Phoenix of Central Capital - Cultural vision of Nguyen Hue - Quang Trung

King Quang Trung Temple on Dung Quyet Mountain

Historically, Phuong Hoang Trung Do existed as an ancient capital of the country, reflecting the cultural vision of the cloth hero Nguyen Hue - Quang Trung.

In the edict sent to La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep on September 3, Mau Than year (October 1, 1788), Nguyen Hue wrote: "Remembering the previous return trip, when passing Hoanh Son, Qua Cung once opened the map and saw that in Chau Loc district, Yen Truong commune, the terrain was spacious, the weather was bright, and could be chosen to build a new capital. It was truly a beautiful place to build the capital."

The beautiful land in Yen Truong commune, Chau Loc district to establish the capital is the land between Dung Quyet mountain and Ky Lan mountain, now in block 3, Trung Do ward, Vinh city.

Dung Quyet Mountain has 4 branches: Long thu (dragon head), Phuong dich (phoenix wings), Ky Lan (cat), Quy boi (turtle back) so it is considered the land of four sacred animals. Geographically, Dung Quyet Mountain has a vital position on the trans-Vietnam highway, is the capital of Hoan Chau mountains and rivers, and has become an important military position. By road or water, from here people can go to the South, to the North, up the mountains, down to the sea, advance and retreat in all directions conveniently. Hong Linh Mountain, Dung Quyet Mountain, Lam River, Con Moc River are solid natural defensive walls.

Dung Quyet Mountain combined with Lam River, Con Moc River is a charming landscape, personified through historical periods, rich in epic qualities, imbued with Nghe An's nuances. Lam River is the largest and most beautiful river in Nghe An, flowing from the Truong Son range, overcoming many rapids, with a length of over 600 km, when coming here, it bends itself around, winding at the foot of Dung Quyet Mountain, then flows out to Cua Hoi, merging into the immense ocean. The meeting and harmony between Dung Quyet Mountain and Lam River has created a sacred place with talented people.

The above is the Earth element. In the cultural vision of Nguyen Hue - Quang Trung, there is also an extremely important element, the Human element. Throughout the entire process of activities, fighting to destroy enemies both inside and outside the country, Nguyen Hue - Quang Trung paid great attention to the people of Nghe An.

Going back in history, during the Tran Dynasty, when the country was being threatened by the wave of invasion by the Yuan-Mongol horses, King Tran Nhan Tong still placed his trust in the forces in Nghe An, expressed in the verse: "Coi Ke cuu su quan tu ky/ Hoan Dien do ton thap van binh" (Meaning: Coi Ke cuu su quan tu ky/ Hoan Dien do ton thap van binh).

In 1424, when the Lam Son uprising was in a difficult situation and could not develop, Le Loi asked a big question: "Where should we go to take care of the country's affairs?" General Nguyen Chich suggested: "Nghe An is a dangerous place, with a large land and a large population... Now let's first attack Tra Lan, occupy Nghe An to make a foothold, then rely on the human and material resources of that land to attack Dong Do, then we can calculate the matter of pacifying the world." Those are vivid historical lessons about the people of Nghe An.

Nghe An is the homeland of the Tay Son brothers. In 1653-1657, the Nguyen lord's army attacked and occupied 7 districts in the south of Nghe An. When retreating, they brought a number of prisoners from Nghe An, including Ho Si Anh, from Thai Lao village, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province, to live in Bang Chau, Binh Dinh province. Nguyen Hue was the 5th generation descendant of Ho Si Anh. Nguyen Hue's father, Ho Phi Phuc, changed his surname from Ho to Nguyen and called himself Nguyen Phi Phuc.

Due to the reality of life, the people of Nghe An hated the Le - Trinh feudal group in the North and the Nguyen Lord feudal group in the South, because both groups had caused a brutal war that lasted for 200 years, and the people of Nghe An had to directly endure many hardships and humiliations. For the Tay Son dynasty, especially Nguyen Hue - Quang Trung, the people of Nghe An wholeheartedly supported them. In the Edict dated September 3, Mau Than year (October 1, 1788), Nguyen Hue assigned the Governor of Nghe An, Nguyen Van Than, along with La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep, to build Phuong Hoang Trung Do at the foot of Dung Quyet mountain. The construction work was being urgently carried out when Nghe An encountered a drought and crop failure. Quang Trung issued an edict: "The big jobs must be temporarily postponed. But the Ngu Hanh office cannot be delayed, it must be completed soon".

Just over a year later, on October 5, Ky Dau year (October 21, 1789), in the Edict sent to La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep, Quang Trung once again affirmed the construction of Phuong Hoang Trung Do to move the capital from Phu Xuan to Nghe An: "I have traveled to Bac Thanh three times. Sir, you have agreed to discuss world affairs. The ancients said: "One word can create a career", Sir, you must have that, you are not the type of person who only cares about doing things close to yourself...

I am now based in Nghe An, close to you, Sir. From now on, you should help each other to govern the country." Immediately after that, Quang Trung appointed General Tran Quang Dieu to be the Governor of Nghe An to replace Nguyen Van Than to speed up the construction of Phuong Hoang Trung Do.

The outer wall of Phuong Hoang Trung Do was built of laterite, in a quadrilateral shape, with a perimeter of about 2,820m, the wall is 3m-4m high, and has an area of ​​22 hectares. Surrounding the outside is a moat about 30m wide and 2.50m-3m deep.

The inner citadel was built of laterite bricks, with a perimeter of 1,680m and a height of 2m. Inside the inner citadel, there was a 3-storey dragon tower with laterite steps in the front and 2 corridors in the back connecting to Thai Hoa Palace, the place used for the court meetings of King Quang Trung.

Although he had not yet moved the capital from Phu Xuan to Phuong Hoang Trung Do, Quang Trung had stopped here many times. Returning from Bac Ha (October of the year Ky Dau - 1789), Quang Trung returned to rest in Phuong Hoang Trung Do. In May 1791, from here Quang Trung led his troops to the upper region of Nghe An to destroy the rebel forces. In January 1792, when returning from the upper region of Nghe An, Quang Trung also stopped here.

King Quang Trung was having great plans to consolidate and develop the country when he suddenly fell seriously ill. When he woke up, Quang Trung summoned the Governor of Nghe An, Tran Quang Dieu, to Phu Xuan to discuss the matter of moving the capital to Nghe An. The matters were not yet decided, but his illness was already critical. On July 29, Nham Ty year (September 16, 1792), King Quang Trung passed away. The plan to move the capital from Phu Xuan to Phuong Hoang Trung Do could not be implemented. However, with the cultural vision of Nguyen Hue - Quang Trung, Phuong Hoang Trung Do was built as a miracle of our nation!

Tran Minh Sieu -House 6 - Lane 6B - Hong Bang Street - Vinh City