Important paper: This 170-year-old document related to Dien Hai Citadel was donated to the Da Nang museum yesterday. — File Photo

DA NANG — The Da Nang Museum received a 170-year-old royal decree nominating a mandarin to lead troops to defend the city's Dien Hai Citadel during the reign of King Minh Mang.

The document was donated to the museum by Bui Van Quang from Nam Dinh Province, a collector and member of the UNESCO club of antiques research and collection.

The rectangular decree titled Thu Thu Thanh Thanh Dien Hai (Head of Defenders of Dien Hai Citadel) measures 80cm in length and 40cm in width and is made of do (poonah) paper decorated with images of a dragon and clouds.

"The royal decree is a very important historical document relating to the Dien Hai Citadel and the history of Da Nang," said Huynh Dinh Quoc Thien, head of the research and collection department of the Da Nang Museum.

It was issued during the 21st year of King Minh Mang's reign in 1840, when mandarin Nguyen Cong Tru visited the citadel to improve its defences.

The part of the royal decree that featured the mandarin's name was cut, but researchers estimate that it was one of the oldest royal decrees related to the citadel's history.

The Dien Hai Citadel was formerly known as Dien Hai Fortress, built by the estuary of the Da Nang River in 1813 in the 12th year of Gia Long's reign.

It was renamed in 1835, the 15th year of Minh Mang's reign, after it was moved inland and rebuilt on a high mount in 1823, the fourth year of Minh Mang's reign.

Dien Hai Citadel played an important role in a battle against French forces in 1860 that saw the colonial troops defeated. The citadel was classified as a national historical relic by the ministry of culture on November 16, 1998 and a stele was permitted to be erected on August 25, 1998. — VNS