Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, Ninh Binh, Vietnam 2024

Located near the town of Ninh Binh, 90 km south of Hanoi, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is the capital of an ancient Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet in the 10th century. This small Kingdom covered an area of only 300 hectares, and reigned from the 10th century, during the Dinh and Le dynasties, to the 11th century, during the Ly Dynasty. The Kingdom was enclosed by a citadel. The citadel and the Yen Ngua limestone hills provided a good defence for this kingdom against the Chinese.
Hoa Lu is an ancient city surrounded by the Trang An limestone mountains. Its 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.
Hoa Lu is known as the first capital of Vietnam with a wide range of historical landmarks. In 968, King Dinh Bo Linh of Dai Co Viet (an old name of Vietnam) constructed his capital in Hoa Lu and ruled until the year 980.
Afterwards, Hoa Lu also existed for almost 30 years of Early Le dynasty (980-1009) and 1 year of the Ly dynasty (1009-1010). In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved it to Thang Long (Ha Noi now) and since then, Hoa Lu became an ancient capital which maintained lots of ancient temples and relic sites of Vietnam.
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 surroundings are quite picturesque, with ponds and limestone range forming a jagged horizon.
Nowadays, Hoa Lu ancient capital plays an important role in architectural and historical complex of Viet Nam. It was also recognized as one of the 4 cores forming of the UNESCO World Heritage Site – Trang An Complex.