The statuette of a woman that dates back to the 17th century. It is one of millions of artefacts excavated within Thăng Long Imperial Citadel since 2002. (Photo: hoangthanhthanglong.vn) Though Thang Long Imperial Citadel was recognised as a UNESCO World HeritageSite in 2010, the city has yet to fulfil the commitment to unify the managementof the site.
Both management organisations and scientists have expressed theirhopes to unify the management of the site to better preserve it.
Thang Long Imperial Citadel covers a total area of 18,353ha and the siteis under the ownership of the city of Hanoi, the Ministry of National Defenceand two families who made significant contributions to the national revolutions.
According to the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre, the citymanages 16,654ha now, 91 per cent of the total heritage area.
The remaining area, possessed by sub-units of the Ministry of National Defence,including the Vietnam Military History Museum and a petrol station on nearbyNguyen Tri Phuong street, and two families who made significantcontributions to the national revolutions.
According to an agreement between the Party Committee of Hanoi and the CentralMilitary Commission, the Vietnam Military History Museum will be relocated andthe site will be handed over to the city in 2022.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc did not agree with the proposal ofretaining the petrol station on Nguyen Tri Phuong street of the defenceministry.
At the same time, the People's Committee of Ba Dinh district and the Departmentof Construction of Hanoi are implementing a plan to relocate andcompensate two families who manage 0.15ha of the heritage site. Theyhave committed to handing over the land in the next quarter two of this year.
Associate Professor, Dr Tong Trung Tin, Chairman of the Vietnam ArcheologyAssociation, said the top concern of UNESCO, authorities and scientists aboutThang Long Imperial Citadel is its unified management.
According to him, Hanoi has made great efforts in implementing the commitmentto UNESCO and has acquired most of the area of the heritage site over the years.
Tin suggested the city work to speed up the unified management on the rest ofthe area that has not yet been acquired.
Hanoi leaders have pledged that the city will seriously implement theGovernment's commitment to UNESCO on the unification of the Thang Long ImperialCitadel.
The city will work with the Ministry of National Defence to accelerate theconstruction of a new Vietnam Military History Museum in Nam Tu Liem districtto take over its former location for the heritage site.
The archaeological excavations of Thang Long Imperial Citadel since 2002 haveunearthed millions of relics of various types from ceramics, chinaware, tometal objects.
On December 4 last year, the People's Committee of Hanoi and the VietnamAcademy of Social Sciences signed a memorandum of understanding to implementthe plan for the handover of all the remaining relics from 2020 to 2025.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong suggested theitems should be handed over as soon as possible.
According to him, although this process has been done for a long time, it isimpossible to preserve and display the relics as long as they have not been fullyhanded over.
The relics are classified into many types, so the receiving and managing unitmust evaluate and classify them before building the project for theirarchaeological display.
Professor, Ph.D Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Director of Centre for Hanoi Studies andCapital Development said the unified management of Thang Long Citadel heritagehas taken too long and related agencies need to speed up the progress.
He also said that the handover and reception of relics must comply with the Lawon Cultural Heritage./.
VNA
