Foreigners suggest measures to preserve Hanoi

Foreign contestants in the 2009-2010 international contest to discover Thang Long-Hanoi, themed “Hanoi - Your Destination” have recommended solutions for preserving the 1,000 year old city’s cultural relics.
Palestinian Ambassador Saadi Salama, who won the exceptional prize at the 2009-2010 contest, said, “1,000 years is not only a number of time but also a thickness of historical value of Thang Long-Hanoi.”
As a result, he said, it’s necessary for the city to promote its relics and famous landscapes in different languages to help foreigners understand more about the city’s history.
Meanwhile, Lasmisha Rai from India, who bagged this year’s first prize, suggested that the city organise more regular international seminars, conferences and workshops to discuss how to preserve and restore the city’s relics, especially the Royal Citadel.
He also stressed the importance of involving the community, saying, “international students and friends who are deeply interested in Hanoi’s history and culture heritage could become volunteers or cultural ambassadors to work with future celebrations.”
Sharing the same view, Yu Chang Lin from China said the city needs to encourage businesses to invest in preserving Hanoi’s historical relics.
Philippe Chaplain, President of France’s National Heritage Federation, who won two consecutive first prizes in the contest in 2007 and 2008, said even though the city has had a tough time, it is still capable of retaining a lot of its heritage for tourists to discover.
“Hanoi is not only an ancient, traditional city but also a treasure of every civilian and the youth,” he said.
Chaplain, who won second prize in this-year contest, also said that he has launched a website on life in Hanoi, available at hanoilavie.com, in Vietnamese, French and English to introduce Hanoi’s ancient streets to people around the world.