Luy Lâu Explained

Luy Lâu (Vietnamese) or Leilou (< Middle Chinese ZS *liuᴇ-ləu < Eastern Han Chinese *lyai-lo^[1]) was the first capital of the Han commandery of Jiaozhi (Vietnamese: Giao Chỉ) from 111 BC following China's conquest of Nanyue/Nam Viet till 106 BC. It was also the headquarters of the larger province of Jiaozhou (Vietnamese: Giao Châu) and the center of China's maritime trade on the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea. The old citadel is at in Thuận Thành in the province of Bắc Ninh.^{[2] [3]}

Luy Lâu became a major center for Buddhism in Vietnam.^[4] Although the Roman embassies probably arrived at the later capital Long Biên, it may have been the earlier Luy Lâu that was the origin of Ptolemy's Cattigara.

See also

• List of capitals of Vietnam
• Long Biên

Notes and References

1. Schuessler, Axel. (2009) Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i p. 223, 151
2. Báo Bắc Ninh Thủ phủ Luy Lâu 2008 "Sau thời kì thành Cổ Loa là kinh đô nước ta thời An Dương Vương thì địa điểm Dâu (nay thuộc xã Thanh Khương - Thuận Thành) trở thành thủ phủ nước ta dưới thời Bắc thuộc kéo dài hàng nghìn năm với các tên gọi khác nhau: Luy Lâu, Liên Lâu, Dinh Lâu, Long Uyên, Long Biên.
3. The Vietnam guidebook: with Angkor Wat - Page 42 Barbara Cohen, Fredric M. Kaplan - 1993 "In 111 BC, the Han Dynasty completely annexed Nam Viet as a Chinese province called Giao Chi or Chiao Chih. The town of Luy Lau, southeast of present-day Hanoi, was the ancient capital of Giao Chi. Although subjugation meant having to ..."
4. Rebuilding Religious Experience- Vietnamese Refugees in America - Page 20 Linh Hoang - 2008 "However, it was only after the Chinese came to Vietnam that the Buddhists erected a center at Luy-lau which was the capital of Giao Chi and was a popular place visited by many Buddhist missionaries. Luy-lau became a major Buddhist center ."