Four projects to preserve Thang Long Royal Citadel

After the citadel was recognized by the UNESCO as a world heritage site, archaeologists from the Vietnam Academy for Social Sciences (VASS) have been busier with their quiet job: researching and advertising the ancient citadel.
Dr. Bui Minh Tri, vice chair of the Thang Long Royal Citadel research project, confirmed that VASS has been assigned to advertise this relic to the world, focusing on four tasks:
1/ Repairing the relic at 18 Hoang Dieu to welcome tourists and making a three dimension movie about the citadel to serve tourists. This movie will be produced based on a 45-minute film about the citadel, which is part of the file submitted to UNESCO.
2/ Exhibiting 234 items unearthed at 18 Hoang Dieu and 39 posters at a house inside the ancient citadel under the assistance of French experts.
3/ Publishing a catalog about the citadel and a 800-page book entitled “Thang Long Royal Citadel – 1000-year Hallmarks” in Vietnamese and English.
4/ Assisting the Hanoi People’s Committee to organize two exhibitions with 709 items in the heart of the ancient citadel. One exhibition is about construction materials used to build the Kinh Thien Palace (part of the citadel) and the another features things used inside the palace.
Why must we produce a new film about the citadel? Why don’t we use the film in the heritage file?
Dr. Bui Minh Tri: VASS Chair Do Hoai Nam proposed to make this 25-minute 3D film, aiming to popularize knowledge and help visitors easily imagine the ancient citadel. For that purpose, the scientific information in this movie should not be so specialized like in the 45-minute film for the heritage file, while the images need to be clearer. A documentary film-making group of the Vietnam Television (VTV) is working on this project.
This documentary outlines the history of Thang Long capital, the powerful centre of Dai Viet in three big dynasties of Ly, Tran and Le with brilliant achievements in urban planning, architectural arts, construction techniques, economic development, cultural exchange, etc. These achievements are defined based on significant archaeological discoveries at 18 Hoang Dieu relic.
Are archaeologists of the Thang Long Royal Citadel project under pressure to open the site for the public?
Dr. Bui Minh Tri: It will only be two months between when the citadel was recognized as a world heritage site to when it is scheduled to be opened for the public. The public can be assured because preparations have been carried out for a long time, since July 2009.