During the ongoing implementation of the 1^st stage of a project featuring the restoration and embellishment of the Da Nang-located Dien Hai Citadel, construction units discovered some remains of walls and foundations at this newly-recognised special national-level relic site.

An over 130m-long part of walls, made from old bricks of different sizes, was discovered on the western side of the citadel.

In detail, an over 130m-long part of walls, made from old bricks of different sizes, was discovered on the western side of the citadel.

In addition, a 14.2 long, 4.2m-wide section of the foundation connecting with the western walls of the citadel was also unearthed during the restoration and embellishment process.

The restoration supervisors said these valuable findings can lead to the speculation that the Vauban-style Dien Hai Citadel might have the 3^rd gate which faces west, in addition to 2 previously-discovered ones- with the main one facing south and the other facing east.

Mr Nguyen Quang Trung Tien from the Faculty of History at the Hue University of Sciences viewed the findings as an important indicator that the Dien Hai has a total of 3 gates as predicted previously by historical experts.

Historical documents issued during the feudal Nguyen Dynasty, including the ‘Great Encyclopedia of History of the Nguyen Dynasty’ and the ‘Geography of the Unified Dai Nam’, also clearly show that the citadel has 3 gates.

Many historical researchers believe that the western gate might have been closed before 1888.

At that time, the feudal dynasty might have faced a shortage of money to perform the maintenance work on the citadel, and the withdrawal of the garrison and weapons from this important fortress as per request by the royal court.

A14.2 long, 4.2m-wide section of the foundation connecting with the western walls of the citadel was unearthed during the restoration and embellishment process.

Dr Hoang Dao Cuong, the Head of the national Relic Preservation Institute, said more scientific evidence should be collected in a bid to identify whether or not the citadel has the western gate.

He also underlined the need to make sure the restoration and embellishment work will not adversely affect the archaeological traces.

The 1^st stage of the restoration and embellishment project is scheduled to be completed by late October at a total cost of over 102.7 billion VND (over 4.4 million USD).

Of this, 80 billion VND (3.5 million USD) is earmarked for compensation for the displaced families, whilst the remainder is spent on restoring the damaged walls and trenches, building water supply and drainage systems, creating tree-covered areas and a parking lot, plus other auxiliary facilities.

In the coming time, the municipal Department of the Culture and Sports will ask for permission from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to make more reasonable adjustments to the restoration and embellishment plans.

Situated on the western side of the Han River, the Dien Hai Citadel was one of the most important fortresses in Viet Nam in the 19^th century, and was recognised as a national historical relic on 16 November 1988 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The over 160-year-old citadel is vivid evidence of the undaunted courage and indomitable fighting spirit of Da Nang’s soldiers and its residents during their historic battles against the French-Spanish coalition forces in the 1858 - 1860 period.