Blast from the past: Social researchers and historians have called for the citadel to be restored to its once mighty grandeur.

by Nguyen Van Thanh

The historic citadel of Son Tay once controlled much of northwestern Viet Nam, but today it is but a handful of beautiful ruins of the country’s once-spectacular fortresses.

Strategically built on the road to Thang Long (now Ha Noi), it served to both protect that citadel and to hold the northwestern mountainous areas.

The Son Tay citadel was initially built at La Pham Hamlet in today’s Ba Vi District, and was then moved to Mong Phu Hamlet.

Frequent flooding, however, led Emperor Minh Mang, second ruler of the Nguyen Dynasty, to relocate it to higher ground in the hamlets of Mai Trai and Thuan Nghe.

Today, the citadel lies about 40km from Ha Noi on Highway 11A. It’s only 10km away from Bach Hac, where the Thao, Da and Lo rivers converge.

Most rivers in the area, including the Lo’s tributaries, the Chay and Pho Day, are too narrow for heavily laden barges to navigate.

Each of the rivers that meet at Bach Hac, however, are wide enough to allow boats deep into the mountains.

As a gateway to these remote mountain passes and guarded by the Son Tay Citadel, the Bach Hac confluence has a special strategic role in protecting Ha Noi.

The emperor ordered 2,000 warriors from the Thang Long Citadel to rebuild the fortress, entrusting General Vu Van Than with the task of supervising the work.

Construction was finally finished in 1822, and numerous mandarins and garrisons were deployed to the citadel.

The fortress is essentially square, following the shape of a Vauban castle with large watchtowers to protect it against heavy guns.

Its perimeter wall is 1,305m long and 4.4m high, with a gate on each side, and made of laterite, a local material that is soft when taken from the ground and hardens when dry.

At its base, the wall is 6m thick, tapering to 3m at the top. A moat 37m wide and 4m deep protected the perimeter, the banks of which were paved with laterite in 1849. Now only a segment of the wall remains.

Within the walls stands a flag tower 18m high, similar to that of Ha Noi Citadel, but with two steps instead of three at its base.

Two square pools, known as "dragon’s eyes" by the locals, lie before the flag tower to provide a source of drinking water if needed.

There was once a large palace behind the tower, with curving roof cornices decorated with dragons playing with the moon, which acted as a base for the emperor on trips to the north. Now only its ruins remain.

The mansions of the highest-ranking provincial mandarins, who were in charge of administrative, military, judicial and educational affairs, used to guard each of the palace’s four corners.

Each had three bays and two outhouses. The home of the provincial governor stood apart, a match to the mansion of the prime minister at the royal court in Hue.

All the citadel’s mansions had their own surrounding walls and impressively carved gates. Other buildings inside its walls included warehouses for food, munitions and money.

Open for business: The main gate at the Son Tay Citadel has undergone a major overhaul and the surrounding moat has been drained. — VNS Photo Doan Tung

The governor of the citadel ruled over the region then known as Son Hung Tuyen. Today, this comprises all of Lai Chau and Son La provinces, along with half of Ha Tay and parts of Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc provinces.

A high-ranking military mandarin was in charge of protecting the region under the command of the governor.

Controlling such a great area called for a huge armed force, which was stationed at the town of Son Tay.

Minh Mang ordered for the citadel to be equipped with 50 old-style cannons, and a fleet stood on permanent guard at the docks of Phu Nhi on the Hong (Red) River to bring reinforcements if necessary.

A conference to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the Son Tay Citadel was held last November.

Social scientists and historians called for the restoration of the citadel, and architect Bui Quang Ba presented a project to rebuild the citadel and its surrounding ditch, well, gates, Celestial Palace and Main Gate.

"We need to carry out careful archaeological examinations to determine the level of restoration," Duong Trung Quoc, General Secretary of the National Historical Society told the conference.

The citadel’s location, easily accessible from Ha Noi and close to stunning rivers and mountains, now holds a strategic position for tourists rather than warriors.

If the remains of what used to be a magnificent fortress continue to be preserved, future generations will be able to enjoy its historic grandeur for many years to come. — VNS