In front of you stands Đoan Môn, the south gate of the Hoàng thành, the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. Emperors and official processions passed through here on their way to the main palace.

1City of the dragon

In 1010 Emperor Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital from Hoa Lư to this site, then called Đại La, and renamed it Thăng Long, "ascending dragon". Tradition says that on arrival he saw a golden dragon rising into the sky. From then on, for nearly eight centuries, this was the political heart of the country.

2What still stands

The gate you see was built by the Lê dynasty in the 15th century and remodelled under the Nguyễn in the 19th. It is U-shaped, about 46 metres from east to west, and opens through five arches: the central one was for the emperor. Beyond it stood Kính Thiên Palace, whose platform survives with its staircase of stone dragons carved in 1467.

For centuries each era built on top of the last: beneath the lawn lie layers of remains spanning more than a thousand years.

In 2002, digging for a new building on Hoàng Diệu Street uncovered foundations, wells and ceramics going back to the 7th century. In 2010, the city's millennium year, UNESCO listed the central sector of the citadel as a World Heritage Site. Inside you can also visit Bunker D67, army headquarters during the war.

3What to look for

  • The five arches of the gate, the central one taller than the rest.
  • The upper pavilion, from which proclamations were announced.
  • The grey stones at the base, different from the brick of later repairs.

Documented

The capital moved here in 1010; the present gate dates from the 15th century with 19th-century alterations, and the central sector has been a World Heritage Site since 2010.

Oral tradition

The dragon sighting that gave Thăng Long its name belongs to founding tradition, not verifiable fact.

Sources and credits

UNESCO World Heritage List, «Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi» (2010); Thăng Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre (hoangthanhthanglong.vn); Vietnamese Wikipedia, «Đoan Môn».

Photos:

  • Đoan Môn Gate of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, with five arches and a yellow pavilion: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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