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carved the tale of the Brahmin monks’
life including scenes of him playing mu-
sic, talking, and making medicine.
Tra Kieu altar, which was found
in the early 20th century, is dated
between the 7th–10th centuries. It is
considered a masterpiece of Champa
sculptural art, depicting the Ramayana
epic on its four sides.
A 1.15 meter bronze Tara Buddha
statue which was found by farmers in
1978 is the largest example of Champa
bronze statue work. The well propor-
tioned Buddha is highly valued as a
piece of Champa sculpture.
D
ien Hai Citadel, located in
Thach Thang ward, Hai
Chau district, Danang is
a remarkable historical site.
The Citadel, formerly known as
Dien Hai Fortress, was built in 1813
in the twelfth year of Gia Long’s
reign. It was renamed in 1835, the
fifteenth year of Minh Mang’s reign,
after it was moved inland and rebuilt
on high land in 1823.
In 1840, Deputy Minister of
Labour, Nguyen Cong Tru, inspect-
ed the defenses of Danang and de-
manded a more powerful system
for Dien Hai and An Hai citadels.
In 1847 the perimeter wall was
five meters high and was surround-
ed by a ditch three meters deep.
The citadel was designed with
two gates, the main one opening
to the south and the other to the
east. Inside were Hanh Cung, Ky
Dai (a high flagpole platform), a
storehouse for food and ammuni-
tion and 30 large canon emplace-
ments. The citadel was built using
brick in the square Vauban style.
Dien Hai citadel bears signs of
the struggle of Danang’s people in
the war against the French coloni-
alists to protect national independ-
ence and territory. It made an im-
portant contribution to the defeat
of the French invaders in Danang
from 1858-1860. A majestic statue
of General Nguyen Tri Phuong was
built to maintain the memory of this
turbulent period of the city’s history.
Dien Hai Citadel was classified
as a national historical relic by the
Ministry of Culture and Communi-
cation on November 16, 1998 and
a stele was permitted to be erected
on August 25, 1998.
During the maintenance of the
citadel in 2008, people discovered
two more cannons underground.
Danang’s authority has built a
museum within the courtyard of
Dien Hai Citadel. The exhibition
area covers about 3,000m2 and
is arranged over three floors. The
first floor presents information on
the land and the people of Da-
nang; the second houses displays
on the resistance of Danang’s peo-
ple and remnants of the US mili-
tary; and the third floor presents
the ethnic communities of Quang
Nam and Danang.
More than 2,500 documents,
pictures and artifacts are kept at the
museum, which has has welcomed
nearly 18,000 visitors since opening
a year ago.
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DANANG IN FOCUS
DIEN HAI CITADEL