Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is the tourist destination which will
bring you to a few imperial capitals of the country in the ancient and
medieval eras. Visiting Hoa Lu, you will not only have a fun and
exciting time, but can learn more about culture and history as well.
Hoa Lu is some 110km or two hours from Hanoi. Located near the town of
Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu is the site of a 10th-century capital of an ancient
Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet. This small Kingdom covered an
area of only 300 hectares, and reigned from the 10th century, during the
Dinh and Le dynasties, to the 11th century, during the Ly Dynasty. The
Kingdom was enclosed by a citadel. The citadel and the Yen Ngua
limestone hills provided good defence for this kingdom against the
Chinese.
Hoa Lu - Ancient Capital-hoalu.jpeg
The mountains and sea combined to make Hoa Lu’s picturesque landscape.
Hoa Lu lays in a flat valley surrounded by the Trang An lime stone
mountains, which form a natural wall protecting the old citadel. The
city’s northwest is bordered by the Hoang Long River, the tributaries of
which run through the capital, cooling the weather within the city and
serving as convenient waterways.
Not much of this ancient kingdom is left standing. Whatever that remains
of the palaces and shrines would only be of interest to archaeologists.
The Royal Court was built in an area of 150 hectares in the eastern
part of the capital while the western part served as a site to educate
and protect children. The surrounding to be quite picturesque, with its
ponds and limestone range forming a jagged horizon. There are two 17th
century temples, modelled after their 11th-century originals that are on
most itineraries to Hoa Lu. They are the Dinh Tien Hoang Temple and Le
Hoan Temple, dedicated to the founder of the Dinh Dynasty and to its
successor, reachable after a climb of more then 200 steps. I shall
describe these two temples separately on their respective pages.
Hoa Lu - Ancient Capital-tamcoc.jpeg
As the capital of the country for 41 years, Hoa Lu has many palaces,
pagodas, tombs and pavilions that were built by different dynasties. One
of the most popular pieces of architecture is the Bao Thien Tue Palace,
which was plated with gold and silver. However many vestiges have been
destroyed due to time and weather.
In 968, Dinh Bo Linh ascended to the throne and took the name of King
Dinh Tien Hoang and reunified the country under the name of Dai Co Viet.
Hoa Lu was its capital for 41 years (968-1009). The first 12 years were
the Dinh Dynasty while the rest were the Le Dynasty with King Le Dai
Hanh. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital to Thang Long (Hanoi
now)
Coming to Hoa Lu visitors can attend traditional cultural festivals
here, and the most important and largest of them is the Truong Yen
Festival, which is held on the 10th day of the third lunar month. The
festival is in memory of the Kings of the Dinh and Le dynasties. The
festival lasts for three days with many traditional games and martial
arts, reflecting local residents’ legends.
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