The Values of Dien Khanh Ancient Citadel in Attracting Tourists

Dien Khanh people rose up to liberate their homeland. Dien Khanh citadel welcomed the return of the Party leadership and district government.

Recognizing the historical and cultural values of Dien Khanh ancient citadel, on November 16, 1988, the Ministry of Culture issued Decision No. 1288/VH-QD to rank it as a national historical and cultural relic.

2.1.1.3. Values of Dien Khanh Citadel in attracting tourists

The value of developing historical research

First of all, Dien Khanh Citadel is a "historical evidence" marking many important events in the historical process of the country, in the journey of opening up the land to the South of the nation, in the process of forming the ancient land of Phu Khanh (now Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen). This land was once the site of fierce fighting between Tay Son and Nguyen Anh; was the center of the Can Vuong movement in Khanh Hoa; was the location of the Nha Trang Front command right in Dien Khanh Citadel; was the place to welcome General Vo Nguyen Giap to inspect, grasp the situation and direct the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa front. After April 30, 1975, the citadel has been the administrative center of Dien Khanh district.

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Not only that, this place also marks many activities of many famous historical figures and cultural figures such as: Trinh Phong, Tran Quy Cap, doctor Yersin, Vo Nguyen Giap...

Artistic, architectural and archaeological value

The citadel was built in Vauban style, most notably the citadel gate which is almost intact. Compared to other citadels built at the same time, except Hue citadel, Dien Khanh citadel has retained its shape for nearly 200 years.

The gate is a sturdy square block structure, built of 4.5cm x 1.38cm bricks, consisting of 2 floors: the lower floor is attached to the wall, the outer surface is 16.8m wide, 4.5m high, built vertically, the inner surface is built with a brick wall about 2m high, 2.5m from the outer surface to compact the soil in the middle.

The entrance gate is 3.2m wide, built with bricks in the shape of a bell arch, the highest point is about 3.5m, the gate is made of thick ironwood. The inner wall is built with steps.

bricks, more than 2m wide, used as a walkway to the upper floor. The upper floor is as high as the wall, quadrilateral, each side 1.5m, nearly 2m high, built with a curved roof, covered with yin-yang tiles.

On both sides, there are balconies nearly 1 meter high. This could be a place to guard and observe inside and outside the city. The entire city gate is not decorated, the gate name is written in Chinese characters. Overall, the city gate has the architectural style of East Asia at that time. Currently, only the East and West gates remain intact.

There is an opinion that there may be another ancient Champa architectural block under the citadel. That is not surprising because this land was formerly the land of the Cham people called Kauthara, and there are still many archaeological sites left. However, this issue should also be carefully considered from an archaeological perspective to contribute to increasing the values of history, architecture and cultural activities.

Through the ups and downs of history and the ravages of time, Dien Khanh Citadel is no longer intact as before. However, the historical, cultural and architectural values that Dien Khanh Citadel retains, along with the right investment of Khanh Hoa province, the Dien Khanh ancient citadel relic not only has great significance in educating historical and cultural traditions but also contributes significantly to the economic and tourism development of Dien Khanh in particular and Khanh Hoa in general.

Dien Khanh Citadel is a typical cultural space of Khanh Hoa land.

Culture has a historical character (time factor), so cultural space is related to territory but is not identical to territorial space. It covers all territories where a nation has existed through the ages. Therefore, cultural space is always larger than territorial space; the cultural spaces of two neighboring nations often overlap and have border areas.

In the Dien Khanh Citadel area, because this place was for a long time the administrative center from feudal times to modern times, the residents gathered here to live together with the indigenous Cham people with ancient origins, creating a lively cultural mixture and assimilation. It is expressed through daily activities in cuisine, rituals... besides cultural institutions with special architecture built by the Nguyen kings, although until now only

Some relics are models for ancient houses that are studied, learned and followed by local people or are still scattered in districts and towns to this day. However, that problem does not affect the strong cultural spread of Dien Khanh Citadel to other places in Khanh Hoa. It is possible to recognize similar lifestyles originating from the Citadel residents through the way of farming, building houses, preparing food, and social rituals... so it is not by chance that within the influence of this Citadel area within a radius of 3 km, there are many relics such as: Trinh Phong Temple, Dien Khanh Temple of Literature, Tran Quy Cap Temple along with a series of traditional cultural festivals such as: Am Pagoda Festival, Saint Huy Festival, Saint Dan Temple of Literature, Spring and Autumn worshiping ceremonies every year at communal houses and temples... with quite similar architectural styles, space arrangements and activities.

Dien Khanh Citadel is an urban heritage.

It must also be said that, according to old documents, inside the citadel there are many unique architectural works: Past the Front Gate (main gate in the South) reserved for the king, the royal family and the mandarins is a large flagpole. Behind the flagpole is the royal palace - the largest construction compared to the other constructions.

The palace was built in the style of the Thai Hoa Palace in Hue, consisting of three rooms about 40m wide, surrounded by spacious, airy corridors. The pillars and beams were delicately carved, splendidly painted and gilded. The upper part had a tower, the roofs and roof beams were gracefully curved. On the roof were mounted two dragons facing a large ball.

In front of the royal palace was a large brick courtyard - called the audience courtyard - where the civil and military mandarins of the province stood in attendance during major ceremonies. Their positions were recorded on wooden boards, placed in two rows on either side, in order from ninth rank to first rank. In the middle of the palace was a large wooden platform with three floors, each floor was 0.20m higher. On top was a throne.

To the left of the royal palace is the Tuần Vũ palace, then the An Sát palace, and after that is the Lãnh binh palace, below is the Tham tri palace.

In addition to the residences of the rulers, the citadel also has a massive warehouse complex covering thousands of square meters and a prison built with high, solid stone walls. All the roofs are covered with yin-yang tiles.

The above works, if restored together with the available cultural space, can make Dien Khanh Ancient Citadel a potential candidate to become an urban heritage, this is a very interesting issue and should be considered because according to the Charter for the Conservation of Ancient Cities, adopted by ICOMOS 32 years ago in October 1987, officially recognized worldwide a part (or the whole) of cities "expressing the unique values of traditional urban civilization" . We often refer to urban complexes rather than cities as urban heritage. However, regardless of the scale of the heritage, the complex must be highly symbolic of the history and culture of which the complex is a witness .

2.1.2. Dien Khanh Temple of Literature

2.1.2.1. Location of Dien Khanh Temple of Literature

Dien Khanh Temple of Literature is located on a large, flat land with a total area of 1,500m2, belonging to Phu Loc Tay 1 Residential Group, Dien Khanh Town, Dien Khanh District. When it was first built, the Temple of Literature had the following architectural works: the Chinh Temple and the Khai Thanh Temple, which were initially roofed with thatched grass.

2.1.2.2. History of formation

In Le Quang Dinh's "Hoang Viet Nhat Thong Du Dia Chi", in the Hoa My station section (Chinese part), there is a passage stating: "About 20 taels (a unit of length measurement of the ancients) to Toan Thanh station, both sides are dry, the land on the right is densely populated, the western edge is about 80 taels is the previous dynasty's registries, 190 taels away is the old Van Thanh temple, the current temple was moved to Dien Khanh citadel to worship" . The author roughly translates it as: "About 20 taels (a unit of length measurement of the ancients) to Toan Thanh station, both sides are dry, the land on the right is densely populated, the western edge is about 80 taels is the previous dynasty's registries, 190 taels away is the old Van Thanh temple, the current temple was moved to Dien Khanh citadel to worship".

Thus, before King Gia Long ascended the throne (in 1802), in Thai Khang palace there was a provincial Temple of Literature located in Phuoc An commune, near Thai Khang palace headquarters, later Ninh Hoa Temple of Literature, Phuoc Ly village, Ninh Binh commune, Ninh Hoa town.

In 1793, Nguyen Anh (later King Gia Long) built Dien Khanh Citadel in the territory of two communes Phu My and Truong Thanh, Phuoc Dien district, prefecture.

Dien Khanh, Binh Khang citadel, was assigned to Nguyen Van Thanh to guard. Later, he moved the headquarters of the old citadel from Phuoc Da commune, Quang Phuoc district, Binh Khang prefecture to Dien Khanh citadel and this became the political and military center of Binh Khang citadel. According to the book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi of the National History Institute of the Nguyen Dynasty, it is written: "Temple of Literature: in Phu Loc commune, west of the provincial citadel, built in the second year of Gia Long (1803), restored in the second year of Tu Duc (1849)" . Thus, Dien Khanh Temple of Literature was built in 1803. Dien Khanh Temple of Literature also has other names: Binh Hoa Town Temple of Literature; Khanh Hoa Temple of Literature; Khanh Hoa Temple of Literature.

In 1948, the French colonialists occupied the Temple of Literature and turned it into a military garrison. Not allowing the enemy to take advantage, the elders carried out a "scorched earth resistance" . The worshiping activities were temporarily suspended for a while.

In 1958, the Dien Khanh Temple in Go Song, Phuoc Tuy, Dien Phuoc commune was damaged and degraded, with no one to take care of the incense, so the elders of the Van Hoi asked the government for permission to move the remaining facilities of the Dien Khanh Temple in Phuoc Tuy to rebuild on the land of the old Dien Khanh Temple for restoration and renaming it Dien Khanh Temple. From here, the elders of the Van Hoi maintained the annual rituals of worship and incense offering at the Dien Khanh Temple.

Looking back at the process of formation and development, we see that the current Dien Khanh Temple of Literature was built on the land of the old Tran Binh Hoa Temple of Literature (the old name of Khanh Hoa province). The wooden trellis that structures the worshiping rooms was transferred from Dien Khanh Temple in Phuoc Tuy village.

The provincial Temple of Literature in Phu Loc village was lost due to the scorched earth resistance war, and the district Temple of Literature in Phuoc Tuy village declined over time. Therefore, the core (wooden trees, pillars and beams of the old construction) was moved from the place of decline to the place that used to be the foundation and root of Confucianism of the locality to connect and promote traditional cultural values in today's life.

2.1.2.3. The values of Dien Khanh Temple of Literature in attracting tourists

Preservation of rare documents

Since King Gia Long established the Temple of Literature in 1803, it has been nearly 200 years, through many ups and downs due to war and natural disasters, but with the pride of the local people about the recognition of the land of culture, they have tried to preserve many valuable heritages, which are ancient documents. That is the clearest evidence of the precious documentary heritage for future generations to have a basis, to assess and evaluate the traditional values, the history of the land of their ancestors. Dien Khanh Temple of Literature is currently preserving many valuable ancient documents such as royal decrees, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, royal writings... Therefore, on November 14, 2019, at Dien Khanh Temple of Literature Historical and Cultural Relic, the Department of Archives and Records under the Department of Home Affairs presented the decision of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee approving the list of precious and rare documents in 2019 for Dien Khanh Temple of Literature Historical and Cultural Relic and funding to support the preservation of precious and rare documents to the Relic Management Board.

Specifically: in this period, Dien Khanh Temple of Literature has 16 royal decrees of the reigns of King Minh Mang, year 3 (1822); Thieu Tri, year 2, 3 (1842-1843); Minh Mang, year 3 (1822) written in Chinese characters, Nom characters written on Do paper are preserved intact. For example, the royal decrees are all for Thanh Hoang of the locality, Quang Hau Thanh Hoang, Thanh Hoang of Khanh Hoa province, Hoang An Quang Trach Ha Ba Trung Dang Than, On Duc Quang Huu Gia Tro Linh Thong Trung Dang Than still worshiped at the Khanh Hoa Provincial Council Temple... and the total number of royal decrees recognized as rare documents currently preserved at Dien Khanh Temple of Literature is 34 royal decrees.

The art of practicing sacrificial rituals

Ancient rituals

Every year, Dien Khanh Temple of Literature has two major festivals: "DAN" day, which is Confucius's birthday (August 27th lunar calendar) and "HOH" day, which is his death day (April 18th lunar calendar).

But in the previous period, according to the memories of the elders, Vietnam had regulations on "spring sacrifice" and "autumn sacrifice". The sacrifice day was based on "Can, Chi" to perform the ceremony. The Can must be Can "Dinh", must be on "Trung Dinh" day, which is between the 10th and 20th of the lunar calendar in two months: February and August. According to the theory of "Five Elements", "Dinh"

belongs to the fire element, fire. Fire is bright like bright and literary literature, so that day was chosen to worship the king of literature.

According to old documents, in the past, the ceremony at the Temple of Literature was classified as "International", meaning it was sponsored by the state and funded by the provincial budget. During the feudal period, Confucianism was the official religion of the state, so the International ceremony at the Temple of Literature was held very solemnly. If we compare the solemnity, dignity and methodical nature of the "Thai Lao" ceremony at the Temple of Literature and especially the number of officials, dignitaries, scholars, intellectuals and students of all classes participating, then no local festival can compare.

The ceremony was carefully arranged by the mandarins and the people many days in advance. In the time when the countryside was still poor, people saved on lighting by going to bed early in the evening, only a few wealthy families lit peanut oil lamps, the issue of lighting during the ceremony was very important. It became a custom that one of the carefully prepared materials was a pair of “dinh lieu” (torches). These two torches were made of “cha ran” tree, a type of forest tree with a small, straight, long trunk, firm flesh, deep fire, bright burning and smokeless. The trees were split, tied together, the round body of the torch was about the size of a human body, up to 20m long from one end of the yard to the other. People placed it on its side along the edge of the yard, the torch head resting on a torch stand just high enough for a person’s face near the front porch. This pair of torches was not only used to create a light source in a wide area of the ceremony area to increase solemnity but also had the meaning of being a light source, enlightening intelligence and learning.

At noon, the day before the ceremony, on this side of the river, officials, dignitaries, scholars, and students gathered at the Temple of Literature to wait for the ceremony and to help the Organizing Committee, each doing his own work. The village road from the Temple of Literature gate to the Phu Loc river wharf was swept clean. Five-element flags were planted at intervals. On the other side of the river, the governor (the governor) led the judges, military leaders, and education inspectors, dressed in grand court uniforms, accompanied by officials from the prefecture, district, education, and training departments, with full ceremonial guards, entering the palace to pay homage before the royal table. Then, with both hands holding the command sword, the governor and the officials mounted the palanquin and the procession headed out the East gate of Dien Khanh citadel. Leading the procession were two boards “túc tỉnh” (peaceful) and “hội tỵ” (avoid one side), followed by two rows of swords, spears, axes, and flags, gongs, and drums. The governor’s palanquin carried four parasols, and the

The judge and the military commander held two parasols, the musicians in red robes and conical hats played rhythmic tunes. Drums and clappers beat the rhythm in a solemn harmony. On both sides of the river, the people clasped their hands respectfully. On the ferry, the boats carrying the mandarins across the river were flying five-colored flags, dotted with green, red, yellow, and white on the shimmering water. On the other side of the river, the village officials, in blue and black ceremonial robes, and countless people were standing behind the incense altar with billowing incense, waiting to pay homage to the king. The mandarins got off their palanquins at the gate of the Temple of Literature, walked on the flower-covered path to the resting house (quan cu). The minister presented the will so that the chief celebrant could personally fill in his name and then place it on the will. Before it was completely dark, hundreds of candles were already flickering inside the Temple of Literature. The lights danced on the parallel sentences, the red-lacquered and gilded pillars and beams, and the offerings arranged according to the Thai Lao ceremony. Far away, on the main altar, is a large, elaborately carved tablet, engraved with the words "Descendant of Confucius". In front of the tablet, a pedestal supports a mother-of-pearl inlaid tray on which are three silver wine cups, issued by the Ministry of Rites in the capital. Outside, three large square trays, like three sets of tables, are arranged horizontally, on which a cow, a goat, and a pig are prostrated. Each animal has a flower decorated on its head, and on each side of its cheeks, two large bowls contain its entrails and blood. From the front legs to the back legs of the animal, on each side are golden grilled rice paper, stacked high next to each other. In front of the altars, the Four Pairs, the Seventy-Two Sages, the Early Confucians, and the Late Confucians are all arranged in the same manner, kneeling pigs.

The later the night, the more lively and solemn the scene. The ceremonial servants in their formal robes, the sacrificial officials and the temple workers passed by, carrying and arranging the offerings. Their steps were quick, their movements precise, but their conversations were only in short whispers. Finally, the two lamps were lit up with a bright fire. In a moment, the blazing fire clearly illuminated every leaf on the treetops, trembling in the rising heat. Circling the outer courtyard, lined up in rows front and back, a large crowd of people, mixed with students of all ages, curiously and respectfully waited to see the grand ceremony unfold.

The judge was on duty at the temple offering sacrifices. The ceremony here only involved three offerings, three times offering wine, and no altar boy. After the sacrifice, the judge returned to the house of the governor to serve his orders, and saw the governor waiting with a shovel. Everyone followed.

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