The excavation of the southern moat of the Ho Dynasty Citadel has led to the discovery of many important relics and artifacts. — Photo thanhnhaho.vn

THANH HOA (VNS) — Several relics and artifacts have been excavated from the Ho Dynasty Citadel's southern area in the central province of Thanh Hoa, Director of Heritage Conservation Centre Do Quang Trong said.

Most recently, the three-month-long excavation of a 2,040sq.m area discovered a moat system and the relic of a citadel's coastline.

The 61m-wide moat system has many processed stone blocks and a layer of crushed stone that is 5cm to 10cm thick.

The 7m-wide coastline relic is made of stone, lying 3.05m to 3.22m underground in the north and 3.89m to 4.60m in the south of the excavated site.

In addition, the excavation also unearthed a lot of limestone and shale of different sizes and shapes, together with many valuable earthern tiles and bricks.

Trong said the findings showed that the citadel was also a site for processing stones for construction.

The findings also provide important documents for the study, preservation and promotion of the values of the Ho Citadel as a world heritage site, he said.

The Thanh Hoa's People Committee and the conservation centre for Ho Citadel will continue to excavate the western, eastern and southern sites of the citadel to find out the general scale and structure of its moat system.

The Ho Dynasty Citadel was the cultural and political centre of the capital of Viet Nam in early 15th century, and a political, economic and cultural hub of the northern part of the central region of Viet Nam from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

It was recognised by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site in 2011. — VNS