As the capital of the Au Lac state under the reign of An Duong Vuong around the 3rd century BC, Co Loa is the oldest citadel in Vietnam. Currently, Co Loa still has vestiges of its ramparts and unique structures: An Duong Vuong Temple, Co Loa communal house, My Chau Temple…
According to legend, this citadel has 9 ancient spirals. Based on the traces, scientists determined that the citadel had 3 layered. The outer circumference is 8 km, the middle circle is 6.5 km, and the inner circle is 1.6 km. Among them, the inner rampart may have been made later, during Ngo Quyen’s time.
In the inner rampart, there is a temple dedicated to An Duong Vuong, known as the Co Loa Temple, said to have been built on the foundations of An Duong Vuong’s inner palace. It is unclear when the temple was built; we only know that it was repaired in 1687 and 1893, and that it has recently undergone a major restoration.
The main structures of the temple are the three gates, the forecourt, the upper palace, the stele house, and the ancient wells. The temple’s architectural lines exude a mossy, ancient look.
In the innermost part of the upper palace of Co Loa Temple is the harem, where a large wooden altar to worship An Duong Vuong. On the altar is a bronze statue of An Duong Vuong, cast in 1897 and weighing 255kg.
In front of Co Loa Temple, there is a semicircular lake, with a circular bank in the middle forming a Jade well. Legend said this is where Trong Thuy committed suicide after betraying My Chau.
Another important building in the inner citadel is the Co Loa communal house, which is said to have been built at the king’s court in the Co Loa capital, so it is also called the Ngu Trieu Di Quy communal house. The communal house has a long history, rebuilt in 1907.
The communal house has a grand communal house and a harem, located in a spacious campus. The great communal house consists of a room, two wings, a wooden frame structure, a tiled roof, and four curved corners. The house is supported by 6 rows of pillars, giving it a majestic scale.
The harem of the Co Loa communal house has an altar for worship of King An Duong Vuong and General Cao Lo.
Behind the Co Loa communal house is the Bao Son pagoda, also known as the Co Loa pagoda, a pagoda with centuries of history. The main buildings of the pagoda include the main hall, harem, corridor, and Mau house.
The pagoda still retains many valuable antiques, including 19th-century statues of the “Four sacred”, 134 statues, 5 stone steles dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, two great bells cast in 1803, and other valuable artifacts.
To the left of the Co Loa communal house is the My Chau Shrine, which honors My Chau, the princess beheaded by An Duong Vuong for treason in ancient legend. The shrine’s architectural layout includes pre-sacrificial buildings, the middle hall, and the harem.
The shrine’s harem is a place to worship a stone slab shaped like a headless person sitting cross-legged, with both arms parallel and hands resting on his knees, said to be the headless remains of My Chau.
In front of My Chau hermitage, there is a large banyan tree, hundreds of years old.
Located between Co Loa Temple and Co Loa communal house, there is a temple worshiping Cao Lo, a talented general under An Duong Vuong.
According to historical accounts, General Cao Lo invented the crossbow, which could fire multiple arrows at once. He was also the commander of the construction of the historic Co Loa citadel.
Besides historical relics, a place not to be missed in Co Loa citadel is the Co Loa Antiquities Gallery. This project is located opposite Cao Lo Temple.
This is where valuable archaeological artifacts found in Co Loa are kept. These artifacts help recreate the life and culture of the Vietnamese people during the reign of An Duong Vuong.
In addition to the above locations, Co Loa Citadel also has many temples, shrines, natural scenery, typical activities of a village in the Northern countryside… inviting visitors from far away to explore.
Source: collected by An
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