For the first time you have visited Hanoi, you may be impressed by its delicious Vietnamese food or the bustle in the Old Quarter. When you enjoy the modernity of Hanoi nowadays, have you ever imagined how it was in the past with a citadel that has old palaces or stones which are carved lotus on? If you want to know about them more, let’s go straight to the Archeological Site which is an important part of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long – Hanoi, located at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street.
In December 2002, the greatest archaeological excavation in Vietnam was conducted in this site. Numerous architectural monuments and relics in terms of the alternating chronological order of 1300 years were discovered.
There are some interesting antiquities that you can find in the Archeological Site:
- Bricks and Stones in differences periods
- The vestige of a wooden boat in 15th – 16th centuries
- Wells in differences dynasties
- Vestiges of “Hexagonal Pavilion Foundations” and the structures of palaces of the Lý dynasty.
These bricks and stones are square and have an image of a lotus on their surface. Lotus is a symbol of Buddhism, the national religion of Vietnam under the Lý Dynasty. This is evidence of the huge influence of Buddhism on architecture during this period.
By finding this boat in a citadel, we can learn about the fact that the King and his royal family members used boats to travel inside the citadel or around the capital. It also reflects woodworking techniques.
From 8th to 9th, wells were built in the citadel without using any kind of binding substances while the difference well was built of bricks in herringbone (fishbone) pattern to strengthen the consistency and prevent transverse water veins from spilling into the well.
The remains of the Lý dynasty palace foundation, a large-scale structure built in the north-south direction, gave evidence for the presence of square-shaped gravel foundations
In front of the Archeologist Site is the exhibition building of the Vietnamese technique and some tools in excavation. To have a great tour and understand deeply and clearly about this area and the whole complex of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, let’s book a tour with us!