EDICT ON THE TRANSFER OF THE CAPITAL

The edict on the transfer of the capital is a very important and meaningful document for the history of Vietnam and Thang Long - Hanoi.

“In the old times, under the Shang dynasty, the capital had been relocated five times; under the Zhou dynasty, three times. All were done in compliance with heavenly orders, and in harmony with the people’s wishes. They did so to create favourable conditions for future generations to thrive and prosper. Recently, the Đinh and Lê dynasties followed their own ideas, staying put in one location, lacking foresight which resulted in the shortness of their reign. I feel very sad! Now, looking at the map I see Đại La citadel, the former capital of Gao Pian, is at the very heart of the universe. The domain is well endowed with favourable geomantic and astronomic aspects of “rồng bò hổ phục"(soaring dragon and stalking tiger), a convergence of all four cardinal points, people and beasts in abundance, truly a most propitious site for a royal capital. I want to take advantage of this auspicious terrain to establish the capital of the kingdom. Madarins of the Court, what are your thoughts on this matter?”.