Research on the ‘Pre-Cổ Loa’ System: MetalAge Archaeological Sites in Đông Anh, Hà Nội

Nguyễn Thị Hảo

Cổ Loa Citadel, traditionally associated with An Dương Vương in the 3rd century BCE, is regarded as one of the earliest ancient capitals in Southeast Asia; however, its construction was the result of a long process of cultural and socio-economic development in the Red River Delta rather than a sudden historical event. The “Pre–Cổ Loa” system refers to the network of Metal Age archaeological sites in Đông Anh that formed the foundation for the citadel’s emergence, reflecting a continuous cultural sequence from the Phung Nguyen culture and Dong Dau culture to the Go Mun culture and especially the Dong Son culture. Over time, these cultures witnessed advances in wet-rice agriculture, bronze metallurgy, craft specialization, and increasingly complex settlement patterns, resulting in agricultural surplus, social stratification, and organized production systems; together, these conditions provided the economic strength, labour force, technological expertise, and political organization necessary for the construction of Cổ Loa, making the citadel the culmination of centuries of Metal Age development in Northern Vietnam.