Hundreds of artefacts dating back to the 10th century have been discovered in Vinh Long commune, Vinh Loc district in the central province of Thanh Hoa, about 1 km to the southeast of the Ho Dynasty Citadel.

The antiques include bowls, plates and work instruments made with materials such as porcelain, iron and precious stone, according to the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Preservation Centre.

The highlight of the discovered subjects was a 25-33 centimetre glazed terra cotta jar.

All the articles have been transferred to the centre for further research and display.

The Ho Dynasty Citadel was recognised by UNESCO as a world Cultural Heritage Site in 2011.

The citadel was the cultural centre of the capital of Vietnam in the late 14th century and early 15th century and a political, economic and cultural hub of the northern part of the central region of Vietnam from the 16th to the 18th century.

It was built in 1397 in the two communes of Vinh Tien and Vinh Long in Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province under the supervision of the Tran dynasty's top mandarin, Ho Quy Ly. He later occupied the citadel when he forcibly took the throne in 1400, changing the country's name from Dai Viet to Dai Ngu.

Unlike many other citadels built from bricks, the Ho Dynasty Citadel was built with huge stone slabs from nearby mountains. It features four arched gates facing east, west, north and south. The large stone slabs required a new building technique that workers installed without the use of mortar.

VNA