Situated in Ninh Binh province , 120 km far away from Hanoi, Hoa Lu is the site of a 10th-century capital of an ancient Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet. This small Kingdom covered an area of only 300 hectares, and reigned from the 10th century, during the Dinh and Le dynasties to 1010 when King Ly ( Ly Cong Uan) remove capital to Hanoi. The Kingdom was enclosed by a citadel. The citadel and the Yen Ngua limestone hills provided good defence for this kingdom against the Chinese.
The mountains and sea combined to make Hoa Lu’s picturesque landscape. Hoa Lu lays in a flat valley surrounded by the Trang An lime stone mountains, which form a natural wall protecting the old citadel. The city’s northwest is bordered by the Hoang Long River, the tributaries of which run through the capital, cooling the weather within the city and serving as convenient waterways.
Not much of this ancient kingdom is left standing. Whatever that remains of the palaces and shrines would only be of interest to archaeologists. The Royal Court was built in an area of 150 hectares in the eastern part of the capital while the western part served as a site to educate and protect children. The surrounding to be quite picturesque, with its ponds and limestone range forming a jagged horizon. There are two 17th century temples, modelled after their 11th-century originals that are on most itineraries to Hoa Lu. They are the Dinh Tien Hoang Temple and Le Hoan Temple, dedicated to the founder of the Dinh Dynasty and to its successor, reachable after a climb of more then 200 steps. I shall describe these two temples separately on their respective pages.
As the capital of the country for 41 years, Hoa Lu has many palaces, pagodas, tombs and pavilions that were built by different dynasties. One of the most popular pieces of architecture is the Bao Thien Tue Palace, which was plated with gold and silver. However many vestiges have been destroyed due to time and weather.
In 968, Dinh Bo Linh ascended to the throne and took the name of King Dinh Tien Hoang and reunified the country under the name of Dai Co Viet. Hoa Lu was its capital for 41 years (968-1009). The first 12 years were the Dinh Dynasty while the rest were the Le Dynasty with King Le Dai Hanh. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital to Thang Long (Hanoi now).
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival
The festival is held annually on the 10th -13th of March of the lunar calendar in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district with the purpose of commemorating the two kings Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh.
The festival includes two parts: Worshiping is water procession at Truong Yen water station located on Hoang Long river and worship at the two temples of King Dinh and King Le. Entertainment activities includes performing "Co lau tap tran", competing in writing Han script, playing chess, performing dragon dance, etc.
How to get to Hoa Lu?
You can easily get private daily tour from Hanoi Package Tours. Such a tour usually includes a boat ride at Tam Coc as well. The tour begins in the morning and ends at the early part of the afternoon. Hoa Lu is about 110km from Hanoi, and takes 2 hours to reach.
Van Long Eco Nature Reserve
Situated in Gia Vien District in Ninh Binh province, covering an area of nearly 3,000ha, about 90km south of Hanoi, the swamp land of Van Long is the largest nature reserve in the northern plain. In recent years, together with the old capital of Hoa Lu and Cuc Phuong National Park tourist site, Van Long Nature Reserve has become an attractive destination for visitors to Ninh Binh Province.
Standing on the dyke, visitors can see a vast area of mountains and a reservoir full of clear water. The high mountains constitute natural walls surrounding the reservoir. From Long Van wharf where hundreds of bamboo boats anchor close to one another, visitors can take a ride on a boat to discover the beauty of Van Long Nature Reserve.
Van Long Nature Reserve has a rich and diverse flora and fauna, including 457 species of high-class flora, of which eight species have been listed in Vietnam’s Red Book, 39 species of animals including 12 precious and rare species, such as the white-breeched langur, white-collared bear and serow, particularly the belostoma, a precious species of insect that survives in small numbers throughout the world.
Van Long Nature Reserve is also known for many beautiful caves and grottos, such as the Ca Grotto and Rua, Chanh and BongCaves. Besides, there are hundreds of mountains, such as the Meo Cao, Nghien, Voi Dung, Mo Coi, Hom Sach, Da Ban and Co Tien. Visitors are very interested in learning about a legend of the Ca (Fish) Cave. The story is that a black fish was caught at the foot of HoangQuyenMountain. It was so big that even several people could not carry it, hence the name Ca Grotto. Now Ca Grotto, 250m long and half submerged, is the habitat of many species of fish, such as the catfish, anabas and black fish. It runs through the mountain and has magnificent stalactites and stalagmites which have been created over hundreds of millions of years. Van Long Nature Reserve is more attractive with images of rural girls rowing simple bamboo boats with poles, and ox carts carrying visitors on a tour around the village to learn about the daily activities of the rural people and buy the local products. In the near future Van Long wetland will become an attractive tourist site for domestic and foreign visitors
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