The first independent (from the Southern Han Chinese) Vietnamese dynasty was founded by Đinh Bộ Lĩnh, the victorious warlord, in his hometown of Hoa Lư in 968. His dynasty only lasted 11 years; after he and his heir were murdered by a palace official, his most powerful military commander Lê Hoàn at first became regent to his remaining six year old son, but shortly dethroned the boy to rule as the first Early Lê dynasty emperor.

The Early Lê dynasty didn’t last much longer. Lê Hoàn ruled peacefully for 25 years, but his five sons warred over the throne for over a year after his death, massacring whole towns and murdering each other in the process. The eventual winner, Lê Long Đĩnh, was so notoriously debauched that he’s considered the Emperor Nero of Vietnam. Between his orgies and his hemorrhoids, he’s derisively referred to in ancient literature as ‘the emperor lying on the throne’ (as opposed to sitting on it). He mysteriously died after ruling for only 4 years; the high ranking mandarin and aristocrat who replaced him, Lý Công Uẩn, simply convinced the court to avoid any more Lê family infighting. Lý Công Uẩn founded the Lý dynasty in 1009, and moved the capital to what is now Hanoi, an auspicious site within a day’s ride of his own hometown.

So, Hoa Lu was only a preeminent city for 40 years. Modern structures have been built on the locations of the ancient buildings and tombs. There is nothing to be seen from the 10th or 11th centuries save a few artifacts in a small museum room in the Lê King temple. It is still a nice place to walk or relax for an hour or two. There is a local festival held to honor the ‘2 Kings’ in years ending in three, five, eight and zero, either on the 15th of the second lunar month (considered the birthday of Dinh Tien Hoang King) or on the eighth and thirteenth day of the lunar third month. I wasn’t there during the festival so it’s up to you to decode those dates and figure out if they’re worth timing your visit for!