ĐỒNG THỊ HỒNG HOÀN

In the same way, Asso. Prof Nguyen Quang Ngoc (The rector of Vietnamese studies) stated: The ancient maps by Dang Ngoai and bibliographies by Holland later both marked Ngoc island, that is Ngoc mountain (Mau Son with Tuong Long tower today). As well, Dr Gutzlaff (1864) in “Geography of the Cochichina Empire”and William Dampier (1688) pointed out that international navigators usually followed waterway to Do Son toward Van Uc river and the land mark for the river was the big, high and long mountain of Voi.” On the restored stone stele in Can Thien (or Quan Muc at present) pagoda, which was put up in the fourth month of Binh Tuat, under King Phuc Thai dynasty (1646), near Van Uc river source, Do Son, where Chu Dong Tu had ever stepped says: “…In the place located Trieu Lai pagoda in the east of Do Son, Tan Hai river source in the south of Do Son, and the big river in the north is Lao Phong... This is also the land of gifted people’s gathering. On the streets, wagons and vehicles of trave...

Natural citadel NeLe - DoSon under King Asoka’s dynasty By : Dong Hong Hoan - Trinh Minh Hien Nele and the ancient tower Asoka in Do Son so far have attracted great attention from both domestic and foreign historians, especially those who major in history of Vietnam Buddhism. A big number of questions has also been raised and wondered many historians: whether Nele was man-made or naturally created by the way ancient people took advantage of geography for fortifications, in which place in Asia and Vietnam the first Indian shanghais had took their first steps on, which regions in Vietnam at that time had satisfactory conditions of geography, politics, economy,...so that the Indian merchants accompanied with Buddism propagandists had travelled to the country. So far researchers as well as historians have tried to submit possible explanations and theories to those puzzles, unfortunately, they failed. Hereafter, we would like to put forward a brief overview on how Buddism was introduced ...