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The Gate of Thượng Temple, dedicated to King An Dương. (Photo: SGGP) |
As of now, after 10 years of restoration efforts initiated by the Government and Hanoi City, the unique snail-shaped fortress, dating back to the 3rd century BC, continues to face severe degradation.
Risk of Erasure
Cổ Loa is one of the largest archaeological sites in Vietnam, representing various historical periods including the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages. It is the ancient capital with the most complete and oldest system of fortifications in Vietnam. The fort’s unique spiral architecture, complemented by a system of moats, harmonizes with both natural and artificial wetlands, featuring a range of significant architectural works and ancient villages of great historical and cultural value. However, for many visitors today, Cổ Loa is merely a collection of ruins and dilapidated temples, overshadowed by modern constructions.
Similar to many other heritage sites in the country, the current state of Cổ Loa is vastly different from the ancient depiction found on maps or historical documents. In recent years, the authorities of Hanoi have undertaken the restoration of several structures, such as the Ngự Triều Di Quy Communal House, Mỵ Châu Shrine, and An Dương Vương Temple, which are impressive and robust; however, they remain submerged in the whirlwind of urbanization.
If you visit the external walls, a section that was once considered one of the more intact remnants of the fortress has now been “renovated” and is marked as a “tourist garden.” A particularly distressing highlight is a large villa, covering hundreds of square meters, that has been built up to its rough structure, waiting to be finished, taking up the entire base of the fortress. When leading visitors on-site, staff from the management board must tread carefully, fearing potential retaliation for highlighting the most egregious encroachments upon the site. The moat in the central part of the fortress has quickly been filled in, replaced by dozens of solid, modern houses.
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A small alley used by locals right in the central area of the Cổ Loa site. (Photo: SGGP) |
The most heartbreaking aspect is the hill near the Cổ Loa Commune People’s Committee, considered the center of the heritage site, which is being encroached upon daily by coffee and beverage service businesses. Each meter of hilltop removed is replaced by a new kiosk… If this situation does not change, it is likely that in just a few years, Cổ Loa will be erased from existence.
Conservation: Too Slow
Speaking about the progress of conservation, restoration, and promotion of the national heritage site of Cổ Loa, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Quang, Deputy Chairman of the Đông Anh District People’s Committee and a member of the Cổ Loa project steering committee, remarked: “Slow!” Mr. Nguyễn Trọng Tuấn, Chief Secretary of the 1,000th Anniversary of Thăng Long – Hanoi Steering Committee, described it as “extremely slow!”
Since September 1994, Hanoi City has directed relevant agencies to survey the current state of the heritage site and establish a project to plan for the Cổ Loa site. In mid-1995, Hanoi continued to direct the preparation of a preliminary feasibility report for the investment project for the conservation, restoration, and exploitation of the Cổ Loa site. It was hoped that following this, significant steps would be taken to accelerate the conservation efforts at Cổ Loa. However, that has not been the case.
At the beginning of 2001, the Hanoi People’s Committee approved a detailed master plan for the Cổ Loa heritage site, covering over 800 hectares, while the government’s approved documents only accounted for over 400 hectares. Consequently, when Hanoi presented its feasibility report for the Cổ Loa project to the government, it was not accepted. Since 1999, Hanoi has continued to develop a detailed project and sought opinions from relevant ministries and agencies for review and approval, but this preparatory work remains incomplete to this day.
In parallel, in recent years, the Hanoi Department of Tourism has also invested in upgrading several kilometers of paved roads leading to the heritage site and two parking lots, but this work remains unfinished. Thus, since the government approved the preliminary feasibility report for the Cổ Loa conservation project and since Hanoi’s policy for the preservation and exploitation of Cổ Loa was established, a decade has passed, yet progress remains stagnant.
