The Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long (;

chữ Hán ( , ) are the Chinese characters that were used to write Literary Chinese in Vietnam, Literary Chinese (; ) and Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in Vietnamese language, Vietnamese. They were officially used in Vietnam after the Red River Delta region ...

: ) is a complex of historic buildings associated with the history of Vietnam located in the centre of

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Its construction began in 1010 and was completed in early 1011 under the reign of Emperor Lý Thái Tổ of the

Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty (, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 朝李, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''triều Lý''), officially Đại Cồ Việt (chữ Hán: 大瞿越) from 1009 to 1054 and Đại Việt (chữ Hán: 大越) from 1054 to 1225, was ...

. Most of the existing structure is dated to the extensive reconstruction of the old Imperial Citadel ordered by

Gia Long Gia Long (Chữ Hán, Chữ hán: 嘉隆) ( (''Hanoi, North''), (''Ho Chi Minh City, South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh (阮暎), was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynas ...

in 1805, but the Citadel (except for the North Gate and the Flag Tower) was largely demolished by the French to allow more land for offices and barracks.

History

Pre-Thăng Long period

During the early and middle

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, modern Vietnam was administered as the Annan protectorate ( Vietnamese: ''An Nam đô hộ phủ)'', with the seat of power located in Tong Binh (the area of modern Hanoi). In 866, after recapturing the protectorate from

Nanzhao Nanzhao ( zh, t=南詔, s=南诏, p=Nánzhào), also spelled Nanchao, , Yi language: ꂷꏂꌅ, ''Mashynzy'') was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southwestern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuri ...

forces, Tang dynasty general Gao Pian re-established the protectorate as the Jinghaijun ordered the construction of the Đại La Citadel, which would later become the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. The fall of the Tang dynasty brought about a period of turbulent independence in Vietnam called the Anarchy of the 12 Warlords, which ended after the creation of the

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), was a Vietnamese monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day Hanoi. Its early name, Đại Cồ Việt,(ch ...

monarchy. During

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

, the Đại La Citadel served as an important military site for its use in defenses against Northern invasions and internal conflicts, though it would not be re-established as the center of power in An Nam until the Lý dynasty's rise to power in the early 11th century.

Lý–Trần period (11th–14th centuries)

The Vietnamese royal enclosure was first built in 1010, during the

, and subsequently expanded by subsequent dynasties. It remained the seat of the Vietnamese court until 1789, when the

Tây Sơn dynasty The Tây Sơn dynasty (; , (chữ Hán: 朝西山; Chữ Nôm: 茹西山), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was an imperial dynasty of Vietnam. It originated in a revolt led by three peasant brothers with the surname Nguyễn, r ...

chose to move the capital to

Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...

. The ruins of the older citadel structures roughly coincide with the present-day Hanoi Citadel area in the Ba Đình District of the city. When the large complex was first built, Thang Long Citadel was built according to a plan of three sectors arranged in rings, similar to the modern layout. The outermost sector is the primary defensive fortification of the citadel (called ''La thành'' or ''Kinh thành''), the middle sector is the Imperial City ( Vietnamese: ''Hoàng thành''), between these two layers is a residential area, the innermost sector is the Forbidden City (or "Purple Forbidden City", from the Vietnamese ''Tử cấm thành''; a term identical to the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

). In 1029, Lý Thái Tông rebuilt the entire Forbidden City after it was destroyed by the Three Kings Rebellion. Later Lý rulers and rulers from dynasties would make additions and renovations to the complex. The material remains of the original structure are limited to the foundations of the complex (mostly made from

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

), an extensive drainage system, and various royal architectural decorations.“World Heritage Nomination Profile – The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi, Vietnam”. UNESCO. 2010. https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1328.pdf The drainage and foundation systems are indicative of the site's large-scale urban design. Associated with the common view of the

as a Vietnamese "golden age"Logan, W. S (2014). �
Making the Most of Heritage in Hanoi, Vietnam
��. ''Historic Environment,'' vol. 26 no. 3, pp. 62-72. the archeological remains have deep significance to the national history of Vietnam.

Lê–Mạc period (15th–18th centuries)

Following a successful revolution against the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

occupation,

Lê Lợi Lê Lợi (, chữ Hán: 黎利; 10 September 1385 – 5 October 1433), also known by his temple name as Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖) and by his pre-imperial title Bình Định vương (平定王; "Prince of Pacification"), was a Vietnamese peopl ...

took the reign name Lê Thái Tổ and established the

Lê dynasty The Lê dynasty, also known in historiography as the Later Lê dynasty (, chữ Hán: 朝後黎, chữ Nôm: 茹後黎), officially Đại Việt (; Chữ Hán: 大越), was the longest-ruling List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, h ...

in 1428, with the capital still in Thăng Long under the new name of Đông Kinh. The rule of Đông Kinh under the

was very similar to the rule of Thăng Long under the

, with the change of name being largely symbolic. Lê Thái Tổ ordered repairs to the citadel after the damage caused left by the war with the Ming army. Rulers during the

Mạc dynasty The Mạc dynasty (; Hán-Nôm: 茹莫/ 朝莫) (1527–1677), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a Vietnamese dynasty which ruled over a unified Vietnam between 1527 and 1540, and northern Vietnam from 1540 until 1593. The M ...

, controlled Đông Kinh from 1527 until 1592. In 1585 a period of construction began under

Mạc Mậu Hợp Mạc Mậu Hợp (莫茂洽, 1560–1593) was the fifth and effectively last reigning emperor of the Mạc dynasty from 1562 to 1593. Biography Mạc Mậu Hợp was born in 1560 at Đông Đô. He became the emperor in 1562. In 1592, the Sout ...

. In 1592, the citadel was seized by armies from the Revival Lê dynasty and re-established as the dynasty's capital city, undergoing more repairs in 1599 and serving as a symbolic seat of power and administrative heartland for the

Trịnh lords Trịnh is a Vietnamese family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full na ...

Nguyễn-French period (18th–20th centuries)

When the

Nguyễn dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...

took control in 1802, after a period of war and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

influence, the capital of

was moved to

. A new Imperial Citadel, which followed the same three-sector plan as the Imperial Citadel at Thăng Long, was constructed there. Much of what was left of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long after the destructive war at the end of the 18th century was taken to serve the construction of the new citadel. Map_of_Hanoi

In 1805,

enacted an extensive reconstruction of the old Imperial Citadel which truncated the complex and reconstructed the outer wall in the French the Vauban style. In 1831, during his administrative reform

Minh Mang {{Orphan, date=December 2021 Minh ( Chữ Nôm: 明) is a popular unisex given name of Vietnamese origin, written using the Chinese character (明) meaning "bright", and is also popular among other East Asian names. The Chinese name Ming has the ...

changed the name of Thăng Long to

province. This name existed until 1888 when the

officially ceded Hanoi to the French, after which it would become the administrative capital of French Indochina Federation. When it was controlled by the French as the capital of

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

(1885–1954), the Citadel of Hanoi was largely demolished to make the land for offices and barracks. Except for the North Gate and the Flag Tower, what remains of Hanoi citadel to this day is only an archaeological site and restored. Systematic restoration and excavation began in the 21st century. In mid-1945 the Citadel was used by the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

to imprison over 4000 French colonial soldiers captured during the

Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina The Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, known as , was a Empire of Japan, Japanese operation that took place on 9 March 1945, towards the end of World War II. With Japanese forces losing the war and the threat of an Allies of World War I ...

in March 1945.

Democratic Republic-Socialist Republic period (20th century-present)

During period of the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it opposed the French-suppor ...

, the Imperial Citadel was used as an administrative capital and headquarters for the

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

ese Ministry of Defense and Army. Several French structures were destroyed or re-appropriated, including what is now the

Vietnam Military History Museum The Vietnam Military History Museum, set up on 17 July 1956, is one of seven national museums in Vietnam. The new museum was opened in November 2024, located at Km 6+500 of Thăng Long Boulevard, Tây Mỗ Ward and Đại Mỗ Ward, Nam Từ Li ...

(formerly a French military headquarters). Between 1998 and 2000, minor renovations were made to the site so that it would be more accessible and safe for visitors. Major archeological discoveries were made as part of a construction project in 2002–2004. In 2004, the Ministry of Defense moved from the Central Sector of the site so that the relics could be more completely conserved by the Hanoi People's Committee Department of Culture and Information. In 2009, the Citadel was inscribed as a Special Relic of National significance ( Special National Site), making it the first site listed under that category. The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel was listed in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

on July 31, 2010, at its session in Brazil, as "The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long – Hanoi". The site has undergone several modifications as part of a larger ongoing plan for restoration.

Relics

The

royal palaces and edifices were largely destroyed by the

during reconstruction in the early 19th century. Many

structures were later destroyed in the late 19th century during periods of French and Japanese control. The few remaining structures within the royal compound are the Main Gate (''Đoan Môn''), marking the southern entrance to the royal palace; the Hanoi Flag Tower (''Cột cờ Hà Nội''); the steps of Kinh Thiên Palace (''Điện Kính Thiên''); and the Rear Palace (''Hậu Lâu''). Architectural and foundational remains of the Imperial City were discovered on the site of the former Ba Đình Hall at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street when the structure was torn down in 2008 to make way for a new parliament building. Various archaeological remains unearthed were brought to the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

to be exhibited. Thus far only a small fraction of Thăng Long has been excavated. Since the initial excavation, many restoration and heritage preservation projects have occurred at the site, including several National projects and a successful push for UNESCO recognition. The recognized world heritage site is about 18 hectares comprising two primary areas the Hanoi Ancient Citadel itself, where most of the standing

remain, and the Archaeological Site 18 Hoàng Diệu Street directly to the East (including a buffer zone of 108 hectares for a protected area of about 126 hectares, out of a total of 140 hectares containing the entire Imperial Citadel). The Ancient Citadel is constructed on a slightly offset north–south axis and organized according to traditional geomantic principles (''phong thuy; feng shui'') which give the site a historic and spiritual significance.

Archaeological Site 18 Hoàng Diệu Street

This site consists of relics from the Đại La citadel under Gao Pian during the

, foundational and decorative remains from the Lý and Trần dynasties, remnants of Lê and Đông palaces, and structures indicating that the area was the center of the 19th century Hanoi citadel under the

. The structural remains have recently led to new stylistic and structural insights about ancient Vietnamese architecture, which was one of the primary points of historical value for the site's nomination. The current archeological results (cultural strata, artifacts) and geological survey results in the area are indicative of an ancient geomantic flow (in the north–south direction). Because natural ground has a poor load-bearing capacity, the architectural scale and complexity is considered a significant technical advancement of the Vietnamese in construction. Although it is not possible to confirm the size and function of all the works the foundations indicate, it is clear by the size of the area that these ruins show a rich architectural complex. Along with important discoveries of architectural vestiges, a large number of ceramics, which were used in daily life in the Royal Palace through many periods, were also found. These discoveries have aided in the study of Thang Long pottery over several phases of history. Several exhibitions have displayed relics recovered from the Imperial Citadel since the excavations began. Since 2002, there have been several calls for an on-site museum to preserve archeological artefacts. 20180506 Flag Tower of Hanoi HDR

Hanoi Flag Tower

Among the structures related to the Imperial City is the Hanoi Flag Tower (). Rising to a height of 33.4 m (41 m with the flag, 60 m including the base), it is a culturally significant landmark and frequently used as a symbol of the city. Built in 1812 during the

during the Vauban reconstruction of the citadel, the tower, unlike many other structures in Hanoi, was spared during the French colonial rule as it was used as a military post (and as such is included as part of the

). It stands on the foundation of the outer gate of the Forbidden City during the

Main Gate (''Đoan Môn, 端門'')

File:Doan Mon Gate 1.jpg, Đoan Môn gate (2018) File:Cổng Đoan Môn.jpg, Đoan Môn (street view of south façade, 2021) File:Thang Long Citadel.jpg, Đoan Môn (full view of south façade, 2021) File:Hanoi Citadel.jpg, Đoan Môn (closer view of the

Nguyen dynasty Nguyễn (阮) (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common surname of the Vietnamese people. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as ''Nguyen''. By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese peopl ...

pavilion from the north, 2008) Đoan Môn is the archway leading to Kinh Thiên throne hall and the primary (southernmost) entrance to the Forbidden City. Đoan Môn consists of five gates built of stone. A similar gate was constructed during the

, but the standing structure is dated to the

, with additions and reconstructions made during the

renovations. The gate and the courtyard behind it have served important ceremonial roles as a location for rituals, festivals, and other events. The five gates served as entrances for different classes in periods where the Imperial Citadel housed the royal family: the centermost gate was reserved for the emperor, and the two nearer gates were used by members of the royal family or high-ranking officials. The second-floor terrace over the entrance has a palatial-style pavilion added during the

. The masonry and ornamentation employed are indicative of the period's construction techniques. In 2002, Vietnamese archaeologists, who were allowed to dig in the area, found the "ancient carriageway" of the

Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: triều Trần, chữ Hán: ikt:朝ikt:陳, 朝wikt:陳, 陳), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a List ...

, using many Lý bricks, the study of which is still ongoing.

Kinh Thiên throne hall

Kinh Thiên Palace is the primary relic of Hanoi's Ancient Citadel, located in the center of the Forbidden City thus bearing the most geomantically important location therein. The vestiges of Kinh Thiên Palace are only the old foundations and the steps up onto them, since the palace was demolished by the French to construct and artillery headquarters (a neoclassical building called the "Dragon House"). File:Dien Kinh Thien 001.jpg, Kính Thiên Palace, rebuilt by emperor Gia Long as private residence when travelling to North Vietnam which was later destroyed by the colonial French (photo taken during the French invasion of Tonkin in 1883) File:Dien Kinh Thien 002.jpg, A photo of Kinh Thiên Palace showing the front-entrance Dragon Steps (1886) The front, south entrance of Kinh Thiên Palace platform features a large staircase consisting of 10 steps divided into three equal parts (used similarly to the gates of the Đoan Môn, with the central staircase reserved for the emperor and the others reserved for the royal family and officials) by two large dragon statues, constituting what are called the "Dragon Steps". These two stone dragons were carved in 1467 century during the

. Kinh Thiên Palace's stone dragon sculptures are considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese architectural and artistic heritage, representing the sculpture art of the early

. Another set of similar dragon statues—smaller, but similarly detailed and symbolic—were added to the rear of the palace at the turn of the 17th century.

Rear Palace (''Hậu Lâu'')

Also known as the Northern Palace ( Vietnamese: ''Tĩnh Bắc lâu)'' or the Princess' Palace, the standing structure was built during the

to house concubines when the emperor was in Hanoi and significantly reconstructed after severe damage at the end of the 19th century. Excavations beginning in 1998 revealed Lý,

Trần Trần (陳) or Tran is the second most common Vietnamese surname after Nguyen. More than 10% of all Vietnamese people share this surname. History The Tran ruled the Trần dynasty, a golden era in Vietnam, and successfully repelled the Mongol ...

, and

foundations as well as remains of fine pottery.

North Gate (''Cửa Bắc, or Bắc Môn'')

File:Hanoi citadel.jpg, Front view of the North Gate with moat (1885) File:Hanoi citadel 2.jpg, Back façade from inside the citadel (1884–1885) File:Bắc Môn.JPG, The North Gate (2009) The North Gate is the last standing gate of five built for the

reconstruction of the citadel. The structure is mainly built of embellished brick and stone, and

foundations were found near the structure in 1998. The north face of the structure has cannon marks from the 1882 Battle for the Hanoi Citadel.

Building D67 and bunker

File:Hanoi Citadel 0361.JPG, Façade of Building D67 (2008) File:Ham ngam D67.jpg, Meeting room of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission in the underground tunnel D67 (2008) From 1954 to 1975, the

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...

, had its headquarters within the Citadel. Building D67 was constructed (as the name suggests) in 1967. It was built the contemporary architectural style (to look like a house and hide its military significance) with many defensive features, including a 60-centimeter thick soundproofing wall, reinforced entrances, and a connecting tunnel that allowed for emergency evacuation in case of an attack. The building currently serves as a museum which exhibits tools that comrades in the Politburo and the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff used in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The building and tunnel are situated on the northern part of the Kinh Thiên Palace foundations.

References

External links

*
IHT , Ruins of royal complex of Thang Long are excavated in Hanoi
Article from October 17, 2007, accessed December 31, 2008
Việt Nam News , Historic Thang Long Citadel explored
Article from December 21, 2008, accessed December 31, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Imperial Citadel of Thang Long Buildings and structures in Hanoi World Heritage Sites in Vietnam Historical sites in Hanoi Military history of Hanoi Forts in Vietnam Protected areas of Vietnam Citadels in Vietnam