In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage - Convention 1972; 20 years of research, excavation and discovery of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi (2002-2022), on September 8 and 9, the Hanoi People's Committee coordinated with the Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Hanoi and the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences to organize the international scientific conference "20 years of research, conservation and promotion of the heritage values ​​of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi". The conference is an opportunity to summarize the outstanding achievements in the management, research, conservation and promotion of values ​​at the Central Area of ​​the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi from 2002 to present, especially introducing the results of 10 years of archaeological excavation in the area of ​​Kinh Thien Palace; At the same time, it helps those who work in research, conservation and heritage promotion at home and abroad have the opportunity to exchange, learn experiences, and conduct comparative research in the restoration of palaces; consult scientifically on the orientation for research, conservation and promotion of the values ​​of the World Heritage Site of the Central Area of ​​the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi; promote activities to promote the unique cultural values ​​of Thang Long - Hanoi, Vietnam to spread domestically and internationally. This is also an opportunity to promote the image of the Heritage Site of the Central Area of ​​the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi, an unmissable destination for tourism in the capital, a historical and cultural park in the future.
Delegates attending the workshop.
Attending the workshop were comrades: Dinh Tien Dung, Politburo member, Secretary of the City Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Hanoi; Nguyen Thi Tuyen, Party Central Committee member, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee; Tran Sy Thanh, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee; Ms. Nao Hayashi, representative of the World Heritage Center, in charge of the Asia-Pacific region; Ms. Marie Laure Lavenir, President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) - an independent advisory body for UNESCO; Mr. Christian Manhart, Chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam... and representatives of ministries, branches, central agencies; scientists in the fields of history, archaeology, conservation, heritage... at home and abroad. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh emphasized: More than 1,000 years ago, in the 11th century - 1010, the ancient land of Thang Long - now Hanoi was chosen by King Ly Thai To as the capital of Dai Viet and named Thang Long with the wish that the capital would become more and more prosperous like the sacred dragon flying up. For more than 10 centuries, from the Ly Dynasty (11th - 12th century) to the Nguyen Dynasty (19th - 20th century), the feudal dynasties of Vietnam continuously inherited, built and developed Dai La Citadel to become Thang Long - Dong Kinh - Hanoi with the role and position as the political, cultural and economic center of the whole country. Through many historical changes, the vestiges of Thang Long Citadel are still evident through the system of relics and artifacts found in the Central Area of ​​Thang Long Imperial Citadel today.
Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh spoke at the workshop.
According to Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh, the excavation of the Thang Long - Hanoi Imperial Citadel is a major excavation in the history of archaeology in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The first excavations were conducted in December 2002, at the archaeological site 18 Hoang Dieu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi. The excavation results have revealed traces of the Thang Long - Hanoi Imperial Citadel in the historical process spanning 13 centuries, with relics and cultural layers overlapping each other. This is a complex of relics and artifacts with a long history and culture; a typical cultural, historical and archaeological relic; material evidence, reflecting a high level of technology, containing historical, architectural and artistic values. At the same time, it reflects the cultural exchange in a long historical process of the Vietnamese people with countries in the region and the world. “With the special historical, cultural and scientific values ​​of the relic, in 2009 the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam decided to rank the historical and archaeological relic of the Central Area of ​​the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi as a special national relic,” emphasized Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh. Nearly a decade since its discovery, in 2010, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Cultural Heritage, right on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi. Since then, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Hanoi People's Committee and the Central Ministries and branches have paid special attention to preserving and promoting the value of the Heritage Site. The city has established a Steering Committee to implement the Project to preserve, restore and promote the value of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and the Co Loa Relic Site; Direct the strict implementation of the Vietnamese Government's commitments to ICOMOS's recommendations on heritage; continue to promote historical research, archaeology, conservation, introduction and promotion to promote the value of the Heritage; so that Thang Long Imperial Citadel will always be the pride of the country and people of Vietnam.
Mr. Christian Manhart, Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Vietnam, spoke at the workshop.
To contribute to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the fundamental values ​​of the World Heritage Site of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh hopes that experts, scientists, and managers will contribute many creative and enthusiastic ideas, and propose feasible solutions to preserve and promote the value of the Heritage. The results of the Workshop will be the scientific basis for Hanoi to develop a plan to restore and reproduce the architectural heritage of the palace in the coming time; especially solutions to apply technology in the form of digital heritage. In his welcoming speech at the workshop, Chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam Christian Manhart said: There are few heritages in the world that demonstrate long-term continuity like the Central Relic Site of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, with many archaeological layers still unexplored underground. Mr. Christian Manhart emphasized that research and conservation of heritage is a very long-term process, requiring strategic planning and implementation. At the same time, priorities and areas of focus for research need to be clearly defined. According to Christian Manhart, the inscription of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel on the UNESCO World Heritage List is an honor, creating new commitments and responsibilities for everyone. The completion of the comprehensive management plan in 2013 marked an important milestone. It is a powerful tool for State management agencies to strengthen cooperation mechanisms between stakeholders; integrate management and conservation; improve site interpretation and education programs; and continue to invest in capacity building for staff.
Overview of the workshop.
Mr. Christian Manhart also affirmed that the results and recommendations of today's workshop will be the scientific basis for Thang Long Imperial Citadel to develop a long-term restoration plan for the architectural heritage. It is important to review existing documents and advise on scientific solutions on how to excavate, preserve and restore what remains of Kinh Thien Palace and the Main Palace, while preserving the Operations Department building. The workshop received 31 presentations from scientists, experts, and heritage managers at home and abroad. Of these, there were 8 presentations from international experts from Japan, France, England, Italy and 23 presentations from scientists, researchers, conservationists, managers... from research institutes/centers, universities, cultural management agencies, museums and world cultural heritages. The presentations mentioned the results achieved in activities at Thang Long Imperial Citadel in the 20 years since its discovery, especially 10 years since it was honored as a World Cultural Heritage in the fields of archaeological excavation according to the recommendations of ICOMOS; sharing experiences in preserving and restoring architectural works at heritage sites; sharing experiences in interpreting, displaying and preserving museums to clarify the outstanding global values ​​of world heritage sites; studying architectural design solutions to preserve and promote the value of the archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu... During the two days of the workshop, delegates focused on discussing two topics. The first topic was to evaluate the results of 20 years of research on the heritage of Thang Long Imperial Citadel - Hanoi, especially the results of the research in the last 10 years, since Thang Long Imperial Citadel was honored as a World Cultural Heritage. The second topic is promoting heritage values: practical experience and orientation, focusing on the orientation of research and restoration of some architectural works at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic site, focusing on the Kinh Thien Palace space and Kinh Thien Main Palace. The results of the Workshop will be the scientific basis for the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center to propose plans to restore and reproduce the architectural heritage of the palace in the coming time; especially supplementing documents and consulting on scientific solutions, applying technology in the process of implementing the Project to study the plan to restore the Kinh Thien Palace space and preserve the Department of Operations building as a digital heritage; completing the Heritage Management Plan for the period 2022 - 2030, vision 2045./. Source: https://dangcongsan.vn/tu-tuong-van-hoa/20-nam-nghien-cuu-bao-ton-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-di-san-hoang-thanh-thang-long-ha-noi-619071.html