Tràng An

Tràng An is a landscape of limestone towers, caves and waterways at the southern edge of the Red River delta. Forested cliffs enclose valleys and water-filled hollows linked by passages through the rock. Among these natural defences stood Hoa Lư, the capital of Đại Cồ Việt under the Đinh and Early Lê dynasties from 968 until the court moved to Thăng Long in 1010.

The mountains and waterways continued to shelter temples and villages after the capital moved. Trần rulers established a shrine to their ancestors in the Tràng An country, preserving a royal connection with the old capital landscape. The succession of caves, steep ridges and cultivated valleys gave this place a character distinct from the open delta to the north.