The ancient capital of Hoa Lu is the first capital of Vietnam in the tenth century. It is located in Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh proclaimed himself emperor of Dai Co Viet (GreatViet) and established his capital at Hoa Lu Since then, until the lastking of the dynasty of the past, it was the capital of the country for 42 years, 13 years under the Dinh (968-980) and 29 years under theprevious (980-1009). Covering 400 hectares, Hoa Lu is a strongfortification erected by nature and man.
The Emperor Le Dai Hanh has built beautiful palaces, making the capital more sumptuous. But in 1010, the Emperor Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long, Hanoi today.
Today, there are only two temples located in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu District The largest is dedicated to worship of the Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang and the other to the Emperor Le Dai Hanh. They are so close, 300mfrom each other, they are called the temples–Dinh Le. There are other vestiges such as the Ma Yen mountain,the mountain Cot Co, Nhat Tru pagoda, Thap Ba Ngo, the caves Am Tiem, etc.