Close-up of the place where the foundation of the ancient capital Hoa Lu's citadel wall was discovered

Speaking to a reporter from Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Tu Quy, 81 years old, residing in Tan Hoa village, Truong Yen commune (Hoa Lu city) said: On December 26, 2024, he broke ground to build a house on his family's land. On December 29, while digging the foundation, he discovered many layers of bricks suspected of having historical traces, so he reported it to the local cultural management officer. Photo: Dinh Minh

The inspection team of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Binh province worked with the family and authorities, agreeing to conduct an emergency archaeological excavation in this area from December 22 to 29 to learn about the morphology of the relic. Photo: Dinh Minh

Excavation results determined that this relic is the foundation of Hoa Lu citadel wall, located about 1m underground, built in the 10th century, located in the northeast of the ancient citadel. Photo: Dinh Minh

During the excavation, archaeologists also collected many samples of bricks, cups, bowls... Photo: Dinh Minh

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong - Head of Cultural Heritage Management Department (Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ninh Binh) said: Because this is the first excavation, the excavation scope is still quite small, and the time is urgent, so there is not enough data to generalize the size and construction techniques of Hoa Lu citadel wall... Photo: Dinh Minh

Mr. Nguyen Tu Quy said: After discovering the incident, the family created the best conditions for the authorities to preserve the relic. In the long term, Mr. Quy hopes that the provincial leaders will soon give instructions so that he can build a house or move his family to another place. Photo: Dinh Minh

In order to both stabilize housing for people and preserve the relic, during the inspection on the afternoon of December 29, Mr. Doan Minh Huan - Secretary of Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee (right) requested the Department of Culture and Sports to have a suitable plan to ensure the legitimate needs of the people, while preserving and continuing to research the relic. Photo: Dinh Minh

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Binh province said: The Department and the local government have discussed and agreed with Mr. Quy's family that in the immediate future, they will support the rent for Mr. Quy's family. Next, the Department will resettle his family so that the family can give up land to serve archaeological excavations, contributing to better protection of the relic. Photo: Dinh Minh

In the long term, Mr. Cuong said: After planning, renovating and restoring the special national relic of Hoa Lu ancient capital until 2030, with a vision to 2050, the province will develop a master plan for excavation to clarify the scale, size and construction techniques of Hoa Lu citadel towards preserving and restoring the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. Photo: Dinh Minh