An Tho castle – Phu Yen province through archaeological excavations promoting the values of monuments, and developing potential local and regional tourism

Abstract

An Tho Castle (An Dan Ward, Tuy An District, Phu Yen Province) was built in the reign of Minh Menh. It was the capital of Phu Yen Province for a long time. In August 1945 Revolution, in the two wars against France and the United States, the castle became a fierce duel between the resistance forces and ethnic enemies. This is also the birthplace of Tran Phu – the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. In 2008, the ancient castle conducted some archaeological excavations by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Department of Phu Yen Province and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCM to determine the scientific value of the relics. Through excavation, the entire old ground as well as some buildings (i.e. the area of ​​road building, front yard, old wells, gates of various locations such as front, back, left, right, etc.) already existed. Many types of relics of numerous different materials such as stone, bronze, iron, terracotta, ceramic, porcelain, coins under the reign of Kings Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc and some stone bullets, cast iron were used for the defense of the city.

Nowadays, with the advantages of geographical location, terrain, scenery, special sizes of architecture and relics of the past An Tho Castle, through archaeological excavations and historical culture, the surrounding landscape, we absolutely can confidently invest in the development of exciting new tours to contribute to the economic development of the province and  the region.

In this paper, the author mentions some of the following:

1. Introduction to preliminary excavations and findings.

2. Issue of conservation and promotion of the values ​​of An Tho ancient ruin

3. Recommendation for the creation of tourism: Interior provinces: Tuy Hoa - Da Dia rapids - Quang Duc pottery village - An Tho castle - Da Trang pagoda. For the region: combination of tours with Nha Trang - Phu Yen - Binh Dinh.