Thang Long royal citadel opens for visitors

Eight years since it was excavated, the royal citadel opened to the public the first time on October 2 at 18 Hoang Dieu, Hanoi.
The opening ceremony took place with a welcome speech by Do Hoai Nam, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Social Sciences. According to Nam, visitors would see outstanding parts of the Thang Long Royal Citadel and evidence of 1000 years as Vietnam’s capital city, through the dynasties of Dai La, Dinh, Le, Ly, Tran, Mac, Nguyen to the Ho Chi Minh age.
Tong Trung Tin, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Archaeology, explained that the organizing board chose more than 150 outstanding items to introduce. “Visitors will see layers of culture through vestiges of foundations, roads, wells, ponds, etc. All are typical examples that make the citadel a world cultural heritage site,” Tin stated.
However, Tin worried that large numbers of visitors may harm this site. “I recommend visitors to follow instructions to protect the relics. This is also a request of the World Heritage Committee,” he added.
Eight zones opened for public inside the Thang Long Royal Citadel:
1.Flagpole: A relic built in the Nguyen Dynasty in 1804.
2.Doan Mon: The major gate to the citadel, built in the Le Dynasty (15th century).
3.Hau Lau: Built in the early 20th century, this was home for the imperial maids.
4.The grounds of Kinh Thien palace where the Le kings held audiences. This palace was built on the ground of the Can Nguyen Palace of the Ly Dynasty and Thien An palace of the Ly and Tran eras.
5.Bac Mon: The northern gate of the Hanoi citadel in the Nguyen dynasty.
6.House D67 and trench D67, both built in 1967 as offices for General Vo Nguyen Giap and General Van Tien Dung.
7.The exhibition room with 150 outstanding items excavated in the Thang Long Royal Citadel and photos and mock-ups of the citadel.
8.House N32 exhibits more than 700 objects excavated in the Thang Long Royal citadel, including construction materials, reliefs, and daily instruments from the Dai La to Ly, Tran, Le dynasties.
The citadel will open until November 2, from 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm. The 18 Hoang Dieu relic will open form October 2 to 11 and October 14 to November 2. From October 24 to November 2, the relic will open only on Wednesday and Sunday. The relic will close as of November 3 for preservation and research.