Imperial citadel of Đại Việt since the 11th century CE - Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi 1328; Ca trù singing 00309
What and Why
Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) is one of the oldest cities in the world and has been there for more than a millennium, starting as the capital of Vietnam (Việt Nam) in various form from Đại Cồ Việt during the mid-10th century CE, to subsequently Đại Việt until the early 19th century CE before they were colonised by France. Its rich culture is reflected on one of the most ancient historical sites: the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (Hoàng thành Thăng Long).
The origin of the citadel dates back to the 7th century CE, when its very first foundation was laid. The full citadel was established in the year 1010 CE under the emperor Lý Thái Tổ (né Lý Công Uẩn) who moved the capital from Hoa Lư as blogged in Ninh Bình to the current city and renamed it Thăng Long. The citadel was built in the same place, over the top of the torn-down fortress. From then on, the citadel had remained the centre of regional political power for more than 800 years before the capital was moved to Huế by the Nguyễn dynasty. The site is then left to ruin with many structures either removed or destroyed, especially during the French invasion of Vietnam (Chiến tranh Pháp–Đại Nam). The citadel almost disappeared from sight until the area was formally excavated in 2008 CE with only a very tiny fraction of the entire citadel uncovered.
Toponymy
When the city was designated as capital in 1010 CE, it was named 'Thăng Long', meaning 'rising dragon' in both Vietnamese and Chinese (Chinese: 昇龍, shenglong). The city was renamed Hanoi during the 1830s CE by emperor Minh Mạng. 'Hanoi' means 'inside the river' in both Vietnamese and Chinese (Chinese: 河內, henei), referring to its proximity to Red River (Sông Hồng).
See
Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long (Hoàng thành Thăng Long)
Amongst all the structures of the citadel, the most conspicuous is the Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cột cờ Hà Nội). The structure was actually recently built in 1812 CE during the Nguyễn dynasty. The tower, unlike many other structures in the citadel was well preserved during the French Indochina (French: Indochine française) era as it was used as a military post.
Right after the Flag Tower stands the Main Gate (Doan Mon) which is the main landmark of the citadel. The Main Gate was built in the style of ancient U-shaped city wall with five gates symmetrically erecting through a 'deity axis (trục thần)'.
The next important relic is the Kinh Thiên Palace, which is the central area of the citadel. Kinh Thiên means 'extraordinary' and the palace was a building of significance where the court held the most solemn rituals, welcomed foreign emissaries and gave audience to discuss affairs of state. The palace was added to the citadel in the mid-15th century CE and hence the architecture style differs from the Main Gate.
One important feature of the Kinh Thiên Palace is the dragon steps leading to the palace, forming the royal threshold like the Chinese palaces.
The stone dragon steps were carved in the mid-15th century CE and aere still relatively intact. These stone dragons were considered masterpiece under early Lê Dynasty. Carved with green rock, the dragons clearly show strong Chinese influence.
In 1966 CE, the United States Air Force started raiding Hanoi during the Vietnam War (Chiến tranh Việt Nam). In 1967 CE, the raids became increasingly fierce and to ensure the workplace of the headquarters during the war, the Defense Ministry decided to build an office inside the citadel that served as the temporary headquarter of the ministry. So this office is code-named D67. A connecting tunnel allowed for emergency evacuation in case of an attack. The office was relatively undamaged throughout as it was built with strong materials and when attacked it was immediately repaired. The building now serves as a museum housing various artefact of the Vietnamese War including the setting of the ministry during wartime.
Hoàn Kiếm
The district Hoàn Kiếm, meaning 'returned sword' is named after the lake Hoàn Kiếm (Hồ Hoàn Kiếm), and is the historic centre of Hanoi. Almost all the tourist and commercial landmarks of the city are found inside the district. The lake is a pleasant park in the centre of city and it is the city favourite leisure spot.
The name derives from the legend that the Emperor Lê Lợi was boating on the lake, after defeating the Ming (Chinese: 明) China (Chinese: 中国, Zhongguo), when a golden turtle god (Kim Qui) surfaced and asked for his magic sword Thuận Thiên. Lê concluded that the turtle god had come to reclaim the sword that its master, the dragon king god (Long Vương) had given Lê earlier to defeat the Ming army. Lê duly returned the magic sword to the turtle and Lê renamed the lake to commemorate this event. The tower in the middle of the lake is known as the Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa), was built in the late 19th century CE to commemorate this legend.
Roughly speaking, the northern part of Hoàn Kiếm is more traditional Vietnamese in style with more narrow alleys, while the southern part of it is more French, during the French Indochina period when that district of Hanoi was the capital.
Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum (Lăng Chủ Tịch Hồ Chí Minh)
The first president of modern Vietnam Hồ Chí Minh (né Nguyễn Sinh Cung), is entombed in a distinctly communist, Leninesque cell-like mausoleum. While it is 'officially open' to the public, one has to go through multiple body checks and searches before one can see the body. No photograph is allowed inside the building, except from the Ba Đình Square, as above.
Hanoi Train Street (Ngõ 224 Lê Duẩn)
The Hanoi Train Street (Ngõ 224 Lê Duẩn) is a narrow stretch of railway lined by shops, restaurants and cafes. During my visit in 2011 CE, it still does see a train speeding past the alley twice a day until it ended in 2019 CE, when it was stopped after some selfie accidents and a coincidental reroute of the train line. The alley is so narrow that local residents must remove their personal belongings, including bicycles and children, before the train passes. Locals often sit on the tracks, drinking and playing, while tourists taking all sorts of stupid photographs. There are many tourist-trap cafes along the stretch and tourists can safely watch the train from the outdoor seating areas of the local cafes at a safe distance when the train passes by.
Buy and Do
Ca trù
Ca trù, literally meaning 'tally card songs' is a Vietnamese genre of musical storytelling performed by a featuring female vocalist, with origins in northern Vietnam. For much of its history, it was associated with the entertainment for rich and famous.
The name of this performance refers to the bamboo cards men bought when they visited ca trù performance parlours during the old days. Men would give the bamboo cards they purchased to the woman performer of choice as an indication of gift and appreciation, and she would collect money based upon how many cards she was given.
An interesting side-track of the history of this performance was it was linked to adultery, especially from the women performers. It was commonly known that many famous ca trù performers did indeed have affairs with important men, but it was simply part of society back then, and unfortunately this is linked to the profession and performance itself. Due to its history, ca trù was associated with prostitution and the degradation of women, and was systematically suppressed by the communist North Vietnam (Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa), only to be revived in the 1970s CE.
The most widely performed type of ca trù involves only two or three performers: the female vocalist and the lute player, and sometimes with a spectator who hits the drum to show appreciation or approval to the performance. The vocalist usually keeps her mouth as close as possible during her rendition, while maintaining a high and clear voice. Ca trù singers and instrumentalists often form family lines or guild. The songs are literally a combination of music and poetry. This traditional performance is now firmly etched as a northern Vietnamese heritage artform and is an ICH.
Water puppetry (Múa rối nước)
Water puppetry (Múa rối nước) is a northern Vietnamese tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century CE and is now an important performance that every visitor will see in Hanoi. The puppets are made of wood and the shows are performed in a waist-deep pool, with the puppeteers hidden behind a screen, to control the puppets. Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water.
The idea came about when these puppetries were done in the water rice fields, with the farmers entertaining each other during farming seasons. The depth of the water reflects that of the water field and that was how this show was derived. As a result the usual theme of the performances reflect Vietnamese rural or agricultural lifestyles, especially the joy of harvest.
Eat and Drink
Cà cuống
Phở (prounounced /fəː/) is the Vietnamese national dish and has been blogged in Huế, so there is no need to repeat. Hanoi phở has a very clear broth, and features a bit of more of duck produce, like duck meat, duck blood, duck liver as above.
This is definitely not the point I want to blog here. When this ordinary bowl of phở was served to me, the cook added a few drops of 'oil' from a bottle in front of me, and I did not pay too much attention to it, believing this is some kind of seasoning. Until I saw what the chef put into that bottle, then I was in total awe. The cook took a few bugs from her pail from the kitchen, squeezed some 'pee' out of the bug into the bottle and then cut the bug into small pieces and mixed into the bottle! While I did not puke immediately, I was truly taken aback from this, and please remember I am very adventurous when it comes to eating, and I am not stranger to bug-eating, as blogged in Mount Emei (峨眉山).
This bug is called Lethocerus indicus, which is a type of Belostomatidae, and is considered an edible insect in China and Southeast Asia, and I did recall eating it once before somewhere in China. The bug tastes a bit like a small raw shrimp and one way of eating it is to scoop its white abdomen goo, which I had to do unfortunately.
The insect is called cà cuống in Vietnamese and the insect's 'pee' is actually its pheromone and is harvested by squeezing its liquid-producing sacs. The extract is considered a delicacy in Vietnam, as I took the picture of the mixture as the cook was cutting it. Cà cuống essence is typically eaten in a soup noodle (bún thang) and a few drops of the extract is used to flavour the whole bowl of soup. I have to confess I was unsure if I could taste the difference. A tiny but mouth-opening surprise in Hanoi.
Stay
I stayed in the a budget boutique hotel called Art Hotel, which is in Hoàn Kiếm. Very convenient and affordable.
Getting There and Around
Traffic is very bad and chaotic in Hanoi, with all sorts of vehicles criss-crossing here and there. Most of the landmarks mentioned above are within walkable distances from Hoàn Kiếm lake. Hanoi is around 20 minutes from the airport and the city deserves at least three or more days of visit.
The citadel charges a very minimum fee of VND 30,000 ₫ (close to USD $1.30 only) as entrance fee.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The Thang Long Imperial Citadel was built in the 11th century by the Ly Viet Dynasty, marking the independence of the Dai Viet. It was constructed on the remains of a Chinese fortress dating from the 7th century, on drained land reclaimed from the Red River Delta in Hanoi. It was the centre of regional political power for almost 13 centuries without interruption. The Imperial Citadel buildings and the remains in the 18 Hoang Dieu Archaeological Site reflect a unique South-East Asian culture specific to the lower Red River Valley, at the crossroads between influences coming from China in the north and the ancient Kingdom of Champa in the south.
Ca trù is a complex form of sung poetry found in the north of Viet Nam using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms. Ca trù groups comprise three performers: a female singer who uses breathing techniques and vibrato to create unique ornamented sounds, while playing the clappers or striking a wooden box, and two instrumentalists who produce the deep tone of a three-stringed lute and the strong sounds of a praise drum. Some Ca trù performances also include dance. The varied forms of Ca trù fulfill different social purposes, including worship singing, singing for entertainment, singing in royal palaces and competitive singing. Ca trù has fifty-six different musical forms or melodies, each of which is called thể cách. Folk artists transmit the music and poems that comprise Ca trù pieces by oral and technical transmission, formerly, within their family line, but now to any who wish to learn. Ongoing wars and insufficient awareness caused Ca trù to fall into disuse during the twentieth century. Although the artists have made great efforts to transmit the old repertoire to younger generations, Ca trù is still under threat of being lost due to the diminishing number and age of practitioners.
References
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