1 – Before permitting to enterprises to construct big monuments such as Vincom tower, the decision of letting the technical services to carry out the archaeological excavation of the n o 114 Mai Hac De, of the People’s
1 – Before permitting to enterprises to construct big monuments such as Vincom tower, the decision of letting the technical services to carry out the archaeological excavation of the n
o 114 Mai Hac De, of the People’s Committee of Hanoi is conformable with the law of Cultural Patrimonies and must be followed. The archaeological excavation of this site is necessary because it is a rare opportunity for researchers to study a fundamental site in the global structure of the ancient capital Thang Long: the vestige of the terrace Nam Giao.
2 – The excavation of the site 114 Mai Hac De takes place in summer, in open air under the burning sun. With more than 4m of depth, and an excavation area of 950m2, the struggle against inundation by rain water is extremely troublesome and it is nearly impossible to avoid damages caused to the site. To receive results summarily exposed in the present preliminary report, the researchers must overcome many difficulties. Though concise, the report has exposed completely and clearly the fundamental problems of the site.
The determination of the earth layers as well as of the vestiges of three successive dynasties Ly, Tran and Le, and the objective analysis of the site, show that the researchers of the excavation are highly qualified archaeologists, having rich experiences in excavations.
3 – The National Museum of Vietnamese History is conserving the stele Nam Giao dien bi ky, notation LSb32852, erected in the enceinte of Dien Nam Giao since the 4th year Vinh Tri (1679) of King Le Hy Tong. This stele has been brought to the French School of Extreme-Orient from the actual alley of Le Dai Hanh. The stele has been transferred to the alley Le Dai Hanh to give place to the construction of the electric station of the Tiger at the beginning of the XXth century. At this time, certainly the stele was placed in the enclosure of Dien Nam Giao. The removal of the stele to build the electric station means the complete destruction of what remains of Dien Nam Giao of the Le. Therefore, I agree with the report that nearly all the vestiges of the terrace Nam Giao of the Le have been destroyed.
The architectural vestiges of the Ly and of the Ly-Tran, though in better state, cannot show any complete architectural unit, and cannot help to determine the relation between the ceramics foundation and the foundation in column of pieces of ceramics of the Ly in H4 and H9.
Thus, through the vestiges discovered in the pits, I agree with the report that we have discovered part of the vestige of the terrace Nam Giao of the Ly and Tran.
As for the question: where is the plane of these roofed constructions, what is their function, where are they in the vestige… one cannot determine, not speaking of the terrace which is the central part of the vestige, where takes place the ceremony in open air.
4 – I agree with the proposition of the Institute of Archaeology and of the Service of Vestiges and Landscapes of Hanoi, to continue the excavation in order to determine the plane of the architectural unit of the ceramics foundation and of the foundation of column of ceramic pieces of the Ly, as well as the relation between them, i.e. to enlarge the quarters H4 and H9.
- Note to the maximum the site and the vestiges in documents, bring them to the Museum of Hanoi to exhibit and to valorize the terrace Nam Giao in the future.
- In the future planning of the quarter 114 Mai Hac De, one must reserve an area and a space suitable for a construction sheltering the copy of the stele Nam Giao dien bi ky in stone, scale 1/1, carrying on the back the translation in vietnamese, to conserve the trace of an important vestige of the ancient Thang long. That is the method of conservation which is, in my opinion, suitable to the actual state of the vestige and to the futur development of the capital Hanoi.
Vũ Quốc Hiền