Thang Long Imperial Citadel

Thang Long

The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi is the archeological site of the old capital of Vietnam, which originated in 1010.
This makes it one of the oldest centers of power in the world that has been in use without interruption.

Most of the structures were destroyed in the 19th century and are now being restored. They form a unique synthesis of the influence of various
Asian cultures.

The site consists of two main parts:
- 18 Hoang Dieu Archeological site
- Citadel, including the Flag Tower, Doan Mon Gate, Kinh Tien Palace, the Dragon Steps, Hau Lau Palace, Bac Mon Gate.

Visit February 2011

This is a curious WHS, and I wonder how many westerners have visited it before its designation in 2010. The 2009 Lonely Planet Vietnam describes it as a "militairy base" and "closed to the public". News updates on the web that I had read up on before said that it had opened for a while last year, and then closed again for renovations. So I had no idea of what to expect when I set out to find it.

The entrance to the citadel, the main part of the WHS, turned out to be pretty inconspicuous: you surely would not go in if you weren't looking for it. It is located around the corner from the Red Flag Tower, and most signs pointing to it are in Vietnamese. While the nearby Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum sees thousands of domestic and foreign visitors a day, here I encountered only about a dozen Vietnamese. Entrance is free and a visit (at least my one did) lasts about an hour.

What you'll find here is a number of gates and buildings, all in yellow and most of them originating from the 19th century. The site is hard to date for our "Built in the xth century"-connection, as Thang Long's status as capital lasts from as early as 1010. Most structures here have been rebuilt however during the course of time.
I did not visit the Archeological Site, which is located across the street from the citadel. It has very limited opening hours (a couple of hours a day in weekends), and was closed when I arrived there.

Seeing the state of the remains, it is doubtful if this is a worthy WHS. Hanoi got this status last year as a present for its 1000th birthday, after a clever nomination from the Vietnamese. It compares itself to Nara (Japan) and Xi'an (China), but its remains are much less imposing. The lovely capital of Vietnam surely merits international attention though, especially for its Old Quarter (which is about 2 km away from the citadel).

Reviews

Clyde (Malta): I visited this WHS in February 2011. The highlight of my visit were the turtle stelae of the imperial citadel in the lower Red River Valley. This archaeological site reflects a unique SE Asian culture at the crossroads between China and Thailand.

Thibault Magnien (France): The imperial city of Thang Long is situated in the historic center of Hanoi. Thang Long was actually the historic name of Hanoi before colonialism. It is composed of two sites; the first one is a complex comprising different nice buildings and the citadel with its famous tower. The other one, situated very close (cross the road), is an archeological park where buildings and antiquities are getting excavated. This place is interesting to see how people excavate things and how deep in the ground it can be. The imperial city has more than ten centuries of history and several dynasties used to live in. It was also welcoming ritual ceremonies. The site is not well indicated. It is situated just close to the statue of Lenin, midway between the old quarter and Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. The entrance is free but take care of the time.

Frederik Dawson (Netherlands): In 2008, I visited Hanoi with no expectation as my prime interest was the famous Ha Long Bay, but I also made a sightseeing tour to many places; apart from the beautiful Hoan Kiem pond in the city center, I also visited many temples such as Van Mieu, and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and its museum. I thought I had seen all the must see of Hanoi which in my opinion except Ho Chi Minh’s, the historic sites in Hanoi were just fine with no significant or unique. When I saw the news that Hanoi Citadel became a WHS, I had to raise my eyebrows to question that “Am I able to count that I have been?” When I visited, the Citadel was still closed to the public as it was the military barrack and no tourist information, after checking with the nomination paper, the site was separated into two parts, the Citadel and the archeological zone. The only part of citadel I saw was the Flag Tower which actually just located next to the busy road to the Mausoleum with many tree blocking the view; however, for me the eye catching statue of Lenin opposite the Tower was much more interesting as its evidenced that I were in communist country. The archeological site location was much more shocking, it was located next to the Ba Dinh Square, which is the Red Square of Hanoi, opposite the mausoleum of Uncle Ho, similar to the GUM with Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow! I only wondered who on earth will notice the existence of this archaeological site. Also the buffer zone of the citadel covered not only the mausoleum, but the museum, presidential palace or actually all important political places of Vietnam. The nomination document emphasized that the citadel was the political center of Vietnam in ancient time, with respect from the buffer zone map, the document should change to the citadel and its nearby area is still the political center of this country. If we count buffer zone is a part of WHS area, seem to be that all tourists, who visit Ba Dinh Square, have visited WHS without notice the significant at all! However I was quite happy that at least I saw the flag tower which made me able to proudly say that I have been to the “Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi” even though I did not feel like I did it at all!

Have you been to Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi ? Share your experiences!

Source: worldheritagesite.org

My Son Santuary listed in the World Heritage site

My Son Sanctuary is located in the Quang Nam province which is 69 Kilometers south-west of Danang. It was an imperial city during the Champa dynasty, a centre for spirituality and worship between the 4th and the 12th centuries.

My Son Santuary has been listed in the World Heritage site as well, for its exemplification of the heights of Cham architectural achievement and hence is one of the top Vietnam tourist attractions. My Son Santuary is a large complex of religious monuments comprised of more than 70 architectural works built by the nobility of the Champa Kingdom deriving their cultural and spiritual influences from Indian Hinduism.

Only 25 vestiges remain today as a standing witness to the reign of Chama Dynasty. These are temples and towers connected to each other through complicated red brick design to reflect the divinity of the king.

One of the most recognised of the Vietnam popular destinations, all temple towers in My Son Sanctuary were built on quadrate foundations each comprising three parts representing different aspect of religion.

The solid tower base represents the world of human being, the sacred and mysterious tower body represents the world of spirit and the tower top built in the shape of a man offering flowers or of trees and animals representing things close to spirits and human beings.

My Son Sanctuary,is a popular place for sightseeing in Vietnam. It is considered to be Champa’s counterpart to the grand cities of South-East Asia’s other Indian Influenced civilization like Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Lo Pagan in Myanmar among others.

Source: Hanoilocalguide.com

Phong Nha-Ke Bang, National Park – a fabulous Heaven Land

The Nature has awarded Vietnam a fabulous Wonder with grandiose green tropical jungles, nice & mysterious caves & grottoes, and the Asia’s oldest limestone mountains.., that is, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

Geographical Location 

Phong Nha - Ke Bang (or Vườn quốc gia Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng in Vietnamese) is a huge national park located in Bo Trach and Minh Hoa Districts of central Quang Binh Province, in north-central Vietnam. The National Park is about 500 kilometers south of the nation's capital, Hanoi. The park was created to protect one of the world's two largest karst regions with around 300 caves and grottoes, and the ecosystem of limestone forest of the Annamite Range. The core zone of this national park covers 85,754 hectares, which are divided into three zones, a "strictly protected zone" (64,894 km²), an "ecological recovery zone" (17,449 km²), and an "administrative service zone" (3,411 km²). The plateau is probably one of the finest and most distinctive examples of a complex karst landform in Southeast Asia.
 

Climate

Like the North-central (or Bac Trung Bo) in general and Quang Binh Province in particular, the climate in this national park is tropical, hot, and humid. The annual mean temperature is 23 to 25°C, with a maximum of 41°C in the summer and a minimum of 6°C in the winter. Annual rainfall is 2,000 mm to 2,500 mm, and 88% of the rainfall is from July to December. With more than 160 rainy days per year, no month is without rain. Mean annual relative humidity is 84%. The typical tropical climate has helped build up a pure atmosphere of the green ecological environment, ideal for any visitor. 

Formation History

Formation: The Phong Nha–Ke Bang karst has evolved since the Paleozoic (some 400 million years ago) and so is the oldest major karst area in Asia. Like much of Vietnam, it has been subject to extensive tectonic changes, thus the limestones of Phong Nha are inter-bedded with a number of other rocks. There is also strong evidence that sulphurous solution and hydrothermal action have played an important role in shaping the broad-scale landscape and the caves.Historical name: The park deprives it name from Phong Nha cave, the most beautiful of all, containing many fascinating rock formations, and Ke Bang forest. One has explained that Phong Nha means “Wind and teeth” based on Chinese transcription, which expresses the blowing wind inside the cave and teeth-like rough stalagtites. There have been several other ways of explanation, yet none is more popular than this.
People now flock to this National Park for contemplating the UNESCO-recognized world natural beauty, and also for directly witnessing the fabulous rock formations inside the caves. 

A nature-gifted magnificient landscape: 7 best in one

Phong Nha-Ke Bang park takes pride in the assessment of containing “7 best things” as a result of a National Science Conference held in Quang Binh in April, 1997. They are:
1. The longest water cave
2. The highest and widest cave mouth
3. The widest and most beautiful sand & rock bank
4. The most beautiful underground lake
5. The most magnificient and miraculous stalactite
6. The nation’s longest underground river (around 13,969 m)
7. The nicest and widest dry cave
It is certain that when one goes on a bout around this beautifully miraculous zone, he may be surprised and feel that he were lost in somewhere in the Heaven where he does not want to leave at all! So now let’s take a round trip to try this fabulous feeling!

Let’s tour!

Rivers & Streams

Phong Nha is such a beautiful landscape that you may have to hold your breath on contemplating. Here are the charming Son and Chay Rivers, (the two longest underground ones in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang), gently flowing in the middle of the two sides’ reed and green bamboo rows. Most of the caves here have been shaped by those two rivers. The Son River flows into the mouth of the Phong Nha cave, which is the only point where it emerges in around 20 kilometeres. Also, there are more than ten spectacular streams, springs and waterfalls in Phong Nha-Ke Bang area, namely Gió waterfall, Madame Loan & Chài waterfall, Mọc stream erupting from a limestone mount range, and Trạ Ang stream. Far far away can you see the enchanting pure Bong Lai Lake and Chai waterfall, adorned with a number of dark violet “bằng lăng” flower baskets blooming in the warm weather. Some tourists ever uttered: “Wow! Heaven!” since the scenery is so much romantic and marvellous!

Limestone Mountains

The Park also contains two dozens of mighty limestone mountains with over 1,000 m in height. Some of the most noteworthy peaks are the Co Rilata Peak with the height of 1,128 m and the Co Preu Peak with a height of 1,213 m. Non-karstic topograhical area accounts for a low percentage, distributing mainly in outer circle of limestone in the north, northeast and southeast of this national park. The height of these summits varies from 500-1000  m with the deep divisions. The grandiosity and uniqueness of the limestone mountain ranges that only can be found in Phong Nha-Ke Bang is of great attraction to tourists.

Flora-Fauna

It’s now time to explore the zone in its rich Flora-Fauna composition. The Ke Bang primary jungles have been home to 98 families, 256 genera and 381 species of vertebrates, many of which are listed in the Vietnam and World's Red Book. If you are bold enough, you can go further into jungles to see by yourself these lively rare animals, Gecko, Macaque, White-cheeked Crested Gibbon, Hatinh and Black Lagur, Mainland Serow, Giant Muntjac, Saola, Bear, Bull, and so forth. Watching them closely and directly is somehow thrilling but extremely interesting!
Besides, for those fond of plants, it’s good news that the tropical jungles have a huge number of tropical trees, grass, bush on limestone rocks and soil mounts, sindora trees, rattan and bamboo forest, and the nation’s greatest Calocedrus rupestris. It has 140 families, 427 genera, and 751 species of vascular plants, of which 36 species are listed in the Vietnam's Red Data Book. 

Visiting Phong Nha Cave

Penetrating to a distance of 1,500 m inside Phong Nha Cave, tourists may go from surprise to surprise! Phong Nha - Kẻ Bàng is

also named “Kingdom of Caves”. Up to now, there are more than 300 caves that have been discovered, and still continuously shaped by the Chay River. The Son River flows into the mouth of the cave and keeps flowing underground, where it is referred to as the Nam Aki River. The main Phong Nha cave comprises 14 chambers, connected by an underwater river that runs for 1.5km. Notable caves and grottos of Phong Nha are Phong Nha Cave (Hang Phong Nha), Dark Grotto (Hang Tối), E Grotto (Hang E), Cha An Grotto (Hang Chà An), Thung Grotto (Hang Thung), En Grotto (Hang Én), Khe Tien Grotto (Hang Khe Tiên), Khe Ry Grotto (Hang Khe Ry), and Khe Thi Grotto (Hang Khe Thi). The most famous one is Phong Nha cave, which has been considered as “First-ranking Cave Wonder” for its world’s most beautiful stalactites and longest rivers by the Brishtish Royal Geography Association. Sitting on your boat along the Son River into the Cave, listening to the wind whistling as if in a Cathedral, you may be unable to return! As you get farther into the cave, the more illusory the stalactites and stalagmites look as they glitter when bright light is shone on them.  Here you can contemplate the splendid landscape of the ancient huge teeth-like stalactites falling and stalagmites roughly rising. The stalactite brilliant light stretches throughout the cave as a beautiful silk full of colors.
Each of the cave contains its own mysterious and miraculous secrets of the eternal dark Caves, stimulating and absorbing tourists to come and discover by themselves!

World recognition

Honorably recognized to be the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has brought in a great pride for not only the locals but also all the Vietnamese. The reason for being recognized is that it meets criteria viii “outstanding geological, geomorphical, and geographical values”. This year, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has submitted to UNESCO second time for recognition as a world natural heritage for biodiversity.
Besides, in the “7 New World Natural Wonders” voting, Phong Nha-Ke Bang has been one among 3 sites of Vietnam (together with Ha Long Bay and Fanxipan) to be in the candidate list. Though the final results are to be given at the end of the year, in the announcement of the New7Wonders at 6 a.m on February 22^nd, 2008 (Vietnamese time), Phong Nha-Ke Bang was ranked second (to Ha Long Bay) in the list of 77 world natural wonders. Ever since the significant moment of being on this list, the National Park has attracted a much greater number of visitors from all over the world!

How to get there?

If you are in Hanoi, the best way to get to the site is by train, the Thong Nhat one. After arrival at Dong Hoi station, you could travel by road or by sea. Both are easy to use, yet the latter could bring you the realistic understanding of a riverside life. 

Tourist activities

• Tour for expedition of caves and grottos in boats and with professional cave expedition means.
• Ecotourism, discovering the flora and fauna in this national park in the Ke Bang Forest.
• Mountain climbing: There are extreme sloping mountains here with a height of over 1,000m, which is a real challenge for adventurous climbers.  
• vietnam-beauty.com

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Vietnam

For many Baby Boomers, a visit to Vietnam represents both a cultural exploration and a reconciliation of political beliefs from the 1960’s.  It can be voyage of discovery, exploration of history, an answer to long unanswered questions, and the turning of a new page on a country deeply embedded in US history.
One way to learn more about the country is a visit to one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, many of which are included on Vietnam tours. There are four cultural and two natural sites on the list.

Hue City, in Central Vietnam, is the former capital of the country (until 1945), and is the cultural, intellectual, and spiritual center of Vietnam.  The city is packed with pagodas, temples, citadel and royal tombs, or at least what remains of them, all blended into the incredible natural landscape. Here you’ll find the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City.  Hue became a cultural world heritage site in 1993.

Halong Bay is a collection of over 1,300 islands and islets in the Gulf on Tonkin, and was once the residential place of the ancient Viet people. The islands form a seascape of limestone pillars, and most are uninhabited and unspoiled by a human presence.  The area is rich is bio-diversity, with  multiple eco-systems. Ha Long Bay became a natural world heritage site in 1994.

Hoi An, an ancient town in Quang Nam Province, dates back to the 16-17th centuries when it was a busy commercial port.  The architecture of the trading port is still largely intact, and you’ll see houses, pagodas, temples, bridges, wells, markets, and other buildings. The city is closed to cars, allowing visitors to walk or bike in the charming historic town, and despite its ancient ties, it boasts a remarkably urban lifestyle. Hoi An became a cultural world heritage site in 1999.

My Son Sanctuary, located in a valley in Quang Nam Province, is home to the remains of one of the most important Hindu sanctuaries in the country, including 70 shrines and towers. Between the 4th and 13th centuries this dramatic site was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom.  My Son became a cultural world heritage site in 1999.

Phong Nha-Ke Banq National Park in the Quang Binh Province is a natural reserve with limestone tectonics, over 300 caves (it is known as the “kingdom of caves”), the world’s longest subterranean river, , and a rich diversity of flora and fauna.  These spectacular formations can be traced back some 400 million years. Phong Nha-Ke Banq National Park became a natural world heritge site in 2003.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi was built in the 11th century by the Ly Viet Dynasty on the remains of a Chinese fortress dating back to the 7th century. It was the regional center of political power for nearly 13 uninterrupted centuries.  The buildings and remains reflect the unique Southeast Asian culture of the Red River Delta and Valley.  The Imperial Citadel became a cultural world heritage site in 2010.

Of course, there’s much more to see, do, and experience during your time in Vietnam. But if history and culture are on you list of things to do, you’ll find plenty of Indochina tours that can deliver just what you’re looking for.