Known as Tay Do (Capital of the West), the Ho Dynasty Citadel is located in Tay Giai village in Hoa Binh Province. Throughout history, the citadel has also been called An Ton, Tay Giai, Tay Kinh citadel. It is a unique stone architectural building in Vietnam and one of the rare stone citadels in the world. Tay Do imprints comparative change of a dynasty under a Vietnamese feudal lord.

Ho dynasty – the mark linking two emperors
The story of Tay Do dates back to Ho Quy Ly’s time and the short-lived Ho dynasty. The appearance of the Ho family name, origin and background can be traced back to the 9th century. Ho Quy Ly’s family established themselves in Zhejiang, China. Ho Quy Ly’s great-great-grandfather moved further south and settled in the province of Quynh Luu, Nghe An. Some historians bring attention to the fact that Ho Quy Ly is also known as Le Quy Ly. In his childhood, Ho Quy Ly was adopted by Le Huan after whom he took the family name.
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Through his scheming and shrewd marriage alliances (to a sister of Emperor Tran Due Tong and Tran Thuan Tong), Ho Quy Ly made himself a court fixture in the position of the emperors’ indispensable advisor. In less than 20 years, while many others involved in court intrigues were being assassinated all around him, Hồ Quý Ly attained the highest post of General/Protector/Regent of the country.
To facilitate his takeover, Ho Quy Ly first had a new capital built, called Tay Do. In 1399, he invited the current emperor, Tran Thuan Tong, to visit this new capital. After coaxing the emperor into relinquishing the throne to Prince An (a three-year-old child) he had Tran Thuan Tong imprisoned in a pagoda and later executed. Prince An “reigned” for one year until Ho Quy Ly deposed him in 1400 and declared himself the new emperor.
Ho Quy Ly immediately changed the country’s name from Đại Việt to Đại Ngu. Taking a page from the ruling book of his Tran predecessors, Ho Quy Ly reigned less than a year before relinquishing the throne to his second son, Ho Han Thuong. He then became known as the Emperor’s Highest Father.
It was in 1406 when the Minh dynasty led the army to invade Vietnam. The defeats of the Ho at Moc Pham Giang and Ham Tu all precipitated the fall of the Ho dynasty. In 1407 at the Ham Tu battle, the Ho family tried to escape the enemy but was caught by the Minh.
Until now, there exist many viewpoints of Ho Quy Ly and the Ho dynasty, which was the shortest lived dynasty of Vietname feudal history (1400-1407). What he had done with Tran emperor was wrong, but if he hadn’t the Tran dynasty could not manage to lead the country. Not until 20 years later, when Le Loi defeated Minh invaders and brought independence to the country, history was once more marked. The Ho dynasty is likened in the brick, linking the flourishing Tran and Le dynasties in the Vietnamese feudal period.

Stone Ho Citadel – extraordinary citadel architecture
Ho Citadel is located adjacent to the four villages: Tay Giai, Xuan Giai, Thuong Giai and Dong Mon in two districts Vinh Long and Vinh Tien, in Vinh Lac District, Thanh Hoa province. Approximately 150km from Hanoi, parts of the Ho Citadel still stand as a testament to Ho Quy Ly’s brief rise to power. In respect to planning and contruction location, Ho citadel had more advantages in military protection than in socio-economic development. The most remarkable thing is the fact that the whole citadel was contructed from large stone blocks. According to last surveys, Ho citadel covered a square area standing against mountain foot at consolidated defensive position. Its north and east sides face fields, the west borders exceptionally dangerous mountains and the south is opposite Da Rang river. The citadel has interior and exterior citadels, of which the distance between the two is 150 metres. The citadel wall was built by Cham brick in trapezium shape.

The citadel had been constructed based on a rectangular drawing with two edges South (front) and North (rear) of 877m long, and two edges Erist (left) and West (right) of 700m wide. The citadel is 3513.4 m in parameter and covers an overall area of 769.082m2 (about 77 hectares).

Ho citadel has four gates opened from the middle of four stone walls in four directions to the South, North, East, West. An excavation conducted in 2004 some 2.5 kilometres from the citadel in Vinh Thanh Commune, unearthed a sacred worshipping site similar in concept to Nam Giao Esplanade in Hue. Here it is believed the king sought the mandate of heaven each year for his rule.
Based on ancient documents and current archeological excavation, scientific researchers have come to a definition of the citadel’s architectural components, which include: walls, gates, moats and inside water pools. However, over 600 years of time and war destruction, much of the citadel has been lost. According to historical records once there was a building known as Hoang Nguyen Palace, where the royal court joined for meetings. Ho Quy Ly slept at the Ngan Tho Palace, while his son slept in the Phu Cuc Palace.
Now only stone blocks with a height of 5 – 6m exist. The citadel has a diameter of 3508m, with a wall of 5 – 6m high except the wall near the Southern gate is 10m. Some stone block weighs up to 15-20 tons. The tops of the curves are paved with stones to form a surface with pile holes of wooden pillar architecture.
The Northern gate is 20.2m long, 7.5m high, 13.7m thick forming a curve which is over 6.6m high, 5.80m wide. The top of the curve is paved with stone forming a surface which is 12.7m wide and 20m long with circle pillar holes of 0.45m in diameter and 0.45n deep down stone level.
The Eastern gate is 23.3m long, 13.4111 thick, 5.7m wide forming a curve of 6.6m high.
The Western gate is 19.3m long, 13.4m thick, 5.7m wide forming a curve of 6.1m high.
The management and protection here is easy as there is no residential area inside  the citadel but only land for rice cultivation.
As the citadel had been made by stone it passed 600 years of existence with the form almost as original. Only the residential buildings and royal palace inside the citadel have collapsed and buried. At present, Ho citadel has been under restoration. It has been renovated and some archaeological activities have jost been carried out, concretely the project in cooperation with Japan. The project implements research and excavation (since 2002) with the purpose of collecting and analyzing the documents in Vietnam and abroad on the KO dynasty and the Ho citadel. Reasearchers are collecting and researching without photos to make clear the structure of the existing citadel and the changes of citadel has undergone throughout history..

Ho citadel – UNESCO heritage ahead
What remains is being restored and archaeological work continues. The citadel site was recognized as a national-level historical and cultural site by the Ministry of Culture (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1962. In 2004, archaeologists unearthed numerous valuable artifacts inside the walls of the citadel, including stone pillars and bars in the design style of the Ly and Tran dynasties and two overlapping foundations, which are believed to have formed part of the main royal palace building.
Between June 2006 and September 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism compiled a scientific file on the Ho Citadel site and submitted it to UNESCO, asking for recognition as a world heritage site.

Source from Vietnam Travel Live, posted by Indochina Charm Travel – Vietnam tours

The talks, themed “Thousand-year imprints of Thăng Long–Hà Nội,” draw the participation of three guest-speakers, Dr. Phùng Hữu Phú, Standing Deputy Director of the Party’s Central Committee for Communications and Education, Director of the Propagation Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for the 1000th anniversary of Thăng Long–Hà Nội, Dr. Phạm Quang Long, Director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Dr. Lưu Trần Tiêu, President of the Việt Nam Cultural Heritage Association.

According to Dr. Lưu Trần Tiêu, Hà Nội is always the cradle of cultural values for thousands of years.

Researchers have discovered many sites within Hà Nội, which are dated back to the cultures of Phùng Nguyên (2nd millennium BC), Đồng Đậu, and Gò Mun (1st half of the 1st millennium BC).

Recent archaeological discoveries at Thành Dền (suburban district of Mê Linh), especially bronze artefacts, prove the high metallurgical skills of the residents. The site can be considered as a major metallurgical center in the Red River Delta.

Mr. Tiêu mentioned the Cổ Loa Citadel (suburban district of Đông Anh) as a breakthrough which shows the ancient Vietnamese people’s strategic thinking in their march to the lowland.

Cổ Loa was the capital city of Việt Nam during the 3rd century BC and under the reign of Ngô Quyền (938-944). As a confluence of both land roads and waterways, Cổ Loa plays an important role in controlling the plains and the midlands.

“It is possible to say that, each and every historical stage of Việt Nam bears Hà Nội’s imprints,” stressed Dr. Tiêu.

He continued to hail the authorities of Hà Nội for endeavor for restoring cultural heritages, including the Ancient Quarter, four guardian temples, the Temple of Literature, Ba Đình Square, French-style villas, pagodas and temples, lakes, green areas, and Hanoian life styles.

The doctor suggested Hà Nội to build high-value works which will surely become heritages later though the city boasts for 5,170 historical and cultural sites, including 2,100 nationally-recognized ones.

Meanwhile, Mr. Phùng Hữu Phú asserted that Hà Nội possesses many strengths, of which the topmost is human resource because the capital city is always the convergence of talents and heroes from all corners of the country. “Hanoians are the crystallization of the Vietnamese people,” said Mr. Phú, adding that once this resource is brought into play well, the city will see more rapid and stronger development.

Over the past days, the construction of city gates has emerged as an issue of public concern. Commenting this news, Mr. Phạm Quang Long stated that this is not an impromptu. However, it is necessary to carefully consider all factors, from location, design, materials and usage because these gates are “not for Hà Nội only but for the whole society, for the past, the present and the future.”

Talking of the grand anniversary which highlights the imprints of a thousand-year Thăng Long–Hà Nội, Mr. Phú underlined three features.

First, the anniversary will be a good chance to inventory the 1,000-year legacy which can be exploited in the future development of the capital city.

Second, this is a moment for each and every Hanoian in particular and Vietnamese in general to acquire a better insight in the thousand-year-old capital.

Finally, on the occasion, some projects will be completed and will become valuable heritages around a century later.

Sourced from ONLINE NEWSPAPER OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIỆT NAM GOVERNMENT: http://hanoi1000yrs.vietnam.gov.vn
Posted by www.indochinacharmtravel.com

Many embassies have shut their doors and are warning their citizens against travel to Bangkok as violence in the city continues. Four days of clashes in central Bangkok between anti-government protesters and security forces have killed 35 people since Thursday, reports CNN, with 11 of those deaths occurring in sporadic fighting throughout Sunday and overnight.
On the weekend, the United States elevated its travel warning to advise its citizens to defer all travel to Bangkok and defer all non-essential travel to the rest of Thailand. The Department of State has also authorized the departure of all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from Bangkok.

Other countries, such as the United Kingdon, Australia and Canada, are advising against all but essential travel to Bangkok, reminding their citizens that there is a continued risk that acts of violence could take place outside the danger areas without warning, including department stores.
A number of embassies have chosen to temporarily close their doors to the public as of Monday. These include the United Kingdom, Belgium, the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand as many embassies are located right in the middle of the current violence.

Many people in Bangkok have turned to social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to keep pace with events as they unfold.

On Sunday, the Thai government declared Monday and Tuesday public holidays “in order to ensure the safety of the public” after the protests paralyzed the city center and all of the city’s schools are closed. Though the army had suggested it would implement a curfew in parts of Bangkok on Sunday, it later reversed its decision.

The BTS Skytrain and MRT subway are not running Monday and all shopping malls, offices and hotels in the main Rajaprasong protest zone remain closed. Over at Silom, another area of ongoing violence, AFP reports that guests at the Dusit Thani luxury hotel overlooking the sprawling protest site were forced to shelter in the basement after the building came under gunfire and was rattled by an explosion early Monday morning. They have since been told to check out.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand issued a statement on Sunday for journalists working in Bangkok, warning: “The press in general should need no reminding that live ammunition is being used in certain areas, and that the situation is volatile and extremely hazardous. The wearing of dark clothing is particularly inadvisable in the present circumstances. The Thai Journalists Association has already advised its members to be especially careful in certain areas, notably the Ratchaprasong intersection.”

Respected blogger Richard Barrow has put together an in-depth Google map that hightlights areas in Bangkok affected by the violence, which he updates continuously with the latest on road blockages, mall closures and attack sites.

Sourced from CNN.com

For the latest reports on the Bangkok situation, go to www.indochinacharmtravel.com

On 18 April 2010:
* Flights will be cancelled:
- VN532 Paris – Ho Chi Minh city, scheduled departure at 13:25 local time
- VN544 Frankfurt – Hanoi, scheduled departure at 14:40 local time
- VN543 Ho Chi Minh city – Frankfurt, scheduled departure at 23:10 local time
- VN535 Hanoi – Paris, scheduled departure at 23:40 local time

On 19 April 2010:
* Flights will be cancelled:
- VN534 Paris – Hanoi, scheduled departure at 14:00 local time
- VN544 Frankfurt – Hanoi, scheduled departure at 14:40 local time

* Flights will be delayed:
- VN527 Ho Chi Minh city – Moscow: new estimated departure time at 20:00 local time 19 April 2010 and new estimated arrival time at 3:00 local time 20 April 2010.
- VN526 Moscow – Ho Chi Minh city: new estimated departure time at 3:55 local time 20 April 2010 and new estimated arrival time at 16:55 local time 20 April 2010.

Vietnam Airlines’ next scheduled and additional services between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh city and Europe (Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow) will be provided in the next update.

Passengers whose flights are cancelled are advised not to go to the airport. For updates and supports, please visit www.vietnamairlines.com and contact Vietnam Airlines booking offices. Vietnam Airlines will waive cancellation and change fees for confirmed tickets of the affected flights to/from Europe.

Hotlines:
- Vietnam: Hanoi +84-4-38320-320, Ho Chi Minh city: +84-8-38320-320, Da Nang: +84-511-3811-111;
- Russia: +7-495-5892450; +7-903-795-2889;
- France:
* City Office: +33-1-4455-3990, +33-8100-18-888,
* Charles de Gaulle Airport: +33-1-4862-2562, +33-7677-9875, +33-6-3140-7239, +33-6-2698-2401;
- Germany: +49-69-2972-5650, +49-151-1611-9824;

We are experiencing high call volumes and seek our customers’ understanding.

Sourced from Vietnamairlines.com.vn , updated by Indochina Charm Travel. If you want to have more information on other Airlines flights cancellation, please check on www.indochinacharmtravel.com

With a coastline is 3,260km long and the inland border is 4,510km, Vietnam is very potential for beach vacation and luxury leisure trips. Indochina Charm Travel presents Paradise luxury cruise, Indochina Sails luxury cruise in Halong Bay, Cat Ba island tour, Hoian beach tour, The Nam Hai resort, Palm Garden resort, Luxury Life Resort & Spa, Nha Trang beach tour, Evasion Hideaway Resort & Spa, Ana Mandara Resort, Vinperland Resort, Vung Tau beach tour, Phan Thiet beach tour, Mui Ne beach tour, leisure tour to Phu Quoc island. In almost of beaches and islands in Vietnam, travelers have the opportunity to practice sport activities including scuba diving, diving, parachuting, kayaking and fishing.

Beside beaches, Vietnam has also some famous mountain sites for honeymoon tours. If you are honeymooners, you must take this opportunity to enjoy your honeymoon tour to Sapa or Dalat.

Indochina Charm Travel proposes various activities including adventure to the North West of Vietnam by four wheel drive vehicles, trekking in Hoa Binh, homestay at Mai Chau, adventure to Son La, adventure to Dien Bien, discorvery of Sin Ho, treks in Sapa, homestay tour in Sapa with overnight at Ta Van village, visit Muong Khuong Sunday market, boat trip on Da river.

In the North East of Vietnam, the popular adventure tours are one-week trip to Babe lake, overnight at Tay village, adventure to Cao Bang, visit Ban Gioc waterfall and end by a boat trip on Halong Bay with kayaking opportunities and adventure to Cat Ba National park on Cat Ba Island.

Ha Giang is located between North West and North East is now a new destination for adventure in Vietnam, with homestay opportunities in villages at Ha Giang, biking and trekking tours, adventure to Dong Van – rocky plateau, meet hill tribes pepole, visit Pho Bang market, visit Meo Vac market and visit Noong lake at the sunset.

In the Center and the South of Vietnam, Indochina Charm Travel presents adventure tours to Pleiku, elephant riding in Buon Me Thuat, homestay in long house, treking tour through the highland, adventure to Dalat, homestay tour Vinh Long and various cruising tours in Mekong Delta.

Go to detailed programs of Vietnam adventure and trekking tours: http://www.indochinacharmtravel.com/vietnam-adventure-trekking-tours.html

With its mainland territory of 331,211.6 sq. km and its population: 85,789.6 thousand inhabitants (Apr. 2009), Vietnam is a destination of classic tours. Indochina Cham Travel presents cultural and history tours to Vietnam with various activities and options.

For the North of Vietnam, travelers can choose one or a combination of Hanoi city tour, Hoa Lu and Tam Coc (inland Halong Bay) tour, Van Long and Phat Diem tour, Perfums pagoda tour, tour to Tho Ha village, tour to Duong Lam village, Ha Long bay tour with overnight on cruise, tour on Huong Hai junk, tour on Bai Tho junk, tour on Indochina Sails cruise, tour on Bhaya cruise, tour on Emeraude cruise, tour on Ginger cruise, tour on Jasmine cruise, tour on Paradise cruise, week-end tour to Sapa and Bac Ha sunday market.

For the center of Vietnam, Indochina Charm Travel offers Hue city tour, boat trip on Perfums river, culture tours to Imperial Citadel, visit of Minh Mang Tomb, visit of Khai Dinh Tomb, visit of Tu Duc Tomb, tour to Hoian town, tour to Myson holyland, tour to Tra Que village, boat trip on Thu Bon river, visit Cham museum, visit Mable Mountains.

For the South of Vietnam, the most classic tours are Saigon city tour, Tay Ninh tour with visit to Cao Dai temple, Cu Chi tunnels tour, tour to Mekong Delta, My Tho and Ben Tre tour, boat trip to Cai Be and Vinh Long, tour on Bassac cruise, tour on Cai Be Princess sampan, tour on Song Xanh sampan, tour on Douce Mekong cruise, tour to Can Tho, tour to Chau Doc.

http://www.indochinacharmtravel.com/vietnam-classic-tours.html

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This is an important part of its cultural project to collect, compile and publish a series of books on the 1,000 year history of Hanoi’s ancient capital formerly known as Thang Long, to mark its millennial anniversary.

Additionally, the HPH collected around 9,000 pages of documents written by UK and Dutch companies on the socio-cultural and economic life, religion and traditional customs of Thang Long’s denizens in the 17th century.

It also sought out and translated documents on Vietnam that were preserved in other Asian countries, especially China.

HPH General Director Nguyen Khac Oanh said that the campaign to seek valuable books and materials on Thang Long-Hanoi has contributed to the publisher’s project to build a data bank on the capital city.

He said that his company plans to introduce 100 book titles on history, geography, culture, literature and society in 2010 on the occasion of the city’s millennial celebrations.

Thang Long-Hanoi came into being in the autumn of 1010 with King Ly Thai To’s Edict on the Transfer of the Capital. Being one of the most ancient capitals in Southeast Asia, this imperial land boasts a continuous history throughout an entire millennium, passing from dynasty to dynasty right up through modern times.
Source VNA, posted by www.indochinacharmtravel.com