Tay Son Ancient Citadel
The Tay Son Ancient Citadel was built in the third year of Minh Mang's reign (1822) by order of King Minh Mang. The king aimed to construct a citadel to protect the capital, Thang Long, and serve as a base for advancing into the northwest border region. The citadel was built in the Vauban style, a military architectural style named after the French engineer Vauban. The citadel is square-shaped, each side approximately 400m long, 5m high, with four sharp corners resembling pointed spears. The four sides of the citadel are surrounded by a 20m wide and 4m deep moat, capable of holding water to prevent enemy approach.
Throughout its historical years, the Tay Son Ancient Citadel witnessed numerous resistance battles against foreign invaders by the Vietnamese people. In 1883, when the French occupied the North, the Tay Son Ancient Citadel became a fierce fortress in the challenging and harsh resistance. Despite the intense struggle, due to a lack of weapons and manpower, our forces had to withdraw, allowing the French to capture the citadel on December 16, 1883. After gaining independence, the Tay Son Ancient Citadel was preserved and protected by our people. In 1994, the Ministry of Culture recognized the Tay Son Ancient Citadel as a national architectural historical relic.
Architecture of the Tay Son Ancient Citadel
The Tay Son Ancient Citadel features a unique and refined architecture, reflecting the combination of Vietnamese and French architectural styles. The citadel has four main gates facing the East, West, South, and North, named: Tả Gate, Hữu Gate, Tiền Gate, and Hậu Gate, respectively. Each gate has a two-story tiled roof, adorned with the "double dragons flanking the pearl" motif at the top. On both sides are couplets in Vietnamese or Chinese characters, expressing the patriotic spirit and heroism of our people.
The Tiền Gate is the main gate of the citadel, facing south. It has a special architecture with two layers of gates: an outer layer called Tiền Gate and an inner layer called Đại Quang Gate. These two layers are connected by a 50m-long path, with two rows of lush green trees on both sides. The Tiền Gate has a couplet in Vietnamese: "Thành Son Tay thu phu Tam tuyen - Dat Doai xua nay ve vang." The Đại Quang Gate has a couplet in Chinese: "Đại Quang minh thien ha - Son Tay bao quoc gia."
The Hậu Gate is the northern gate of the citadel, facing towards the Thang Long capital. The Hậu Gate has a couplet in Vietnamese: "Thành Son Tay giu bien ai - Dat Doai xua nay an yen." The Hậu Gate also has two layers of gates, like the Tiền Gate, but does not have a specific name for the inner layer.
The Tả Gate is the western gate of the citadel, facing the Đà River. The Tả Gate has a couplet in Vietnamese: "Thành Son Tay canh giu bien gioi - Dat Doai xua nay thanh binh." The Tả Gate has only one layer of gate.
The Hữu Gate is the eastern gate of the citadel, facing the Red River. The Hữu Gate has a couplet in Vietnamese: "Thành Son Tay che cho kinh thanh - Dat Doai xua nay vinh quang." The Hữu Gate also has only one layer of gate.
The interior of the citadel is divided into three areas: the central area, the southern area, and the northern area. The central area houses important structures such as the governor's palace, administrative buildings, and military command post.