Gold-Glazed Finds Reveal Ho Dynasty Citadel’s Lost Palace

A dragon design on a Bodhi leaf made of terracotta and glazed with gold was discovered at the Ho Dynasty Citadel World Heritage site.

February

/ 2026

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Dozens of rare, gold-glazed terracotta ornaments have been uncovered at the Ho Dynasty Citadel World Heritage site in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, in a discovery that researchers say helps pinpoint where the dynasty’s main palace once stood. The artifacts - specially gilded, leaf-shaped pieces decorated with dragon imagery - were found during archaeological excavations near the citadel’s central area. Officials say the distribution of these materials is now guiding archaeologists directly to the likely footprint of the main palace hall reports Thanh Nien.

Gold-glazed Finds Pinpoint a Lost Palace Zone

The announcement was made by the site’s management board after new excavation work revealed “dozens” of gilded pieces, many shaped like Bodhi leaves and used as architectural decoration. According to the management board director Nguyen Ba Linh, the finds were concentrated behind a set of headless stone dragons in the citadel’s center - an area long suspected of hiding major structural remains. Tracing where these gilded materials appear has helped specialists identify the most probable location of the Tay Do Citadel’s main hall (Tay Do being the site’s historical name) notes Vietnam.vn.

A selection of the gold enameled terracotta artifacts found at Ho Dynasty Citadel heritage site. (Minh Hai/Thanhnien)

What are Bodhi-leaf Ornaments - and Why Gild Them?

Bodhi leaves are a powerful Buddhist symbol across Asia often associated with enlightenment and their shape appears frequently in temple and palace ornamentation. At the Ho Dynasty Citadel, archaeologists describe the newly found pieces as specialized architectural materials - terracotta ornaments finished with gold glaze and decorated with dragon motifs, implying use in elite, ceremonial architecture. Heritage Daily reporting notes that the gilding and intricate details still visible on some pieces highlight “advanced craftsmanship” and the aesthetic ambition of the court that commissioned them.

Vietnam’s long, layered history means royal sites can sit amid much older landscapes, from prehistoric caves to later imperial centers. Readers interested in the wider arc of Vietnamese heritage may also want to explore Ancient Origins’ coverage of the Imperial City of Hue and the story-rich legends surrounding Hanoi’s Hoàn Kiếm Lake, both of which show how power, belief, and place remain intertwined for centuries.

Aerial view of the whole Ho Dynasty Citadel. (Minh Hai/Thanhnien)

A UNESCO Citadel

The Ho Dynasty Citadel was built in 1397 and later served as Vietnam’s capital from 1398 to 1407, according to UNESCO’s site record. The property includes the Inner Citadel, outer defensive works, and the Nam Giao altar, set within a large, protected landscape between the Ma and Buoi rivers. UNESCO highlights the citadel’s massive limestone construction and its planning principles, which reflect a late-14th-century shift toward centralized authority shaped by Neo-Confucian ideas.

Because many key structures were built of stone and much remains underground, locating the main hall is more than a map-making exercise. It could change how the complex is interpreted for visitors, how future excavations are prioritized, and how conservation efforts are targeted in areas most likely to contain fragile architectural traces. It also adds another chapter to Vietnam’s broader archaeological record, a topic Ancient Origins has explored through discoveries ranging from early violence evidence at a northern cave to unusual watercraft finds in later-period contexts. (See: Vietnamese Cave Yields Southeast Asia’s Earliest Evidence of Violence and One-of-a-Kind Boats, Dating Back 1,000 Years, Unearthed in Vietnam.)

The South (fore) gate of Tay Do citadel

The South (fore) gate of Tay Do castle, Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. (Silviculture/Public domain)

Why this matters for the Ho Dynasty Citadel story

For archaeologists, high-status decorative materials can act like a trail of breadcrumbs: where the most elaborate ornaments cluster, the most important buildings often follow. If the gilded Bodhi-leaf pieces truly mark the main hall area, the discovery may help reconstruct ceremonial routes, architectural layout, and symbolic design choices, especially the prominence of dragon imagery, a motif that resonates across later Vietnamese art and imperial ideology.

Top image: A dragon-shaped Bodhi leaf made of terracotta and glazed with gold was discovered at the Ho Dynasty Citadel World Heritage site. Source: Minh Hai/Thanhnien

By Gary Manners