Only the western gate of the “Mac Citadel” remains largely intact, featuring a vaulted structure made of layered Bat bricks. (Photo: VNA)
The “Mac Citadel” in Phu Tho Province remains shrouded in mystery and is slowly fading from memory. (Photo: VNA)
The western gate is relatively well-preserved, with a vaulted design made from several layers of Bat bricks. (Photo: VNA)
Inside the archway of two gates are square stones with round holes. According to local elders, these stones may have been used to insert locking bars for the citadel gates. (Photo: VNA)
The western gate remains fairly intact, with a multi-layered vaulted structure built from Bat bricks. (Photo: VNA)
The name “Mac Citadel” has been used for generations by local residents to refer to this ancient site. (Photo: VNA)
Inside the archway of two gates are square stones with circular holes, believed by local elders to have been used for locking bars at the citadel gates. (Photo: VNA)
Several modern residential facilities built within the citadel’s grounds have gradually erased what remains of this historical site. (Photo: VNA)
The mystery of ancient “Mac Citadel” in Phu Tho province
In Ba Lam hamlet, Cao Duong commune (Phu Tho province), gates of a mysterious ancient citadel have long been referred to by locals as the “Mac Citadel” – named after the Mac Dynasty, which officially ruled Vietnam for 65 years from 1527 to 1592. To this day, no archaeological evidence has definitively confirmed the date of its construction. Several residential structures built within the citadel’s grounds have gradually eroded the remaining traces of this historical site.
