Ancient city opens doors for millennial celebration

An area studded with royal palace relics at Thang Long Royal Citadel will be opened to the public during Hanoi’s millennial anniversary in October.
The citadel became a UNESCO World Heritage Site early this month.
The site in question, referred to as the 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site, contains traces of the palaces from the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties. The site is located at the heart of the citadel.
The opening is expected to promote the relics further and attract individuals and scientists to preserve them. Numerous fragments of china and pottery have been excavated.
Local experts and scientists affiliated with UNESCO are conducting excavations around the site. A master plan for the long-term preservation of the Thang Long Royal Citadel is also in the works.
Katherine Muller Marin, head of UNESCO’s Hanoi office, said experts and government officials have to guarantee the citadel’s preservation in the long-term.
Marin said the experts and officials need to protect the relics from all potential vandals.
UNESCO has been sending foreign experts to preserve and develop the citadel as the city’s humid and wet weather has taken its toll on many of the excavated items.
Tran The Tuyen, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, said Sai Gon Giai Phong had made the survey with people from 18 to 64 years old, who were divided into different income categories, from VND3 million to VND5 million per month, from VND5.1 million to VND8 million, then under VND3 million and over VND8 million.
Up to 43% of respondents searched for travel information on the internet, while 40% obtained it from friends or relatives, according to the survey. The marketing method via leaflets and advertising is less influential on customers as only nearly 9.3% of the people looked for travel information by this way.
As for domestic destinations, local travelers still preferred familiar places such as Ha Long Bay, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Hanoi, and Phan Thiet.
The newspaper on Wednesday handed out the Vietnam Favorite Trademark Awards 2010 to 61 companies, including travel firms, hotels, restaurants, resorts, supermarkets, banks, insurance service providers, and other consumer service providers.
Tuyen said along with direct interviews, nearly 6,640 readers of the newspaper have voted for such brand names.