Heritage hunting

Now that Thang Long Citadel has been officially added to UNESCO’s world heritage list, experts hope the site will get the necessary backing to turn it into a well-preserved tourist site
When an announcement was made at 8.30pm on July 31 in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil, people in Hanoi were jumping for joy. It would have been sometime after 6.30 in the morning when people officially heard that the Thang Long Imperial Citadel’s central complex site had been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as the world’s 900th heritage.
“This is a great honour and pride for all Vietnamese people. There is a big potential for Hanoi to develop the site and will help raise the prestige of the city in particular and of Vietnam in general,” said historian Le Van Lan. “This is also a big tribute to our ancestors who established and constructed the soul and body of Thang Long- Hanoi,” he said.
The site was recognised for its long-lasting cultural and historical values, its continuity as the country’s power centre and its multi-layered foundations, which offer insights into the many different dynasties that ruled in feudal times. Located at 18 Hoang Dieu, a substantial part of the Thang Long Royal Citadel was accidentally discovered in December 2002 during the initial phases of construction on the new National Assembly building.
Voices of the past
The excavations have uncovered a complex of foundations for palaces, pavilions, water wells and drainage systems and several million artifacts such as ceramic, porcelain and metal wares and human bones, some of which date back to 1,300 years ago, when Vietnam was known as An Nam and under the rule of the Chinese Tang dynasty.
All the overlapping architectures from the ensuing periods were built with the most high-end materials of the times. It is estimated that the site used to be home to 36 palaces and 49 pavilions in the Ly dynasty (1010 - 1225), 22 palaces and 13 pavilions in the Tran dynasty (1225 – 1400) and six palaces and 32 pavilions in the Le dynasty (1533 - 1789).
“The artifacts reflect the long history of Thang Long-Hanoi between the seventh and 18th centuries,” says Nguyen Van Son, director of the Co Loa – Hanoi ancient citadel preservation centre. “The finds also show that the past’ palaces and pavilions had sophisticated decorations. Assorted tiles, ceramics, porcelains and stones were used. The construction skills were very high.”
By the late 19th century, Vietnam was already under French rule, and parts of Hanoi citadel were destroyed to enlarge Hanoi’s streets. Now, only the foundation of Thang Long citadel’s Kinh Thien Palace and Doan Mon (main gate) and the Hanoi citadel’s Bac Mon (north gate) and Ky Dai (flag tower) can be seen.
“All the artifacts have proved that Thang Long – Hanoi has been consistently a political, cultural and economic centre of Vietnam for 13 centuries, with very special cultural and historical values,” Lan said.
The old Hanoi Citadel area
After bulldozing many parts of the old citadel complex, the French used the 138,657sqm area as a military compound. In 1886 they razed the Kinh Thien Palace, which was the most important and sacred palace of the kings to build a two-storey artillery command post.
Between 1954 - 2004, the area served as the Vietnamese Army’s central headquarters. The most important buildings were the two storey Dragon House, the D67 House and the T78A House. The first two houses were used by the Politburo, General Vo Nguyen Giap and General Van Tien Dung, during Vietnam’s decades-long struggle for independence. Here historic decisions were made, marking brilliant milestones of Vietnam’s revolutionary history, strategising the 1968 General Tet Offensive, the 1972 General Offensive and the April 30, 1975 Ho Chi Minh Campaign, which led to reunification of Vietnam.
Preservation issues
However, preserving and protecting the Thang Long royal citadel is a big challenge. Seven years after being discovered, the excavation pits are protected only by makeshift roofs, while some of findings are temporarily stored.
But, Son says that the solutions are just temporary, because scientists have yet to decide on a preservation plan and the citadel is now still being excavated and studied. “A permanent plan to preserve the relics and a master plan to preserve the whole citadel will be made. We hope that UNESCO will help us to preserve the relics,” Son says.
He says that the relics are being affected by the environment, because they have been underground for centuries and now are exposed to light and air.
Moreover the finds are made from different materials, each of which requires different methods of preservation. Regardless, the citadel complex will be open to visitors during the celebration of 1,000 years of Thang Long – Hanoi.