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The Mount Ban Heritage Site is where the legendary cloth-armored hero Nguyễn Huệ once conducted a celestial ritual, ascending to the throne as Emperor Quang Trung in 1788.
Mount Ban Heritage – Guardian of the Tây Sơn Dynasty's Majesty in Its Prime
Mount Ban is a small mountain in Tứ Tây hamlet, Thủy An commune, Huế city. Standing at 43.75m, it is 3km away from the imperial city of Huế. To the east lies Mount Ngự Bình, while to the west and north borders Trường Cỡi hamlet, Thủy Bằng commune, and to the south is the residence of Tứ Tây villagers.
Mount Ban has various names in folklore and different historical periods, such as Dong Tang, Ba Tang, Tam Tang, Ba Vanh, Hon Thien...
The Mount Ban Heritage Site today is not just a scenic spot in Phú Xuân – Huế, but also a particularly significant historical relic. It served as the Southern Altar of the Tây Sơn dynasty, where Nguyễn Huệ conducted ceremonies to honor the heavens and the earth, officially ascending to the title of Emperor.
This also serves as the origin of a swift and daring military campaign, fearlessly annihilating 290,000 Qing troops in Thang Long in 1789, crafting a heroic chapter in the history of resisting foreign invaders.
Choosing Mount Ban as the Nam Giao altar in urgent conditions aimed to exploit the low mountain's advantageous terrain, making it easy to mobilize and swiftly construct the altar, surrounded by vast fields for assembling tens of thousands of troops.
In just one day and night after receiving the intelligence report, on the 25th day of the twelfth month in 1788, the army set out. Consequently, no structures were built; only the mountain was cleared to create a path for the ceremonial altar. The summit of the altar was designed in three conical layers stacked upon each other.
The first layer has a circumference of 220m and a height of 40.9m, the second layer has a circumference of 123m and a height of 42.1m, and the topmost third layer, with a flat surface, has a circumference of 52.75m and a height of 43.75m. There are four paths leading to the altar in the North, South, East, and West directions, with the path narrowing as it ascends.
At the newly established Mount Ban altar, Nguyen Hue made a divine proclamation to the heavens, personally directing the fastest military expedition in history.
After the demise of Quang Trung and the collapse of the Tay Son dynasty, Nguyen Anh sought ruthless revenge. Every trace of the Tay Son regime was obliterated. The Mount Ban historical site stands nearly as the sole remaining relic in the Imperial City of Hue until today. In 1988, the Mount Ban historical site was officially recognized as a national historical site.
To preserve the indomitable spirit of the national hero Nguyễn Huệ, in 2010, Thừa Thiên – Huế invested over 20 billion VND to renovate and enhance the historical site, erecting the statue of King Quang Trung on Mount Ban.
The Quang Trung statue stands tall at 21m, with the figure measuring 12m and the pedestal 9m, crafted from 18 blocks of Thanh Hoa stone. Behind the statue is a 60m-long relief depicting the journey from the inception of the Tay Son rebels to Nguyen Hue's northern campaign, dispersing 200,000 Qing troops.
Within the relief, there is an inscription depicting the coronation of Emperor Quang Trung. On the left, it carves the oath between the three armies in Nghe An before advancing to liberate Thang Long: '... Fight to let the hair grow long/ Fight to make the teeth black/ Fight to pierce the rebellion unbeaten/ Fight to make the armor flawless/ Fight for the sagacity of the Southern heroic country's hero...'.
Exploring history through these remaining relics is a way to remember the contributions of our predecessors in nation-building and defense. Therefore, the Mount Ban historical site becomes an ideal destination for history enthusiasts visiting Hue. Contact Mytour to book a Hue tour with fantastic offers!
According to Mytour
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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour
MytourOctober 6, 2022
