lu. For 42 years, Hoa Lu has witnessed the successions of the dynasties and the wars against the invaders from the North and the South. In 1010, King Le Thai To transferred the capital to Hanoi. So Hoa Lu was no longer the political center of the country, the kings restored the citadels and built pagodas, temples, palaces, communes, etc.
Hoa Lu ancient capital
Covering around 300 hectares, the ancient capital of Hoa Lu consisted of three parts located side by side: the inner-outer- southern citadel, surrounded by limestone mountain ranges, rivers and 10 sections of walls from 8 to 10 m high. The southern one served as a military base on the rugged terrain, the locals called it the citadel Trang An and the other two called the citadel Hoa Lu in which the residences of the king and the mandarins are located. The outer (eastern) citadel was the workplace of the king and the senior mandarins. Many important monuments still exist, such as the Oriental Bridge market (Cau Dong), the Den bridge, the One Pillar pagoda (Nhat Tru), the Co Am pagoda, the Palace of the Garden of Paradise (Vuon Thien), the Yen Trach community house, etc. The temples where they worshiped King Dinh Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh are the best known.
The inner (western) citadel was the residence of the king, his family, other members of the royal family and certain senior mandarins. The peoples lived outside the citadel. The remains consist of the Kim Ngan pagoda in which gold from the National Treasury was stored, the Duyen Ninh pagoda in which people prayed for luck in love, the Bim temple, the Vuc Vong temple.
With high mountains, deep trenches, the southern citadel or Trang An protected the rear of Hoa Lu, from where soldiers can quickly enter and exit by boat. In the wars against the Mongols invasion, the Tran dynasty put the important military base there.
Hoa Lu Culture
Hoa Lu was the cradle of literature written with the poem "Mountains and Rivers of the South Country" (Nam quốc sơn hà), which was called "Vietnam's first declaration of independence", it affirmed the sovereignty of Vietnamese rulers over its territory and condemns the Chinese invasion. This poem was first dictated in 981 before and during the battles against the Song Dynasty's first invasion and the second in 1077, to boost the morale of the troops.
The capital of Hoa Lu is also the ancestral homeland of Chèo - a type of popular theatre whose founder was Pham Thi Tran, a talented singer from the royal palace of the Dinh Dynasty in the 10th century. Chèo is especially loved and appreciated in the Red River Delta in Vietnam.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your vacation in Vietnam.