The Experience: Building the walls of Co Loa Citadel
Ngày 23 tháng 12 Năm 2020

Co Loa Citadel also known as "Thanh Oc or Loa Thanh" was built by An Duong Vuong in the early years of Au Lac Nation more than 2,000 years ago. Three walls of the citadel are covered with natural mounds. While Outer and Middle Walls have indeterminate shapes, Inner Wall has a rectangular shape. On three walls, there are “Hỏa Hồi” mounds and the gates are arranged alternately, the moat surrounds the three walls of the citadel, forming a solid military stronghold.

Come to the Co Loa Vestige Site, visitors will experience constructing the citadel’s wall using a special kind of clay. When being exploited, clay is usually very solid, so it is necessary to add water and slice thinly, remove impurities, knead carefully, cut back and forth to creating smoothness and flexibility. This stage is called clay kneading. Visitors use their hands to knead very carefully, then mold them into wrist-length strings and make three walls, moats and gates as shown on the diagram. Co Loa Citadel opens in all four directions East, West, South, and North. The citadel’s gates are staggered to prevent enemy. The outer ramparts are erected to make it difficult for the enemy overcome, the inside is gentle so soldiers can climb to the top of the citadel to fight the enemy.

Come to the Co Loa Vestige Site, you can also participate in interactive activities and experiences of building the citadel’s walls and moats to feel the unique creativity in building design of the citadel of our ancestral to fight foreign invaders, to protect and develop the country in the journey to learn about the history of the national origin.

Pupils experience building the walls of Co Loa citadel

MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT OF COLOA VESTIGE SITE