V N U J O U R N A L O F S C IE N C E ,
soc..
S C I , H U M A N , N 01E, 2 0 0 2T H E C H A N G E O F G A T E W A Y T O D E L T A F R O M 12th T O 1 7 ,h C E N T U R I E S
I. T H E G A T E W A Y P O S IT IO N O F T H E AREA B E T W E E N R E D R I V E R AND ĐÁY RIV ER
D u e to g e o lo g ic a l stru ctu re a n d directly su bje c t to R ed R iv e r delta structural form ation p r o c e s s u s , N a m Đ ị n h b ear in Itself an e n o u g h particular history and special cultural traditions.
T o g e t h e r with lan ds e m b r a c in g traces o f p reh isto ry period, th ere w ere s u b m a r in e yet areas h u n d r e d s y e a rs a g o from that time.
W ith in b e tw e e n 1 1th c entu ry and 14th century e nd, c o r r e s p o n d in g to Lý-Trần dynasties, N am Đ ịn h w a s the im po rta n t g a te w a y o f Delta and all Đ ai V iệ t K in g d o m . L ý K ings rccognized s o o n the im p o r ta n c e o f this area. Until 13th c e n tu ry , this was w here T rầ n fam ily rose up and its s p e c if ic im p o rta n c e relays on that it was likely th e s e c o n d cap ital th o ro u g h T r ầ n d yn asty
175 y e a r s rule.
1. Hái T h a n h division (Lộ) o f ứ n g P h o n g p re fe c t ( P h il ) u n d e r L ý d y n a s ty
OverallV , this c o rre s p o n d e d to today's My Lộc. VII Bân, Ý Y ên , N a m Trực d istricts and part o f n o w Trực Ninh and N g h ĩa Hưng district. Ung P h o n g Prefect includ ed two im porta n t e s tu a rie s - Ba Lạt and Đ ại An. Red R ive r r u n s into the s e a by Ba Lạt. At the time, it was s it u a te d at a ro u n d the c o n flu e n c e where a d join ed T r ự c N in h a n d X u â n T rư ờ n g districts.
Đại A n (o r Đai A c ) was Đ á y river estuary,
Professor of Vietnam National University. Hanoi
V u M in h G ia n g '* ’
sited at the tim e a ro u n d Đ ộ c Bộ wharf, the c o n flu e n c e o f Đ á y river and Đ à o river. This land are a m igh t be c o n s id e re d as the G a te w a y to R ed River Delta.
A d jo in in g the sea, the area from Q u á n C ác to Ba Lạt e stua ry w h ic h c e n te r w as c ổ Lể P a g o d a site rap idly b e c a m e a trip o f cultural cross. This w as n a m e d "K eo" - V ie tn a m ese hierogly ph - in w o rd s "G iao T h u y " (w h ere sw ee t-w a te rs and sa lte d w aters c ro ssin g e a ch o th e r at flood-tide), w h e re fish e rm e n berthed a fter o ff-sh o re o p e ra tio n s. T h e y c ro w d e d and settled th em se lv e s in to fish-villages, arou n d w hich, trade activities fre q u e n tly bustled. O n - land and o n -w a te rs s c en e rie s created d y n a m is m in e c o n o m ic life an d diversity and a b u n d a n c e in c ultural p h y s io g n o m y .
A Lý stele n a m e d " V iê n Q u a n g tự bi m in h tính tự (ỊM17*6 T p ĩ ậ :ìfi ) w as rem ained and c o n serv e d in N g h ĩa X á P a g o d a ) o f to d av X u a n N in h c o m m u n e , X u a n T ru o n g d istrict. Fo r Stele d ate, m o st historians s u g g e ste d that it w as p ro d u c e d by 1122 with u n d e rlin ed w o rds " ịịỀ 'f r z L ^ r • Lý N h â n T ô n g K in g in clu d e d 8 d y n a s tic titles, if* ' # Ĩ Ĩ w as the 7 ,h o n e p ro m u lg a te d in C a n h TÍ y e a r (1 1 2 0 ), s o 1122 w as the 3rd y ear - c o rre s p o n d in g to
H ow ever, a c a re fu l stud y sh o w e d that the stele text m ig h t not be e d ite d by this year.
23
24 Vu Minh Giang
Firstly, th e stele text e n g ra v e d :
M that
m eaned T h i s V iê n Q u a n g P a g o d a w a s c re a te d by Lý A n h T ô n g ” . L ý A n h T ô n g re ig n e d in 38 years ( 1 1 3 7 -1 1 7 5 ) . If the te x t w a s c a rv e d ju st in A n h T ò n g K i n g ’s I s* y e a r, it w o u ld be later than the m e n t io n e d d a te up to 16 y ears.
M oreover, the tex t u se d his P o s t h u m o u s n a m e (Anh T ô n g ), that m e a n s that it s h o u ld be e d ite d after his d e a th , that w o u ld b e s o o n e s t bv 1175.
S ec o n d ly , th e s te le tex t m e n tio n e d that the King in stru c te d p a g o d a e m b e l li s h m e n t in l sl year o f T h iệ u M in h ( L ý A n h T ô n g C r o w n ’s title -1137). So, c re a tio n h ere sh all be understood as r e s to re d w ith the n e w n a m e
"Vien Q u a n g P a g o d a " (its f o r m e r n a m e w a s Dien Phuc P ag o d a ).
T h ird ly , in the text e n d , a fte r relatin g inspection trip o f Lý N h â n T o n g ( f n 7^ ) and Lý A n h T ố n g (Ệ£ 7^-) - P o s t h u m o u s n a m e , (he literature carries to K im V ư ơ n g (4 * £ ) (existing ru lin g K in g ). W e s u g g e s t that this Stele, in resp e c t o f c o n te n t, m ig h t p r o b a b ly be erected u n d e r L ý C a o T ô n g d y n a s ty (1 1 7 6 -
1210). T h e e d ito r w a s D ĩn h Đạt.
A c c ordin g to the full se n te n c e en gra v e d under the stele n a m e 5 c i f 1 H , /rf*
1Ế M : k ÌẾ 'iip M ĩ ậ ....Bp ", this w a s not the date o f this stele. O n l y this fn ean t a re a s o n for c o n tin u o u s c a rv in g C tỀ " m e a n i n g ) o f a stele by G iá c H ải in 3rd y e a r o f T h i ê n Phù D uệ Vũ (1122), m a y be in th e tim e o f D iê n Phúc Pagoda. In o u r o p in io n , that w a s a n o th e r stele, however, lost ago. T h e p a g o d a w a s o r ig in a lly sited in G i a o T h ủ y f is h in g v illag e, m a n y tim es
d isp la c e d , then, finally settled as by now ex isting .
T h e initial G i a o T h ủ y fishin g village loca tion u n d e r L ý D y n a s t y m ig h t be n early R e d R iv e r b an k , b e tw e e n N a m T h ắ n g village to N a m H o n g v illage o f t o d a v N a m Trực district.
T h is c o m p lie s w ith the t e x t o f a n o th e r p a g o d a stele c o n s tr u c te d latterly b y 2 nd y e a r o f Đ ổ n g K h á n h (1 8 8 7 ). A c c o r d in g t o this stele, this was a big p a g o d a in L ý D y n a s t y co n sistin g o f 36 bu ild in g s, h u n d r e d s o f c o m p a r tm e n ts . W h e re th e river s tre a m w a s c h a n g e d , the p a g o d a was th re a te n o f slide, t h e n m o v e d to Bát D ương (V ũ P h o n g , V ũ H ợ p C o m m u n e , V ũ T h ư D istrict) an d fin ally to the e x is tin g site. Bát Dương sited o n the o p p o s ite R e d R iv e r, sy m e tric to Q u á n C á c m
T h e d is p la c e m e n t t h ro u g h historic e p o c h es o f V iê n Q u a n g P a g o d a w ith re m a in in g Lý e p o c h stele is a reliable e v id e n c e and also a p r o o f s im ila r to K e o P a g o d a ’s disp lacem ent.
T h e P a g o d a w o rd y n a m e " T h ầ n Q u a n g Tự" is n o w used in c a llin g the th re e b ig p ag odas in R e d river d o w n s tr e a m a re a (2) The d is p l a c e m e n t o f p a g o d a rela te d to R e d River s tr e a m c h a n g e a n d d o w n s t r e a m a rea ex p a n sio n p ro ce s s u s ju s tify th e c lo s e c o h e re n c e betw een c u ltu r e a n d natural c o n d itio n s. T h is m e a n s a critical f ea tu re o f this la n d area.
H isto ric p e rs o n a g e s w e re g e n e ra te d in this c u ltu ra l s p a c e w h o s e c a re e rs go n e into
,1’ As recorded in the Rear Stele erected in 9th year of Chính Hoà (1688), Quán Các at the tim e was a commune belonging to Giao Thuỳ district, Thién Trường Prefect, now Nam Thắng communa, Nam Trực District.
(?1 Hành Thiện Keo Pagoda, Dũng Nhuệ Keo Pagoda (Thải Binh) and Cổ Lẻ Pagoda
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The c hange of gatew ay to delta from... 25
le g e n d a ry tales with m ir a c u l o u s a c h ie v e m e n ts c o v e rin g not o n ly all the N a m Đ ịn h land o f Lý Dynasty but continuing national-size phenom ena.
T h e s e were B o n / e s u p e rio u s D ư ơ n g K h ô n g Lộ, N g u y ẻ n M inh K h ô n g and G iá c H ải, the p e rso n a g e s that had o p p o r tu n itie s to travel a u in t r v - i d e and a b ro a d . L e g e n d has it that B onzes Dương K h ô n g L ộ a n d N g u y ề n M in h K h ô n g and N g u y ề n M in h K h ô n g f re q u e n tly were identical o r the s a in e ‘h .
W ith curren t a n a ly s is, it w o u ld be d iffic u lt to affirm that th ese w ere two d iffe re n t individuals, or o n ly o n e -o n e . H o w e v e r, b a sed on the closest Lý e p o c h b ib lio g ra p h ic a l m aterials such as "T h icn it y e n tậ p a n h "
( / 7 7 , 4 ) , "Lình N a m chích quái" (L N C Q )...
Dương K h ô n g Lộ and N g u y ê n M in h K h ô n g were tw o distinct p e rs o n a g e s .
A c c o rd in g to
Tin
A , K h ô n g Lộ w a s n ative o f I lải T h a n h (i.e N a m D in h a n d part o f to d a y T hai Binh), with u n k n o w n D O B , a n d d ied in 1119-as recorded. H e d e s c e n d e d from a fish erm an fam ily; g r o w n up, after a tim e o f w a n d e rin g on the w a te rs , he w illing d e v o te d him self to a religion life. H e m a k e s f rie n d with Bonze su p erior G iá c H ải and rec e iv e tra in in g with B o n /e Hà T r ạ c h in M ộ c N gưu S h rin e o f Đ ộc Bỏ V illa g e '2\' This confusion may start from Hố Nguyen Tri/ng's "Nam ồ n g mông luc", where in "Minh Khỏng thán dị" tale. Hố Nguyên Trừng makes identical the two men From this, many books re
quoted and folklore unified the two into one
' According to TUTA, Hà Trach was a human's name . laterly.
peoples named the pagoda constructed by Bonze superior’s name Đố BỐ village was possibly Độc BÔ at Đáy river estuary in Lý epoch This was one among critical gateways of North Delta at the time
In 1069 Lý T h á n h T ô n g in person c o m m a n d e d the a r m e d e x p e d it io n to fisht C h a m p a , p a s s in g a n d r e t u r n in g th ro u g h Đại An es tu a ry . A m o n g the p r is o n e rs bro ug ht hack fro m C h a m p a , w a s a C h i n e s e B o nze n a m e d T h ả o Đ ư ờ n g w h o w a s c a r r y in g p reaching relig io n in V tja y a c a p ital. H ig h ly appreciating a n e m i n e n t M o n k , T h á n h r ô n g a p p o in te d him
" Q u ố c Sư" - ( S ta t e B o n z e ) a n d c a u s e d e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a n e w b u d d i s h s e ct in Đai Việt. A n d D ư ơ n g K h ô n g L ộ did receive tra in in g fro m Q u ố c Sư. Ju st f o r this, T U T A ra n g e d K h ô n g L o in th e third g e n e ra tio n o f T h á o Đ ư ờ n g B u d d is h Sect. H o w e v e r , as he c o m m it t e d to v ỏ N g ổ n T h ô n g sect, so B uddhist H is to ry o f this M e d ita tio n L ineage [ A c c o r d i n g to 4 ,5 a n d 10].
K h ô n g L ộ w a s a d o m in a n tl y talentuous b o n z e s u p e r i o r w ith h ig h a c h ie v e m e n ts in e x p a n s i o n o f c u ltiv a te d lan d s, cultural a m e lio r a tio n a n d , th e m o s t im portant, e s ta b l is h m e n t o f a n e w e r a fo r c o p p e r c asting , a te c h n ic s w ith s ig n if ic a n t ro le in e c o n o m ic and c u ltu ra l d e v e lo p m e n t not o n l y fo r N a m Đ ịn h but for th e w h o le Đ ạ i V iệ t N a tio n at the time.
L e g e n d a r y s o u rc e s said th at c o p p e r casting an d a ls o c o p p e r w e r e b r o u g h t b a c k fro m C hina by the B on ze s u p e rio r. T y p i c a l p ro d u cts o f c o p p e r c a s tin g at th e tim e in c lu d e d pagoda b ells a n d b ig -s iz e B u d d h a s ta tu e s. M ost o f a n c ie n t p a g o d a s in N a m Đ ị n h with Lv s tru c tu ra l s o u r c e w o r s h ip p e d him . M oreover, fu rth e rly m o s t o f tra d itio n a l c o p p e r casting p ro fe s s io n a l p la c e s r a is e d h im as Professional A n c e s to r for w o rk -sh ip . In N g ũ X à, a fam ous
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26 Vu Minh Giang
copper c asting village, a p a g o d a n a m e d "T hần Q u a n g Tự" (the sa m e n a m e o f H à n h T h ie n Keo pagoda, Dũng N huệ K eo p a g o d a and c ổ Le pagoda) also w o rk sh ip s K h ô n g L ộ as Professional A ncestor.
As the native land o f C o p p e r c a stin g R esto rator, N a m Đ ịn h in L ý e p o c h had well k n o w n c opper craft ce n te rs w h ic h typical one was T ổng Xá village (n o w belonging? to Y ê n La c o m m u n e , Ý Y ên district). Such a co p p e r c a uldron was found in P h ổ M in h p a g o d a - N a m Đ ịn h - w hich was ran g e d in h eavy m etal class;
L egend has it that it w as fo rg e d by K h ò n g Lộ, and for sure, there w ere e ffo rts co n trib u te d from talentano us local c a stin g artists.
N g u y e n M in h K h ô n g w as not a native o f N am Định, however, he soo n settled there, and his c a re e r also got p r o sp e ro u s fro m G ia o T h u y land. M in h K hôn g o rig in a lly was a v illager o f Đ à m X á - Đ ại H o à n g (n o w b e lo n g in g to N in h Blnh), initial na m e d N g u y e n C h í T h à n h , born in 1066 and died in 1 1 4 i (l). F r o m 11-years age, H e d evoted to religions c a re e r, and received training from Bonze s u p e rio r T ừ Đ ạ o Mạnh with religion nam e M in h K h ô n g . R e c o g n ize d
"Chân K h ô n g Bát N h à ”, he to o k c h a ir o f G ia o T h u y M o n k (2).
H e was reputated as a Bonze su p e rio r o f tho rough c o m p re h e n s io n not o nly o f sutras and
There v^ere very different records on Nguyền Chi Thánh alias Nguyễn Minh Khong's DOB Above birth year IS based on
"History o f Ly Tnếu Quốc s ư ' Pagoda edited by Venetable Thích Bào Nghiém.
{ĩ) Giao Thuỷ Pagoda means Keo Pagoda Its initial name was Quang Nghiêm Tư, then changed into Than Quang Tư. Legend has it that it was erected by Bonze superior Dương Không Lộ, furtherly hold by Nguyễn Minh Khòng Its construction site in Lý epoch corresponds to around today Quán Các
c h a n g e s b ut o f tradition al m ed ic in e , a b le to c u re s tu b b o r n d is e a s e s . W ith a c h ie v e m e n t in m ed ic al c a re for K in g Lý T h ầ n Tông, h e w as a w a rd ed “ Q u ố c s ư ” . T Ư T A book c lassified him in the 13lh g e n e ra tio n o f V in ita ru ci M e d ita tio n Lineage.
C losely a tta c h e d to K h ố n g L ộ p restigious n a m e was Bonze s u p e rio r G i á c Hải. Also native o f Hải T h a n h su b d iv isio n , in a fishm an fam ily, he d e v o te d to relig io u s life at 25-years ago. H e was the c re a to r o f D iê n Ph úc P agoda (furtherly c h a n g e d i n t o V iê n Q u a n g ) . U n d e r Ly dyn a sty , this p a g o d a also w as sited nearly Thần Q u a n g P a g o d a (K e o P a g o d a )
2. L o c a tio n o f ú n g P h o n g O u t e r Palace
U n d e r Lý e p o c h , N a m Đ ịn h m e a n t not only the g a te w a y o f all the R e d river Delta but a critical e c o n o m i c cen ter. Lý kings paid a special interest in this a rea. T h ro ug h hisporic d o c u m e n ts , at least tw o o u te r palaces were k no w to be e re c te d in a n c ie n t N am Đ ịn h for their te m p o ra ry sta y in insp ectio n trips. T he first o u te r p a la c e m ig h t be in around Keo P agoda a big c u ltu ra l a n d e c o n o m ic cen ter at the time. H à n h T h iệ n C o m m u n e now pertaining to X u â n T r ư ờ n g district had its original n a m e as H à n h C u n g (Outer palace) C o m m u n e , a g o n e a rb y Q u á n Các wharf, o f N a m T h ắ n g C o m m u n e , N a m Trực district.
W ith river stre a m c h a n g e s , m o st o f ancient Ly architectural relics w e re d rifte d away by the river flow a n d p e o p le s o u g h t to m igrate to new lands. “ H à n h C u n g ” L a n d nam e also was
I XỈ Journal o f Science, Soc . .Sc*/., Hunan., NolE, 2002
The change of g atew ay to delta from. 27
“ d r if te d ” with in h a b ita n ts w as th e East and ỉattcrlv b e c a m e s H à n h T h iệ n C o m m u n e .
T h e s e c o n d O u te r-P a la c e was ư n g Phong as a n c ie n tly a n d historically called Lý K i n g ’s, p a rtic u la rly k in g Lý N h â n T ô n g got u su ally to c o m e there to w atch p eop les seeding and harvesting.
T h o ro u g h 5 6 y e a rs o f rule, history re c o rd e d in 19 ro yal c o rte g e s at o u t e r palaces the King 11 tim es w a tc h ed p lu n g in g or harvesting at ứ n g P h o n g O uter-p alace.
R e c a p itu la tin g re c o rd e d in fo rm a tio n s in im perial written histories, o n e m a y k n o w that in 14 tim es q u o t e d ư n g Pho n g o u te r palaces, only tw o e v e n ts related to K in g L ý A n h Tổn g and one event related to K in g T r ầ n T h ái Tông royal trip, w h ile the re m a in in g e v en ts related to K ing Lý N h â n T ông .
A b o v e in fo rm a tio n s sh o w e d that ư n g Phong Pre fe c t in g e n e ra l a n d ứ n g Ph o ng O u te r Palace in p a rtic u la r took an im po rta n t position for Lý D y n a sty , e s p e c ia lly u n d er N h â n T ông reign, w h e r e to o k p a la c e m o st o f Đ ại Việt country g re a t e v e n ts u n d e r Lý ep o c h , s u c h as R e sista n c e w ar a g a in s t the T ố n g invader, foundation o f V ãn M iếu (Temple o f Literature), e sta b lis h m e n t o f Q u ố c tử g iá m (N ational U niversity) a n d o rg a n is a tio n o f the first C o n fu c ia n ist e x a m in a tio n ... It w as not causeless that the K in g arriv ed th ere two, three tim e (by 1117 a n d 1125) and e v e n there was a royal stay d u r in g up to tw o m o n th s (A pril to Ju n e 1125).
W h ile e a sy to ag re e with the im portance o f ư n g P h o n g O u t e r p alace u n d e r L v e p o ch and
its a tta c h m e n t to K in g Lý N h â n T ô n g , the identification o f this o u te r p alace actual location rem a in s a not sim p le issue.
R e c o rd in g K in g Lý N h â n T o n g ’s watch o ver p lo ug hin g by 1117, C i«m g M ục had note
“ ư n g Pho ng b e lo n g s to N a m Đ ịnh, form erly H iển K h á n h d istrict, c h a n g e d into ứ n g Phong u n der Lý, then into K iế n H ư ng u n d e r Trần d y n a sty , th en into K iến Bình Prefect under C h in e s e M in h rule, latterly into N g h ĩa H u n g Prefect u n d e r L ê d y n a s ty , i.e. N g h ĩa H ưng Prefect n o w .” [7, T.4,tr.8].
A c c o rd in g to this citation, V iệt Sử lư ợ c'a tra n sla to r n oted also “ N g h ĩa H ư n g district, N a m Đ in h P ro v in c e ” [12, tr.20]. Đ V S K Ỉ T ' T ra n sla to rs e s tim a te d that ứ n g P h o n g O u te r Palace w as sited in an e n o u g h large area, e q u iv a len t to L ê \s N g h ĩa H ư ng, i.e. including N g h ĩa H ưng, Ý Y ê n and Vụ Bản districts o f N a m H à P ro vince [6,T. l,tr.2 8 8 ] ; while in the V o lu m e II o f the s a m e book, translators noted that “ ứ n g P h o n g O u t e r p a la c e e x iste d in Lý ep o c h , p ertrap s Ý Y ê n district territo ry ” [6,T.2,tr.20]. T h u s , up to n o w a d a y s , e xp erts d o not unify their o p in io n on ứ n g P h o n g o u ter palace location.
T here w a s a n in fo rm a tio n w orth o f interest in D N N T C w h e n w riting o n N g h ĩa Hưng Prefect - N a m Đ ịn h province: “ N gh ĩa Hưng Prefect ... u n d e r C h in e s e H a n ’s rule pertained to G ia o Chi district, o rig in a lly w as H iển K h á n h d istrict . N o w T h iê n Bản district inclu d es also tổng H iển K h á n h w h ic h w as c h a n g e d into ứ n g Ph on g district u n d e r Lý e p o c h .’' T h e boo k also recorded that existed a temple for Lý N hân Tông
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w orship in H iể n K h á n h c o m m u n e [2,T.3,tr.339]. T h e se were critical indicators.
During field su rv e y in V ụ Bản district c o m m u n e s , we paid special interest in M inh T h u ậ n c o m m u n e with its differently distinctions c o m p a re d w ith o th e r district rem ain in g c o m m u n e s . C lose to M in h Thuận, rem ain ed H iể n K h á n h c o m m u n e w h ere relics o f Lý N h â n T o n g ’s te m p le w ere conserved.
T he site m ig h t be in ứ n g P h o n g district c enter u n d er Lý e po ch o r N g h ĩa H ư n g prefect under Lê epoch. A n d relics related to L ý-T rần architecture were rec e n tly and c o n tinuously discovered in M in h T h u ậ n .
In respect o f terrain and traffic ne tw o rk in Lý epoch, there w as no m o re c o n v e n ie n t and secured traffic s y s te m th an riverw ays. Red river and Đ á y river run fro m T h ă n g L o n g to the sea. M any historic an d g e o g ra p h ic a l m aterials sho w n that at the tim e, Đ á y river play ed a m ore im portant role th an R e d river. F o r N a m Đ ịn h with includ ed ứ n g P h o n g , sm all rivers co n n e ctin g these tw o larg e rivers played an e x tre m e ly im portant role. T h e s e w ere Châu Giang, N inh G ia n g , Đ à o c a n a l and Ba Sát river (Sắt river), s ắ t river m e a n t a n d a ncient and critical one as it liked C h â u G ia n g river with Đ à o canal n ear its estuary.
T o -d ay , M in h T h u ậ n c o m m u n e lays on the cross-road area a d jo in in g the tw o Ba Sat and N inh G ia n g rivers. F ro m there, w a te rw ay s run easily along N inh riv er to C h a u Ciiang river an Lý N h â n O u te r palace, th e n Sat river to get the sea. M in h T h u ậ n w a s o nly distan t from Hiển K h á n h an earthed road (road 56) w h ich was an
ancient h o rs e - s e r v ic e path. In respe c t of terrain , traffic networks and according to related historic s o u rc e s , ứ n g P h o n g O u te r P a la c e d e te rm in e d as s ite d in M i n h T h u ậ n and H iể n K h á n h area s o u n d s re a s o n a b ly appropriate.
In respect o f p a la c e n a m e , orig in al p arts o f M in h T h u a n C o m m u n e (in c lu d in g Bịch, Phu, Phú Cốc, Phú L ã o , Phú V in h , H ư ớ n g N g h ĩa , Trại K ho v illag e s) u n d e r L ê e p o c h and befo re bo rn e the n a m e o f H à n h C u n g ( i r ' i n c o m m u n e . At th e tim e, H à n h C u n g c o m m u n e included Đ i ệ n ( ® ) a n d L u c villages c om prising 6 h a m l e ts w h ic h w e r e developed into 6 villages: B ịch, Phu, K h o (P hú Lão), Trại K h o (Phú L ã o c a m p , Đ ại L ão), G ộ c (Phú Cốc), K h ố n g / H ố n g ( P h ú Vinh).
By l sí y e a r o f M in h M ạ n g (182 0 ) H à n h C u n g C o m m u n e s a w its n a m e c h a n g ed into H à n h N h â n and Đ i ệ n V illa g e in to K ín h N g h ĩa w h ic h then b o r n e H ư ớ n g N g h ĩ a n a m e u n d e r T h à n h T hái r e ig n (1 8 8 9 - 1907). In the early 2 0 th centu ry , C o lo n ia lis t A u th o ritie s had policy on division o f c o m m u n e s into s m a lle r units.
E x c e p t for th e m e r g e o f Bịch a n d Phil villages into one, e a c h H à n h C u n g C o m m u n e form er village b e c a m c a c o m m u n e , h o w e v e r H à n h N h a n 's n a m e r e m a in e d [13, tr.611].
Above p a la c e n a m e s s o m e w h a t suggested a land area o n c e e m b r a c in g palaces with serious and r ig o r o u s rites. Besides, there exist ham lets w ith M ề n , N ến , D ầu ... n a m e s or little hills or rise lum ps - G ò Ngựa, Đ ố n g D ọ n ... - the n a m e being re la te d to long a g o rite s e x erced by the R oyal C o u r t a n d m a n d a rin s , as explained by local p e o p le s a n d the a n c ie n t w h a r f close to
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The change of galeway to della from 2 9
H ư ớ n g N gh ĩa village (Đ iệ n village - was n a m e d Ben D e n ( T e m p l e ’s W a rf)
W o rs h ip and cult relies in M in h T h u ậ n in clu d e d specific aspects. Firstly, the very c ro w d e d d e n s ity o f relics; o n ly fo r c o m m u n a l h ouse , p a g od a , shrine, te m p le (exclusive C h ristian C h u r c h ) in 7 villag es o f an cien t H ành C u n g c o m m u n e , one m a y c o u n t 3 9 relics.
A subject w orth o f interest in that, in all c o m m u n e h o u s e s o f Phú Lão, Bịch, Hướng N g h ĩa villages, H ậu T ắ c ( Ju / G e n i e o f rice) was w orship ped . T h is w as not se e m in other villages o f the district. W h e th e r th ere o n c e took palace im portant f a n n i n g ritual form alities o f the R oyal C ourt?
The d isc o v e ry o f real k in d s related to Ly architecture, s u c h as b ric k s and tiles, de c o ra tin g c e ra m ic s , pier sta n d s d e c o ra te d with lotus petals... in T e m p le w h a r f m o r e affirm ed the b a c k g ro u n d o f abo v e suppositions.
How ever, the final c o n c lu s io n s on the existe n ce o f ứ n g P h ong O u t e r palace in Lý epoch in M inh T h u ậ n territories o f V ụ Ban district need e v id e n c e m a te ria ls from archeolo gical ex c av a tio n s.
W ith in the “ sa cre d s p a c e " a tta ch e d to the O u te r Pa lac e area, Lý N h â n T ô n g caused erection on Chương Sơn M ount (n o w pertaining to Yên L ợi C o m m u n e , Y Y en d istric t) o f "V an Phong T h à n h T h iệ n " sa cre d to w e r w hich was inaugurated in 1117 u n d e r his p resen ce. T h ere was an im p o rta n t e v e n t rec o rd e d in historic annuals: o n the o c e a s io n o f h is trip to ứ n g Phong O u t e r Palace in 1123, K in g Lý N h án
l ô n g instructed c o n s tru c tio n o f a bridge cro ssin g o v e r Ba L ạt river. D V S K ĨT wrote:
“ Q u ý M ã o (1 1 2 3 ) ... winter, in O c to b e r, the K ing arrived in ứ n g P hong O u te r Palace to w atch harvest. Ba Lạt brid g e constructio n featured this trip.” T h e translato r noted: “ Ba Lạt river w as a R ed river se g m e n t ru n n in g to to -da y Ba Lạt e s tu a r y ” [ 6 ,T .h tr .2 9 2 ] . Just for this reason, m a n y histo rians su g g e ste d that Lý D y n a sty had c a u se d bridg e constructio n cro s s in g the Red river.
A c c o rd in g to historic g e og ra ph ica l m aterials, th o u g h o f no s u c h big size as existin gly , R ed river d o w n s tre a m in Lý ep o c h - the se g n m e n t r u n n in g along N a m Đ ịnh territory to the se a - m ig h t not be too sm all that e n a b le b ring ing with the techn ics at the time.
A lso for this e v ent V iệt S ừ lược recorded:
“ C o n stru c tio n o f Phi K iều (Fly in g bridge) crossin g Bà T h íc h riv er’'. T h e differen t nam in g o f the river rec o rd e d in the 2 historic books m a y be e x p la in e d as a c o n fu s io n in letter identification - Bà Lạt a n d Bà T h íc h m a y be co n fu se ly inspirited, o r there w ere 2 ways o f C h in e s e - V ie tn a m e s e tran scriptio n o f V ie tn a m e s e h iero g ly p h o f a river o n w hich a brid g e was c o n s tru c te d by o r d e r o f the Lý King. The in te resting thing w as that Việt Sử lược g u e sse d d iffe re n tly from D V S K J T translator: “ Bà T h íc h river m a y be the N a m Bình river that k in k s R e d river and runs across N g h ĩa H ư n g D istrict.” [12, tr.229] ,i.e. anoth er river o th er than Ba L ạt river (R e d river). A detail to be interested in w a s that the tw o above historic v o lu m e s q u o te d the p rese n c e o f royal
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30 Vu Minh G ia n g
c o rte g e at ứ n g P h o n g O u t e r P a la c e in this r ec o rd e d event. T h e r e f o r e , th e b r id g e m ig h t be c o n s tru c te d n e a rb y the o u t e r p a la c e site.
In r esp e c t o f p h o n e tic s , Ba L ạt o r Bà T h íc h m a y be the tw o w a y s o f t r a n s c r ip tio n o f s ắ t river o r Ba s ắ t river*0 r u n n in g b e tw e e n V ụ Bản and Ý Y ê n d istric ts. S u c h g u e s s i n g had s ig n ific a n t b a c k g r o u n d , a s the b rid g e c o n s tru c tio n o c c u rr e d s o m e y e a r s later after C h ư ơ n g Sơn T o w n e r ’s in a u g u r a tio n . A b rid g e link ing the O u t e r P a la c e a re a (in V ụ Bản territory) w ith a R itu a l site (C h ư ơ n g Sơn T o w e r) c o m p lie d m u c h w ith L ý a rc h ite c tu r a l style.
T h o r o u g h L ý e p o c h , ứ n g P h o n g a lw a y s w as a stra te g ic a l territo ry in all m ilita ry , e c o n o m ic a l a n d c u ltu r a l a s p e c ts , w o rth o f a so u th e r n g a te w a y o f T h ă n g L o n g c a p ita l at the tim e. A n d in the r e la tio n s w ith C h a m p a , this are a to o k a c ritic a l p o sitio n. A n d j u s t w ith this g a te w a y position, f ro m th e re , T r a n ’s fa m ily p o w e r rose up, a n d th o u g h T r ầ n e p o c h , this land w as c o n s id e r e d as Đ ạ i V iệ t s e c o n d capital.
II. D I S P L A C E M E N T O F G A T E W A Y T O N O R T H
R e d riv er flo w w ith 122 b illio n m V y e a r flo w m a y e x te n d to N o r th G u l f a ro u n d 4 0 m e te rs o f a llu vial soils p e r y ear. O n the o th e r part, basis N o r th w e s t to S o u th E a s t flow s plus
(1! According to linguists, in Việt language, "S" and "L" phones may be interchangeable, so, “Sắt" may be transcripted into "Liệt"
or "Lạt" For example "sức" -> “lực" (ý ] ), “Sen" -> "liên” ( j|f).
'sáp' “lạp'' ( í£), 'sâu'' ''làu" )Now. folklore even calls it with script name, as "Sảt" or "Ba s ắ t", which might mean that Ba Lat or Ba Liet river as recorded in historic books is just this river.
im p a c ts from o c e in w aves, m on so on , w a v e la n d in g directional refraction ... brought m o s t o f alluvial soils to the S ou th o f N am Đ ị n h se a w a te rs. So, the transgression speed o f S o u th e rn coastal a lu v ia l e m b a n k m e n ts t o the s e a w e r e stronger th an that in the N o rth , h o w e v e r, on the ether hand, m a k e R ed river a n d Đ á y river estiaries rapid ly shallow , and this po sition al gateway g r a d u a lly effaced itself s in c e late 15lh centtry .
In a n o th e r respect, L ê D y nasty, m o stly d u r in g H ồ n g Đức reign pa id great interest in ag ric u ltu ra l p ro dic tion and e x te n sio n o f c u ltiv a te d area. Royal p olicies p u she d up rap id ly agriculture in a reg io n originally a s s u m i n g the role o f c o n ta c t gatew ay. A s a result, wilderneis o p e n in g u p and a g g lo m e ra tio n f o m a t io n in the coastal area b u stled th o ro u g h tie X V th century.
T o g e th e r w ith p eo p les m ig ra tio n and v illag e f o u n d atio n H ổ n g Đ ứ c d y n a s ty issued d e c r e e s on foundition o f plan tations in wild land s, coastal and river alluvial soils o f N o rth D e lta in g e n e ra l an! X V ‘h c e n tu ry N a m Đ ịn h in particu lar. In the stcond h a l f o f 15th ce n tu ry , on N a m Đ ị n h co a sta l irea a p p e a re d the I s* big size salt d ik id in g d ike at the tim e, fre q u e n tly and h isto ric a lly n a m e d H ổ n g Đ ứ c dike. A c c o rd in g
to ( G e o g ra p h y
b o o k o f N a m Đ ịn h , K iê n T r u n g - H à L a n dike lo o ck like a prolon;ed e a rth m o u n ta in ridge.
H u m a n actiorc w e re p u s h in g up sp e ed o f b a n k in g and fillin' o f R e d river and Đ á y river e s tu a rie s , and th e zatew ay o f Ba L ạt a n d Đại A n e s tu a r ie s gradutlly e ffa c e d itself. S inc e 16th
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Hie change of gateway to (Jclta from 31
c e n tu ry , the a re a o f V a n ú c a n d T h ái Bình estua rie s was b e c o m i n g im p ortant. F o re ig n m e r c h a n t boats o p e r a t e d tra d e in P h ố H iế n and ỈTiăng Long (K ẻ C h ợ ) a n d o th ers in D a n g Ngoài (N o rth e rn a re a ) via this g a te w a y s c o m p risin g m ain ly C h i n e s e and South East Asian m e rc h an ts. J u s t in th e s e c o n d itio n s , M a c la r n ily uprose in N g h i D ư ơ n g , and a p p e a re d an em in e n t p e rs o n a g e in T r u n g A m - N g u y ề n Binh K hiêm - w h o “ o n ly w a tc h e d h ig h a n d e b b tide hut k n e w all th in g s at p resen t and in the pa st.”
By 17Ih C e n tu ry , E u r o p e a n m e r c h a n t boat fleets o p e ra tin g o n the E ast Sea c a u se d the whole South East A s ia a n d East A s ia e n te rin g period c a lled “ T ra d e tim e " .
As a b o v e m e n tio n e d , Đ á y river e s tu a ry (also c a lle d Đ ộ c Bộ), th o u g h s o m e what im p o rta n t but s h a ll o w fro m a lluvial filling, c a u s e d h i n d r a n c e s to E u r o p e a n big boats in a n o u t o p e ra tio n s . A s o b s e rv e d by w . D am pier - a n E n g lis h m e r c h a n t a rriv in g in Đ à n g N go ài in 17th c e n tu r y - R o k b o e s tu a ry (transcripted from Đ ộ c Bộ, Đ á y riv er e s tu a r y ) was only c o n v e n ie n t for C h in e s e and S ia m e se small c o m m e r c i a l boats. O n ỉ 7lh- 18 th c e n tu r y European n a v ig a tio n m a p s , th ere w a s a P alace n a m e w h ic h in th eir o p i n io n was that o f an important river, that “ m o s t o f E u r o p e a n m erchant b o a ts shall rum t h r o u g h ” . T h is p a la c e n am e was D O M E A . M ost o f V ie tn a m f o re ig n trade r e s e a r c h e s highly a p p re c ia te d D o m e a important p o sitio n , not o n ly by its g a te w a y linking big u r b a n c e n te rs s u c h as T h ă n g L o ng, Phò Hiến, but b e c au se the a r e a o n c e b e c a m e a
b u s tlin g tra d e c e n te r. U n til th e 17th c e n tu ry s e c o n d half, this c e n t e r r e m a in e d p ro sp e ro u s.
1. Domea size and role in trade time
A s d e s c r i b e d by w . D a m p ie r , by his tim e, th ere w ere u p to a r o u n d 100 h o u s e s. A thing w orth o f in te rest w a s th at in a s a m e p a ra g ra p h , D a m p ie r s o m e t im e s w ro te it "village" and s o m e t im e s "C ity": W h e t h e r at 17th c e n tu r y e nd , w a s D o m e a in the " u rb a n isa tio n p r o c e s s u s " ? A lso , w . D a m p ie r d e s c rip tio n in c lu d e d a sm a ll but im p o r ta n t d e ta il that w as
"the v illa g e la id o n th e b a n k , m u c h c lo s e ly to th e w a te r lin e s o th a t w a v e s w ill b e a t a g a in st the w alls in tide rise" [14, tr. 16]. T h u s , these h o u s e s p o s s ib ly w e re c o n s tr u c te d in a relatively s o u n d w ay, b e c a u s e e a r t h e d w alls m a y not su s ta in t h e m s e lv e s a g a in s t tide w av es. A lso , it w o u ld be w o rth o f a s s e r tin g that a street w ith 100 h o u s e s w a s e q u iv a l e n t to a C h in e s e street in H ộ i A n by 1695 [1, tr. 183]. E u r o p e a n m e r c h a n t b o a ts s tr o n g ly i n flu e n c in g o n D o m e a d e v e lo p m e n t p e rta in e d to N e t h e r l a n d s East In dia C o m p a n y ( V O C ) . In tim a te rela tio n s h ip s w e re e s ta b lis h e d th e re , s o th at th ey "m ay be com fo rta b le a s a t th eir hom e" (W . D a m p ie r wrote). H o lla n d s a ilo rs in stru cte d local in h a b ita n ts g a r d e n i n g a n d h o r tic u ltu re skills to su p p ly s a la d d i s h e s to th e m . It's t o o reg re tta b le that w e h a v e not o p p o r tu n i ty to a p p ro a c h N e th e rla n d s E a s t I n d ia c o m p a n y d o c u m e n t s now , for m o r e in fo r m a tio n .
A s d e s c r i b e d by E u r o p e a n m e r c h a n ts , D o m e a re a lly b e c a m e a P repo rt, w h e re tra n s s h ip m e n t w a s d o n e fro m big m e r c h a n t ship s to local s m a l le r b o a ts , th e n the g o o d s
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w ere tra n s p o rte d to P h ô H iế n and Kẻ C h ợ by the hired sam e. A lso, there appeared c o m m e rc ia l e x c h a n g e s .
Till late 17th c e n tu ry , D o m e a port in and out o p e ra tio n s w ere duly org anised: foreign m e rc h a n t sh ip s frequ en tly b e rth e d at a round 3 m ile s from the estu aries, a su fficient distance for visual sig ht fro m inland, an d c a n n o n fire o c c u rre d in fo g g y d ay s. Pilot sm all boats will pilot th em r u n n in g the c o rre c t stream . Pilots w ere ju st fis h m e n living on an e stu a ry nam ed
"Bat C ha". N o w , in the s o u th e a st o f Tiên Lãng district 4 k m from the e stu a ry , a village bears Bạch Sa n a m e , p ertaining to Bắc Hưng c o m m u n e . Pe o p les there trad itio nally involve in pilot and port operatio n career. It m ig h t be
"Bat Cha" s a id ab o ut by
w.
D a m p ie r and E u ro p e a n m erc h an ts.In 18th c entury, T rinh v ice ro y s gradually im p le m e n te d in te rdiction o f foreigners' e ntry to th e capital an d e v e n th eir c o m m e r c e at Phố H iến, and D o m e a b e c a m e a m o re critical in tern ation al trade ren d e z -v o u s. French R ic h a rd in his book d e s c rib e d D o m e a as the 3rd m a jo r trade city o f D a n g N go ai after T ha ng L o n g ca p ital and Phô Hiến: "T h e r e w a s a city w o rth e n tir e ly o f its n a m e "K c C lif/'. s ite d oil lo n g itu d e N o r th 2 1 ', th is is th e c a p ita l o f the R e a lm ... A fte r th e c a p ita l. M ean (P h ô H iế n ) is th e b ig g est c ity o f Đ à n g N g o à i... 5 o r 6 m iles fr o m the e stu a ry , th ere w a s a c ity c a lle d D o m e a, s m a lle r th a n P h ố H ie n, b u t very well- k n o w n f o r fo r e ig n e r s a s it la id in a b a y fo r m e d b y a r iv e r f l o w o p p o site to it. T h e y (the E u ro p e a n s. T h e a u th o r) d r o p p e d a n c h o r a n d
only there they c o u ld set b a ses fo r trade"
[8,tr.715]. T h ere w a s no a n o th e r city d e s c rib e d by R ichard. So, a fte r a ro u n d a century from w here D o m e a w as c ite d in his story a b o u t his trip to Bắc Hà ( T o n q u in ) pu blished in 1688, this place was stro n g ly d e ve lope d s o that E u ro p e an s called it a city w h e re they set bases for trade.
W ith su ch a c o n tin o u s thro u g h c e n tu rie s d e v e lo p m e n t, D o m e a itse lf a n d su rro u n d in g s s ub stan tially in flu e n c e d o n the e c o n o m y and the culture o f the la n d s b e tw e e n Thái Bình and V ãn Uc rivers. T h is e x p la in e d why on world navigation m a p o f 17th cen tu ry E u ro p e a n c ountries, D o m e a w a s rec o rd e d as an im portant place name.
2. Where was Domea ?
T h is is not a s im p le issue. F rench scholars also c o n s u m e d e ffo rts to study its location. Ch.
M a y b o n in 1916 g u e s s e d it to be in T ie n Lang territory. Till 1939, H. B ern ard suggested m ore c o n c re te ly that it w a s Đ ô n g X u yên village, now pertainin g to D o à n L ậ p c o m m u n e , Ti£n Lãng district. Also, D o m e a w as optionally a variant o f ĐÒ M ia place n a m e (H ả i Dương) [11]... It is regrettable that a b o v e guesses only were lim ited to the r e d u c tio n from the sim ilarity b e tw e e n plac e n a m e s .
In o rd e r to d e te r m i n e Dom ea location, we b e g a n from a m a p d ra w n :>y a Britain navigator, t h e n r e - d r a w n by Jacques Nicolas Berlin in 1755 an d n a m e d ’Carte d u C o u rs de ia Riviere de T o n k i n d e p u is C a : h o j u s q u ’a la m e r ” . O u r u se d m a p w a s printec in th e "Early
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I he change (»i gateway to della f rom 33
M ap o f South Hast Asia" [9 |. This surely was the m a p o f Thái Bình and V ãn Uc estuaries, b e c au se (he tw o p lace n am es M ũi Mo (P o inte d es T ig re s) and Đ à o N g ọ c (lie d e s Pcrles) m ig h t be d e fin e d as p ertaining to Đ ổ Sơn - Hải Phòng. There was a d o c u m e n t co n ta in in g critical in fo rm ation s for d e te r m in in g D o m e a location. T he se were d etailed d e s c rip tio n s in the cited book o f w . D am pier. th e m a n on board o f a British m e rc h a n t boat a rriv in g in Kẻ C h ợ via D àn g N goài riverway in a ro u n d July 1688. The follow ings shall be tak e n into account.
- T h e e stu a ry through which
vv.
D am p ier's boat run to a place from 2 0 le a g u e s from R o k b o (Đ ộc Bộ) in the North E a st, i.e. over 100 km, was ju st 17th c entu ry T h á i Bình river estuary.- The boat berthed for w aitin g pilot at a place distant aro u n d 3 m iles from the e stu a ry and o f the s a m e d istant from a s m a ll island n am ed lie d e s p e d e s Pearl Island . T h is is ju st Đ áo Ngọc (Pearl Island) or Hòn D ấu o f Đ ồ Sơn. On the m ap, this location was o n aro u n d
Ỉ06**46' longitude.
- From there, an inland m ay b e clearly seen: this w as Núi Voi (Elephant M o u n t) This was a lan d m a rk as directional o rie n ta tio n for foreign m erc h an t ships.
- M e rc h a n t boats after ru n n in g a lo n g a river o f aro u n d 2 -m ile wide would turn o n a smaller c a n a l o f h a lf a mile w id e . F rom anchorago a n d berthing place for w a itin g the pilot boat, the boat w ould run 5 o r 6 leag u es and pass D o m e a village. On the m a p , it was on
a ro u n d latitude 2 ữ ’4 5 \ w hich c o r r e s p o n d s now to T iê n L ăng T o w n North.
D uring field su rv e y in so m e villages of T iê n L ãn g district (H ả i P hò ng ) w e paid high interest in s o m e villages in T iê n L.ãng district N orth, close to T h á i Bình river: this w as A n H o o f K hởi N ghĩa c o m m u n e . T h ere, " S h ip w reck"
novels still hand d o w n ... and t h e s e on trade p rosperity and on a tim e o f "riches a n d m o ney a b u n d a n c e " o f v illagers (A n H o m o n e y , Phú K ê feast) still au s u b je c ts o f talks. A s to place n am e, local inh abita nts n a m e d the a r e a "Mè".
"M è head, ƯC tail" m e a n s a w ord o f T iến Lãng p e o p le s say ing abo ut their native lan d (That m e a n s the place b e g in s by "M e" a n d ends by
" Ú c ".) Q u ý C ao ferry lan d in g also w a s called
" Đ ò M è" (M e W h a rf). T h e re were t r a c e s o f an a n c ie n t river flow from A n H o d o w n to Đ oàn Lập. These m ay be the canal traces o n c e draw n o n the m ap. O n the o th e r b ank o f t h e ancient rive r was H à Đới village. Just n e a r che river b a n k , rem a in s a tem p le o rig in a lly erected u n d e r Lê period for w o rk s h ip o f T r á n Quốc Thành, a Trần dynasty g e n e ra l corresponding to
"Pagoda" marked on the map.
A n HỎ village was also n a m e d A n Dụ, and till e arly 19th c e n tu ry , was a precintt. There e x is ts a rising a re a c lose by T hái B ì n h river d ik e w here local p eoples cultivate v e g e ta b le s , a nd w h e re rem a in traces with n a m e s -evoking c o m m e rc ia l d o w n tow ns, trade rendtez-vous su c h as C h ù a V à n g ( G o ld en Pago da) C ầ u Bạc (Silver Bridge), a n d shrin es worksihipping c e ra m ic m e rc h a n ts with de n se c e ra m ic stratas.
U p o n m an y g rou nd studies, in the begim ning o f
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Vu Minh Giang
íuy 2 0 0 2 , a rc h e o io g ic e x p e rts had caused ii;ging o f 2 exp lo rative holes (1 0 m 2 per hole) ini co lle cte d th o u sa n d s o f high quality : e a m ic fra g m e n ts (C hu Đ ậ u c e ra m ic , C hinese : e a m ic ) an d a rch itectu ral ru in s relics (brick, lilt, pier stand, terracotta icons...). Before this
*X)lorative d ig g in g , local peop les were prtposed to drain an a n c ie n t pond o n the field, wiere we collected m a n y C h u Đ ạ u cera m ic frigments, p a rticularly a b ow l b o tto m with a d n g o n fig u re s u rr o u n d e d by scripts d e te rm in e d as Th ái scripts. Som e T h a i stu dies experts Je'ined as: "A d r a g o n in the waters. R eturn tine" (To long pay tảy n ậ m . T á y Tao).
Carefully c o n s id e r e d in m a n y aspects, historic e x p e rts a n d a rc h e o io g is ts supposed that A n HỔ village took a critical position o n the trade route from T h á i B ìn h e s tu a r y to P h ố H iế n and T h ă n g L o n g , a n d that D o m e a location recorded o n E u r o p e a n m a p s m ig h t be this land area. It is hop ed that a f u rth e rly m o re e x te n d e d arc h eolog ical e x c a v a tio n m a y d isc o v e r m o re sufficient e v id e n c e s o f the e x is te n c e o f an a n c ie n t city w h ic h w a s e ff a c e d a w a y within a ro u n d 2 0 0 recen t years.
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1(. Thiền Uyển tập anh (Bản dịch của Lê Manh Thát), NXB Tp. Hổ Chí Minh, 1999.
1 Trần Quốc Vương. Phố Hiến - Hưng Yên - Một cách tiếp càn địa - vãn hoá, Tạp chí Vàn hoả Nghệ tiìuừt sô 10(2 0 0 1).
11. Việt sứ lươc. NXB Vân-Sử-Địa, I960.
1 . VQ Minh Hương. Nguyền Văn Nguyên, Philippe Papin, Địa danh và tài liệu lưu trù về làng xã Bấc Kỳ, EFEO 1999.
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