Ancient Coå Loa Citadel still facing destruction
HAØ NOÄI Architects, historians and scientists have discussed measures to preserve Coå Loa Haø Noäis oldest citadeland promote its cultural and historical value at a conference in Haø Noäi.
Hosted by Tia Saùng magazine, the Coå Loa: From Core Values to Preservation and Development conference was held because the relic site faces encroachment and damage despite the citys efforts to protect the citadel, which is also one of the oldest relics of Vieät Nam. The conference gathered many renowned Vietnamese experts as well as members of heritage management boards.
With its unique historical, architectural and archeological value, the citadel has been recognised as a national relic since 1962 and as special national relic since 2012.
Before 1995, Coå Loa Citadel was managed by local authorities before being handed over to several management boards. It was not until 2014 that the management board of the citadel was officially established as a unit under the Thaêng Long- Haø Noäi Preservation Centre.
A master plan on the preservation and restoration of Coå Loa Citadel in Haø Noäi to develop the site into a historical and ecological park was approved in 2015 by thenPrime Minister Nguyenã Taná Dunõ g.
According to the Coå Loa Citadel management board, the relic is now under serious encroachment due to the low awareness of locals. For example, they cultivate crops even on the city wall, raise fish in the dyke and have even been granted land ownership. Some parts of the citadel have become roads. Many components of the relic with special archeological values have nearly been vanished due to the expansion of nearby residential buildings.
However, the functions of the management board include inspecting, discovering and reporting violations but not penalising violators; however, most of their reports to the local authorities have not received any responses yet.
According to Leâ Vieät Duõng, deputy chief of the Coå Loa Citadel Management Board, they are granted permission to manage the core of the relic, including the Inner Citadel, King An Döông Vöông Temple or Ngoïc Well, as well as several lands nearby their head office, covering a total area of four hectares.
Meanwhile, the other parts of the relic, which is nearly 900 hectares, and three rounds of the earth walls are under control of the local authorities and citizens who consider them as normal land, not a relic.
Prof Nguyenã Vanê Huy judged that with proper vision and investment, the citadel would become one of the most attractive destinations to tourists of the capital, largely due to the associated historical stories and well-preserved natural surroundings. However, such tourism potential faces the risk of encroachment amid rapid urbanisation and peoples demand to improve their lives, he said.
He also mentioned the emerging problems of the relics poorly defined borders, as well as its direct managers and their duties.
The management lacks unification, synchronisation and concentration, he added.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have issued guidance on tourism management within heritage sites, which have clarified that every sustainable tourism programme demands the involvement of the beneficiaries or concerned organisations. The awakening of the heritage therefore requires state policies and enterprises investment.
According to Traàn Thò Thu Thuûy from the Cultural Department of UNESCO, encouraging the communitys involvement demands building trust.
The local authority must publicise all the information about the policies of development, interact with the locals and ensure their commitment, she said.
Nguyeãn Thò Haäu, deputy general secretary of the Vieät Nam History Association, also stressed the importance of community input. She suggested that the preservation with community involvement should originate at the grassroots level to ensure sustainability, because only the community, individuals and social organisations are capable of preserving the heritage and helping the heritage co-exist with the community.
This strategy has proved effective in many heritages sites worldwide like Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. she said.
We are trying to preserve the heritage with a distant, academic view. From this perspective, only economic or political benefits can be seen, not the locals needs. If we view it from the locals position, the authorities will understand their problems and simultaneously help them realise what they need to do to preserve the relics, to develop tourism and how they will benefit, she added.
Reckoning that its better late than never, Prof Huy said that in order to promote the values of Coå Loa Citadel, the leaders of Haø Noäi City need to renovate their viewpoint and prioritise boosting the relic to become the most highlighted attraction of the capital.
Coå Loa Citadel was built near Phong Kheâ, about 20km to the north of todays Haø Noäi, during the end of the Hoàng Baøng Dynasty (about 257 BC).
Covering nearly 500ha, the citadel is a place of worship for King An Döông Vöông and Princess Mî Chaâu. According to legend, An Döông Vöông founded the ancient Vietnamese state of AÂu Laïc and chose Coå Loa as the capital city. VNS