Cổ Loa Citadel in Hà Nội Capital City, Vietnam

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Located by King An Duong in the area of Co Loa, about 16 km north of Hanoi city, Veitnam, Co Loa was chosen to be the capital of the state of Au Lac, which was established along the Red River Delta.

This state was originally founded after the Tay Au conquest of the Hung kings of Van Lang in 258 BC. Covered a large area of more than five square km, the Co Loa citadel is originally constructed with the walls arranged in a spiral shape that consists of nine coils.

Nowadays, there are currently only three walls left in this area. Generally, those have the height of 2m and the weight of 15m. This citadel was latterly taken by a Chinese invasion in 208 BCE, but in 939 CE the site was re-occupied by Ngo Quyen, the leader of a resistance against the rule of Chinese forces. Then, Co Loa citadel was picked to be the capital of the country again. Visitors can see a communal house and temples which are located in the center of the former citadel, that are used to dedicate to King An Duong Vuong (257 – 208 BCE) and his daughter My Chau.

When the archaeologists excavated this area in 1968, 1978 and 1997, a multitude of artefacts was discovered, consisting of bronze and stone arrow heads, jewelry, utensils and kettle drums. During the period from 2001 and 2009, the Hanoi authorities have spent around 300 billion VND (US$ 19 million) to renovate this citadel. Annually, the communal house and temples usually celebrate the Co Loa festival for the Lunar New Year occasion.