Trấn Quốc Pagoda in Hanoi traces its origins to the mid-sixth century, when construction began in 541 under the reign of King Lý Nam Đế and the temple was completed around 545. At that time it was known as Khai Quốc Pagoda, or the Pagoda of the Nation’s Foundation, and stood on the banks of the Red River as one of the earliest major Buddhist centers in the region that would later become the capital of Thăng Long.
Over the following centuries the site underwent repeated renovations and expansions that reflected the changing fortunes of Vietnamese Buddhism and successive dynasties.
In the early nineteenth century, under the Nguyễn Dynasty, substantial restoration work was carried out and a series of stone steles dating from 1813 to 1815 were erected to record the temple’s history and the efforts to rebuild it after periods of decline.
The most recent major addition came in 1998 with the construction of the eleven story Bảo Tháp, a fifteen meter high stupa adorned with lotus motifs and ...
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, known in Vietnamese as Hoàng Thành Thăng Long, stands in the heart of Hanoi as one of the most enduring symbols of Vietnamese statehood. Its origins reach back to the seventh century, when Tang Chinese authorities constructed the Đại La Citadel on drained land in the Red River Delta. In 1010 Emperor Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital from Hoa Lư to this site, renaming it Thăng Long, or Rising Dragon, after a legendary vision of a golden dragon ascending into the sky.
Construction of the imperial complex began that year and was largely finished by early 1011. For nearly thirteen centuries the citadel remained the continuous political centre of Đại Việt under successive dynasties.
The Lý period established the classic three-ring layout of outer defensive walls, imperial city, and innermost forbidden city. The Trần dynasty expanded and renovated the palace compounds. After the Ming occupation ended, Lê Lợi restored the capital as Đông Kinh and the ...
The new SRT Bangkok Connex service uses refurbished KiHa 40 and KiHa 48 diesel multiple units originally operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). These classic Japanese railcars, built between the late 1970s and early 1980s and retired around 2021–2023, were donated free of charge by JR East to the State Railway of Thailand. A total of 20 cars (nine KiHa 40 double-cab units and eleven KiHa 48 single-cab units) were transferred in late March 2024, shipped from Niigata Port, and arrived at Laem Chabang Port in Thailand in early June 2024.
After gauge conversion from Japan’s 1,067 mm to Thailand’s meter gauge, extensive refurbishment at Makkasan Workshop included new or overhauled engines and electrical systems, full air-conditioning, leather-style seating in place of the original velvet, closed Western-style toilets, luggage space, priority seating, and wheelchair accommodation. The exterior received a white-and-red livery. Six cars entered passenger service after testing.
The route ...
In this year’s ASEAN Hyundai Cup, Group B concluded with Thailand topping the standings on a perfect record of four wins, ten goals scored and none conceded for twelve points. Malaysia finished second with nine points to advance alongside them, while Myanmar ended third on six points after the final round of matches and were eliminated. The Philippines took fourth and Laos finished bottom without a point.
Thailand entered the tournament as seven time champions and the clear favorites in the group under coach Anthony Hudson. The War Elephants have looked solid and clinical throughout, keeping clean sheets in every outing while rotating players effectively.
Myanmar, coached by Jørn Andersen, showed attacking threat with high-scoring wins over the Philippines and Laos but were inconsistent, suffering an opening loss to Malaysia and ultimately falling short of qualification.
Last night at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand secured a 2-0 victory over Myanmar to finish first in Group B. ...
