A week ago our team carried out a much needed ocular visit to Thanh Hoa province to better understand the province and engage stakeholders for our smart city initiatives. Our first stop was visiting the Ho Citadel.
The Ho Citadel is what remains of a late 14th-century castle constructed under the Ho Dynasty and is made from large stone blocks. The best way to reach the citadel is to rent by private car as it is not easily accessible via the usual tourist routes. We were greeted by huge walls and gates, and one has to go the level of architecture and construction engineering to appreciate its unique values. The stones used were of bigger sizes compared to other ancient buildings in SE Asia and it could be determined that the masonry skills back then were also very good given that the stone blocks almost have no gaps between them.
Our next stop was Thanh Hoa City. We were able to meet and discuss with stakeholders about what different smart city initiatives we can implement together. We were given a tour to see the different sides of the city. From Pagodas to bridges, to big buildings and huge roads, Thanh Hoa city is experiencing huge economic and urban developments but at the same time, is focused on keeping their heritage sites alive and well managed. We will be back again next month to have our workshop and to further discuss the next steps going forward.