Son Tay Ancient Citadel relic – a unique military work made of laterite
Located in the center of Son Tay town, Hanoi, Son Tay Ancient Citadel is an ancient military architecture work that was made of laterite, covering an area of 12ha. This is one of 20 citadels built in the Nguyen Dynasty. The Ancient Citadel symbolizes the heroic struggle tradition of the Son Tay People. Son Tay Ancient Citadel was ranked as a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information under Decision No. 2754/QD-BVHTT made on October 15, 1994.
The citadel was built in 1822 in a quadrilateral structure style, with a length of about 40m on each side. The Citadel wall is about 5m high and 4m wide, mainly made of overlapped laterite. The citadel is surrounded by a water moat. The citadel wall follows Vauban structure style. There are many loopholes on the citadel surface to help soldiers observe and fight. The citadel has 4 gates facing the North, South, West and East directions, namely Cong Hau (rear gate) facing Le Loi street toward Red river, Cong Tien (front gate) facing Quang Trung street, Cong Huu (right gate) facing Tran Hung Dao street, and Cong Ta (left gate) facing Nghe market in Son Tay. These 4 laterite gates still retain their ancient and pristine appearance, with gazebos and gun emplacements thereon. The North Gate of Son Tay Ancient Citadel houses two cannons, the vestiges of the resistance war against the French invaders under the Can Vuong Edict issued by King Ham Nghi.
Son Tay ancient citadel
Photo by: Website of Son Tay town
A corner of the citadel
Previously, Son Tay Citadel, along with Bac Ninh Citadel, was considered one of the two powerful pincers to protect Hanoi from the French colonial empire. At the end of the 19th century, Son Tay citadel was the focal point of the resistance war against the French invaders led by Hoang Ke Viem. Later, in Son Tay ancient citadel, in 1946, a meeting of the Government Council of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was held at Vong Cung to make decisions on important issues leading to the victories of our Party and People’s 9-year resistance war against the French colonialists.
Son Tay Ancient Citadel has 5 zones. The ceremonial area is in the middle of the citadel, with two lotus ponds on both sides of it and an 18m-high gazebo. In addition, the ancient citadel also has Kinh Thien Palace (the ceremony place of the King), royal step-over place, courtyards, court hall, flagpoles, etc.
Coming to Son Tay ancient citadel, we seem to be lost in an ancient world with large, luxuriant, green trees, especially the banyan with its long roots embracing the mossy gate, ancient stone walls, green lawns, deep and blue moat connecting to Tich River, making the scenery more ancient and profound. In front of Kinh Thien Palace is a large brickyard. On the gate, there is a brick screen, embossed with “Long Van Khanh Hoi” image made of mortar. Next is Doan Mon (imperial citadel) with three entrance doors, facing 18m-high Ky Dai (flagpole) built on 2 layers of firm square laterite pedestal.
Son Tay ancient citadel used to be the place where the administrative office of Doai was located, covering nearly half of the area of the previous Ha Tay province, Vinh Phuc province, a part of Phu Tho province, and Son Duong district of Tuyen Quang province. Experiencing ups and downs and historical events, many buildings of the citadel have been destroyed, but its shape and vestiges are still intact. In 1924, the Governor-General of France in Indochina ranked the citadel as an ancient relic. In 1994, Son Tay Ancient Citadel was ranked as a national historical-cultural relic by the State. In 2014, the People’s Committee of Son Tay town, in collaboration with the Air Defense – Air Force, build an aircraft display area at Son Tay Ancient Citadel covering an area of more than 4,000 m2 for displaying 2 MiG-21 aircraft from Red Star Regiment and 1 Mi-8 aircraft from Regiment 916, contributing to increasing the military, historical, and cultural value of the relic. On the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi, Hanoi People’s Committee has renovated and embellished the historical and cultural relic of Son Tay Ancient Citadel. Since then, this work has always been preserved and protected by Son Tay town. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year every year, this place becomes a bonsai and flower market, drawing the attraction of thousands of people in Son Tay, other districts of Hanoi, and other provinces. Many other cultural activities are held every year such as the Exhibition of ornamental creatures. The Citadel is also chosen as an important tourist destination by visitors and considered a key tourist route of the town.
Thanh Quy