The Thang Long Royal Citadel has been recognised as a world cultural
heritage for its long-lasting cultural history, the continuity of the
citadel as a power centre and the variety of relics it contains.
The UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee made the recognition at its 34
session in Brazil on July 31, basing on three criteria.
Firstly, relics on the ground and excavated under the ground at the
Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi reflect a long-lasting cultural
exchange process and show that the citadel was influenced by many
different cultures, theories and systems of thought, including Buddhism,
Confucianism, the theory of geomancy, and the models of Eastern and
Western citadels.
Secondly, the citadel
demonstrates an age-old cultural tradition of Vietnamese people in the
Red River Delta during the continuous history of 13 centuries.
Archaeological cultures, architectural and artistic relics of the
heritage show that the area has been a political, economic and cultural
centre for over 1,000 years.
Thirdly, the
discovered relics also show that the citadel had direct contact with
many important historical events of a Southeast Asian country in the
relations with other nations in the region and the world as well.
Archaeological excavations were conducted on the 40,000sq.m site at
No.18 Hoang Dieu Street in 2002-2003, revealing four distinct periods of
activity: the Dai La or pre-Thang Long period from the 7 th -10 th
centuries; the Ly-Tran period of the 11 th -14 th centuries, which
included some vestiges of the pre Dinh-Le dynasty of the 10 th century;
the Le period of the 15 th -18 th centuries; and the Nguyen dynasty of
the 19 th century.
Vietnam began taking
measures for the preservation of the site back in 2006, said Professor
Trinh Sinh from the Archaeological Institute.
The
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the Prime Minister to
ratify a plan to preserve some of the excavated lots found to contain
the most important, representative and original artefacts, Sinh said.
These would be turned into an open museum to display artefacts and
replicas.
The remaining lots would be
systematically excavated, properly documented and then turned into an
historical and cultural park within the complex of the historic Ba
Dinh Square , he said.
Other
UNESCO-recognised tangible and intangible heritages in Vietnam include
the complex of Hue ancient capital relics, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An Ancient
Town, My Son Sanctuary, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Hue royal court
music, the space of Central Highlands gong culture, the space of Quan
ho (love duet) culture and Ca tru (ceremonial song)./.