Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

For a few decades either side of the year 1000 the Vietnamese court sat here, in a valley that limestone karst walls off on three sides, before the capital moved to Thang Long. Almost nothing of the palaces survives. What remains are two seventeenth-century temples, one for Dinh Tien Hoang and one for Le Dai Hanh, facing courtyards paved with worn stone and entered through low tiled gates carved with dragons. A stone dragon bed stands in front of the first. Behind them a stepped path climbs Ma Yen hill to a plain tomb with a view over rice fields and the rock walls that made the site defensible. It is a quiet stop rather than a grand one.

What you actually see

• Dinh Tien Hoang temple - the older of the two halls, with a carved stone dragon bed in the courtyard.
• Le Dai Hanh temple - a matching compound across the grass, similar in plan and usually quieter.
• Ma Yen hill - a few hundred steps up to a hilltop tomb and a view over the whole valley.
• The rampart traces - low earth banks between the karst, all that is left of the outer walls.

When to go

November to April is dry and cool, while late May and early June bring the yellow rice that photographers come for. Mornings are best, since Hoa Lu is bundled with Trang An and Tam Coc on day tours and coaches start arriving around ten. Two hours covers both temples and the hill. Cover shoulders and knees inside the halls.

Honest expectations

Very little is left of the capital, and visitors expecting ruins to match the name will find two modest temples on a lawn. The car park is loud with vendors and drivers touting onward trips. The hill steps are steep and fully exposed. It works best as a short stop attached to a boat trip rather than as a destination in itself.

Nearby

The Trang An boat landings and Tam Coc are within twenty minutes.