Hanoi Citadel from above. Photo source in article | TTBTDS TL-HN.
"The historical record proves the history of Thang Long with original artifacts"
The Central Relic Site of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi (commonly known as the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long) covers an area of over 18 hectares, including the Hanoi Citadel and the Archaeological Site at 18 Hoang Dieu.
Coming to the Citadel, the central axis of the Thang Long Forbidden City during the Ly-Tran-Le dynasties and the Hanoi Citadel during the Nguyen Dynasty, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the four surrounding streets possessing the most gentle and romantic beauty in the Capital (including Phan Dinh Phung, Nguyen Tri Phuong, Dien Bien Phu and Hoang Dieu).
Coming to the Imperial Citadel today, visitors can freely admire the remaining valuable architectural relics such as Ky Dai (Hanoi Flag Tower) and Doan Mon; Kinh Thien Palace with a pair of stone dragons representing the beautiful sculpture art of the Early Le Dynasty and Hau Lau; Bac Mon with the mossy and silent citadel wall; the Hanh Cung gates and the revolutionary relics of Nha and Ham D67...
Turning to 18 Hoang Dieu, visitors will encounter an archaeological site that has encapsulated the most brilliant golden pages of the millennium of the land of the flying dragon. Since December 2002, the largest archaeological excavation in Vietnam and Southeast Asia on a total area of 19 thousand square meters has revealed traces of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long with relics and cultural layers continuously overlapping each other.
The “best preserved underground architectural remains in Asia” and millions of valuable artifacts have partly recreated the historical process spanning from the period of Chinese domination under the rule of the Sui and Tang dynasties (7th to 9th centuries), throughout the Ly-Tran-Le-Mac and Nguyen dynasties (1010-1945).
According to information from the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, wandering around and exploring the dense archaeological pits here, visitors will be able to see with their own eyes from the bottom layer (the architectural system of the Pre-Thang Long period, also known as the An Nam Protectorate or Dai La period and many precious relics and ceramics dating from the 7th-9th century) to the upper layer with traces of Ly-Tran architecture from the 11th-14th century. The top layer is the Le Dynasty architecture (15th-18th century) with traces of brick foundations, a water well system, especially the 5-clawed dragon-decorated tiles used to cover the palace roof and the royal porcelain reserved for the king...
On the occasion of Thang Long - Hanoi jubilantly welcoming its 1,000th birthday, this precious gem was officially honored by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, becoming a common asset of all mankind when converging three outstanding criteria: the length of cultural history throughout 13 centuries; the continuity of the heritage as a center of power and the diverse, rich, vivid layers of relics and artifacts, overlapping each other quite continuously through historical periods, reflecting the level and national identity of a large and oldest cultural center in Vietnam.
As affirmed by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova at the certificate awarding ceremony: “Very few countries in the world can preserve the vivid memories of the founding of the capital 1,000 years ago without it being lost over time. I admire you very much for this. From now on, you have a responsibility to all of humanity in your efforts to promote, protect and pass on this heritage to future generations”. It can be said that this relic site is “a history that proves the thousand-year history of Thang Long with original, objective and vivid artifacts” - as assessed by author Luu Minh Tri in the book Hanoi - famous landscapes and relics.
The North Gate is full of nostalgia amidst the flow of a thousand years of historical ups and downs.
To keep the legacy alive and shining
Cultural heritage is a resource that plays an important role in attracting tourists. In particular, the highlights recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage such as Thang Long Imperial Citadel will be tourism resources that leave a strong and unique impression on visitors, contributing to increasing the value of the destination.
However, compared to the remaining 7 cultural-natural heritages of Vietnam, this potential destination still ranks quite modestly, both in terms of the number of visits and revenue from domestic and foreign tourists. Notably, the number of visitors returning for the second time is not much, the minimum visit time is only 1.5-2 hours, showing that the experiential activities and accompanying services are quite limited.
According to data provided by Nguyen Hong Chi, Deputy Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, the number of visitors to the Imperial Citadel in the period 2015-2019 maintained an average increase of 30% per year, reaching 517 thousand in 2019. The proportion of international visitors is quite impressive, with 45.2% in 2018 and 57% in 2019. In 2023, the number of visitors has surpassed the pre-pandemic period and the Center is expecting 1 million visitors by the end of 2024. Currently, the Imperial Citadel welcomes an average of 1,500-2,000 visitors per day, with peak times reaching 8-10 thousand people.
Explaining the reason why the economic efficiency has not been commensurate with the potential, Ms. Hong Chi said that although the Imperial Citadel became a World Heritage Site in 2010, it was not until 2015 that it opened to visitors, with the initial level of investment in research, conservation and promotion of heritage values being very modest. The fee of 30,000 VND/person was applied from the first year, only increasing to 70,000 VND from the beginning of 2024 and 100,000 VND from the beginning of 2025. For a relic containing global value of the Imperial Citadel, this entrance fee is quite low, equivalent to only 1-4 USD.
From the subjective perspective of an insider, Deputy Director Nguyen Hong Chi analyzed that the failure to identify the main customer groups in each stage, the lack of a strategy to attract customers for each market, the exhibition activities according to themes are not really unique, the support services are not professional and systematic... are some of the main reasons why the operational efficiency has not been as expected. However, besides the shortcomings that need to be frankly acknowledged to overcome, it is also necessary to acknowledge the great creative efforts of the team of people who are working day and night on the journey to preserve and maximize the value of heritage.
In recent years, many diverse and attractive tourism products that help visitors get close-up-touch-incarnate to better understand the historical values of the Imperial Citadel have been continuously launched and received very positive feedback from the heritage-loving public.
There are tours such as Touching the Past , focusing on attractions such as Doan Mon, House D67 and two secret basements of the General Headquarters, combined with incense offering activities in front of Kinh Thien Palace to commemorate the 52 former emperors, experiencing the water of the ancient well of the Royal Palace... Or the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Night Tour every weekend, where visitors have the opportunity to admire the shimmering, magical relic site under the night sky, take photos with the palace maids and guards in ancient costumes, participate in the card decoding game with an impressive laser show, and enjoy lotus tea and lotus jam right under the shade of an ancient Bodhi tree...
The journey to connect the capital's attractive destinations with the relic site has also begun. The green tourism product by electric car connecting Hoan Kiem Lake with the Imperial Citadel has "achieved very positive results". Turning the heritage center into a must-see destination on the city tour has also helped visitors have an overall picture, thereby suggesting slices that attract them to come back to decode the next time. And the idea of collaborating with the Hanoi Tourism Corporation to build a route to explore the Temple of Literature - Imperial Citadel - Uncle Ho's Mausoleum - Ho Chi Minh Museum has also been thoroughly discussed.
Visitors attend the incense offering ceremony in memory of the former emperors in front of Kinh Thien Palace.
More than anyone else, Hanoi understands very well the priceless value of the precious heritage gem that it is fortunate to possess. And Hanoi is making every effort to turn that gem into an effective cultural tourism product, on the path to positioning the capital's cultural industry brand.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/hanh-trinh-giai-ma-nghin-nam-di-san-post847007.html
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