Phu Yen's Nghinh Phong Tower Square wins 2023 Asian Townscape Award
Nghinh Phong (Welcoming Wind) Tower Square, located on the coast of Tuy Hoa city, the south-central province of Phu Yen, is the only representative from Southeast Asia to have received the 2023 Asian Urban Landscape Award.
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| Nghinh Phong (Welcoming Wind) tower square is located on the coast of Tuy Hoa city, the south-central province of Phu Yen. (Photo: VNA) |
The award was given to nine projects in the five countries of Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, at a recent ceremony in Busan city, the RoK.
The Tower square draws inspiration from the local Ghenh Da Dia coastal area, known for its interlocking rock columns, and influenced by the legendary ancestors Lac Long Quan and Au Co.
Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then went on to give birth to a pouch filled with 100 eggs, which soon hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.
Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 generations of the Hung Kings.
The tower features two tall stone columns, representing Lac Long Quan and Au Co at 35 and 30 metres.
Projects and initiatives that clinch this award undergo evaluation based on five critical criteria: harmonious coexistence with regional environment; safety, convenience and sustainability; respect for regional culture and history; high artistic quality; and contributions to local development, capabilities of becoming models for other cities.
Recent awardees from Vietnam include Can Tho floating market in the Mekong Delta city of the same name, Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam, the central city of Da Nang, Hanoi mural street, and Nguyen Tat Thanh square in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.
(Source: VNA)
