Vinh Citadel in the hearts of urban residents

Memories of the Citadel

“If Vinh market is the “town” element, then Nghe An citadel is the “city” element and the “city” element in the three elements that make up Vinh city. Nghe An citadel is the headquarters of the Southern Dynasty government in the province. At the same time, citadel - literally meaning rampart, citadel is also an important defensive structure to protect the government. Nghe An citadel is a valuable heritage in terms of history, culture and architecture. Although not intact, this is one of the few remaining heritages of Vinh to this day” - Mr. Pham Xuan Can - former Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Nghe An province shared about the gate of Vinh Citadel.

According to research, in 1804, when the capital of Nghe An officially moved from Lam Thanh - Phu Thach to Vinh Yen, Nghe An citadel was built of earth. In 1831, King Minh Mang rebuilt the citadel with laterite in the Vo-bang style. The citadel has 6 sides, surrounded by a moat, under the moat there are many lotus flowers. Nghe An citadel has 3 gates: Tien gate, Ta gate and Huu gate. On the Tien gate, there is a pair of parallel sentences by the famous Dao Tan, who twice held the position of Governor of Nghe An. During its more than 200 years of existence, Nghe An citadel has experienced many memorable historical events. When Phan Boi Chau first started his patriotic and revolutionary career, he made a plan to capture Nghe An citadel.

In 1931, the Hanh Cung palace inside the citadel was where the French and the Southern Dynasty government held a surrender ceremony, after suppressing the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. In 1940, Nghe An citadel witnessed the sacrifice of the Cung team and other patriotic soldiers.

On July 14, 1957, during his first visit to his hometown, President Ho Chi Minh spoke to the cadres and people of Nghe An at the stadium in the city... Not only does it have historical value,Vinh Citadelis also remembered for its spiritual values. When looking for information related to the Vinh Citadel, I accidentally read many posts shared in the group “Vinh Xua…” - a forum with 41.8 thousand members from all over the country, even from many countries.

In the memory of member Nguyen Thien, the Citadel is associated with his childhood: “My family lived in Hamlet 6, Quarter 2, Cua Tien Flower Garden, Vinh City. My childhood was closely associated with Vinh Citadel. This is where we often hunted for wild pineapple bushes to catch grasshoppers. The moat surrounding the citadel was where we found and caught tilapia to raise and play fighting fish, or catch dragonflies.”

Member Nguyen Thuy Van shared about the Citadel like an old friend: “The collective housing area of ​​the children of construction workers like us was behind the ancient citadel gate, nestled between two large bomb craters as wide as two village ponds. Back then, the citadel gate stood alone, isolated in the middle of block 2, Cua Nam ward. The citadel gate stood there, watching the residents of the entire neighborhood struggling, hustling, and struggling to make a living during the years of economic hardship. We were the same, I rarely looked at the Citadel, even though I passed by it countless times every day. I used to take shelter from the sun and rain inside the Citadel. My mother also had a small tea shop next to it. When it rained, she took shelter inside…”.

Then from the gate, memories related to Cua Nam flower garden, Cua Tien cinema, Vinh stadium… just kept coming back. Each share is a piece of memory and there are many other memories about Vinh Citadel that have been and are being saved and shared. They can be fragmented stories, photos blurred by time, spontaneous lines of writing… but in the end, all are imbued with love and pride for a historical place.

Preserve for future

As usual, on the first Sunday of the month - Green Sunday, people in Block 1, Cua Nam Ward, take cleaning tools to clean the streets and alleys in their area. And every time, everyone always gathers to clean the Vinh Citadel Gate the longest and most thoroughly. Because for them, Vinh Citadel Gate is an important project, a historical symbol. Cleaning the gate is not only a part of the job, a responsibility, but also an honor and pride.

Living in the Vinh Citadel Gate area since 1975, Ms. Mai Thi Hien - block leader of block 1, Cua Nam ward has been attached to and witnessed the changes of this historical structure for nearly half a century. She confided: "After so many years, history has turned a new page, the landscape has changed, we are now men and women, but this structure still stands tall, majestic, irreplaceable, like a symbol of Vinh Citadel forever imprinted in the minds of many generations".

According to Ms. Hien, the thorough and serious involvement of the government and the Department of Culture in the conservation work has contributed to changing people's awareness of the importance of this project. "Not only on Green Sunday, but on any day, as long as the gate area is dirty, people will proactively pick up trash and clean it up. If they see someone doing something that affects the project, they will immediately notify the block executive committee. From children to the elderly, everyone is conscious of preserving, cherishing and loving this historical project. Those positive changes allow me to believe that this project will last forever..." - Ms. Hien said.

Although his family does not live near Cua Nam area and is currently working in Hanoi, Nguyen Van Dung (Nghi Phu commune) still has special feelings for the Citadel. “Every time I return to Vinh, I visit the Citadel as a habit. I still remember clearly the event when Vinh Citadel was installed with a night lighting system in 2021 and I took many pictures that night. Under the lighting effect, the Citadel at night seems much more beautiful and magical.”

Regarding the conservation and restoration of Vinh Citadel, last March, when the draft of the detailed construction planning adjustment at a scale of 1/500 was announced, 105 households living in the Vinh Citadel area supported it with high consensus. That consensus is the basis for believing that Vinh Citadel will soon become a more attractive destination for tourists from all over the world.

In addition to preserving and conserving, Vinh city authorities at all levels have also implemented many activities and tasks to spread the value and image of Vinh Citadel. The most recent event was the "First Vinh Citadel Half Marathon 2023" with 135 athletes from localities across the province competing.

Sharing about this event, Mr. Dang Hieu Lam - Chairman of Cua Nam Ward People's Committee said: "Although it is the first time organizing, the Vinh Citadel Half Marathon has received enthusiastic response from people from all localities. The number of registrants exceeded the initial expectation. After the success of this tournament, we will propose that the city continue to open more Marathon races in the future. This is an opportunity to promote the image of Vinh Citadel to friends and tourists near and far"./.