$1m to make 14th-century western capital an attractive destination

The north-central province of Thanh Hoa will pump some VND22 billion (more than US$1 million) into the restoration of the Ho Dynasty Citadel and upgrade tourism infrastructure for the site, a provincial official has said.
Deputy chairman of Thanh Hoa People's Committee Vuong Van Viet said the projects would start immediately and be completed by the middle of next year, when the citadel receives an official certificate marking its World Cultural Heritage status.
The recognition for the 14th-century Ho Dynasty Citadel, located in Vinh Loc District, some 150km south of Ha Noi, was made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in June this year.
The site's official web link http://thanhnhaho.vn would be upgraded to provide a better understanding about Viet Nam's capital under the Ho Dynasty from 1400 to 1407, said Viet.
The heritage conservation centre will seek help from scientists to excavate a quarry on An Ton Mountain and surrounding relics.
Stretches of national roads 45 and 217 connecting the site to the provincial centre will be repaired and upgraded while more long-distance bus routes will be put in place to serve the increasing number of tourists.
More tours to the citadel would be organised soon, said Viet.
The province will also keep up with in-depth research projects on its heritage and surrounding relics in terms of history, culture, architecture and archaeology.
"Thanh Hoa has plans in place to adequately invest in the Ho Dynasty Citadel to make it an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists," said the provincial official.
Known as Tay Do (Western Capital) to distinguish it from Dong Do (Eastern Capital or Thang Long - Ha Noi), the citadel, measuring 870m by 833m, was built in 1397.
The construction of the citadel was supervised by a top Tran Dynasty mandarin, Ho Quy Ly, who later took the throne in 1400 and moved the capital from Thang Long to the citadel.
Also called Tay Giai Castle, the citadel is rectangular in shape and has four arched gates facing east, west north and south. While most of the castle has been ruined, the gates have survived the passage of time.
The castle was built from huge stone blocks, each of which is 2×1×0.7 m in size on average, without any glue or adhesive material.
According to UNESCO, the citadel buildings "represent an outstanding example of a new style of South-East Asian imperial city".