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CITADEL

Construction of the moated Citadel (KinhThanh),which has a 10km perimeter, was begun in1804 on a site chosen by Emperor Gia Long's geomancers. The Citadel was originally made of earth, but tens of thousands of workers laboured to cover the ramparts, built in the style of the French military architect Vauban, with a layer of bricks 2m thick. Three sides of the Citadel are straight; the fourth is rounded slightly to follow the curve of the river. The ramparts are encircled by a zigzag moat, which is 30m across and about 4m deep. In the northern corner of the Citadel is Mang Ca Fortress, once known as the French Concession, which is still used as a military base. The Citadel has 10 fortified gates, each reached via a bridge across the moat. Wide areas within the Citadel are now devoted to agriculture, a legacy of the destruction

 of 1968.