Dien Khanh Citadel

Dien Khanh was built in 1793 by Nguyen Anh, later the emperor Gia Long, during the long war with the Tay Son, and it was laid out with French advice on Vauban principles: an irregular hexagon of earth ramparts about three and a half kilometres round, faced and topped with brick, with six gates and a moat. It held against Tay Son sieges. Four gates were demolished in the twentieth century as the town grew; the eastern and western gates survive with their brick vaults and upper pavilions and now stand as traffic islands with roads running through them, which is an odd afterlife for a fortification.

What you'll find

• An earthwork of 1793 - built on Vauban principles with French advice.
• Two surviving gates - eastern and western, with upper pavilions.
• Roads through the arches - the gates now function as traffic islands.
• Rampart sections - visible in places around the town.

When to go

Year round. An hour.

What to expect

Most of the circuit has been built over and the two gates are the visible remains. There is no visitor centre and interpretation is minimal. Traffic through the gates makes photography awkward.

Nearby

Nha Trang is east; the Ba Ho stream and Yang Bay are inland.