Thang Long Imperial Citadel - Symbol of the Capital's culture Protecting the integrity and outstanding global value of the heritage

The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was the first monument of Hanoi to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 2010 thanks to its integrity, authenticity and outstanding universal values.

This is not only a heritage of the country and people of Vietnam but also a property of the world. Therefore, the management, preservation and promotion of the value of this heritage is always the top priority of the Government and Hanoi city.

*The Operations Department building is expected to be demolished to serve the reconstruction of the Than Dao axis, Kinh Thien palace and Kinh Thien palace space. Photo: Linh Tam*

The stature of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel heritage is a complex of relics associated with the history of Thang Long - Hanoi throughout its 13-century history, starting from the pre-Thang Long period (7th - 9th century) through the Dinh - Tien Le period (10th century), especially strongly developed under the Ly - Tran - Le period (11th - 18th century), through the Nguyen period (19th - 20th century) until today. In 1010, when moving the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long, King Thai To Ly Cong Uan built Thang Long citadel according to the "three-layer citadel" model consisting of 3 walls: the Capital (where the people lived), the Imperial Citadel (where officials lived and worked) and the Forbidden City (a place reserved for royalty). Throughout the 11th - 18th centuries, this place was always the political and administrative center of the monarchy, the capital of Dai Viet nation. In the 19th century, the Nguyen Dynasty moved the capital to Phu Xuan (Hue), Thang Long was downgraded to Bac Thanh (ie Hanoi Citadel), but Kinh Thien Palace and Hau Lau in the Forbidden City were still kept as temporary palaces for the Nguyen Kings when they visited the North. When the French colonialists completely occupied Indochina, Hanoi became the administrative center of the Indochina Federation. Hanoi Citadel was used as the Supreme Command of the French army. At this time, almost all temples and palaces were destroyed, only Bac Mon and Ky Dai were kept. Instead, French-style buildings were built on the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace and Long Tri yard. In 1954, after the liberation of the capital, Hanoi Citadel became the headquarters of the Vietnam People's Army until 2004. Today, the Central Area of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, including the archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu and the Hanoi Citadel, is located in the Ba Dinh political center, the workplace of the highest leadership agencies of the Party and State, an area with many national values in culture, history and architectural space associated with the development of the country. This is an important center of the capital, where important political and cultural activities of the country are held. Thus, over 13 centuries, Thang Long Imperial Citadel has always played the role of the country's political center and is the most important relic in the relic system of Vietnam. At the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brazil, held on July 31, 2010, the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage. The outstanding features of this heritage are the length of its cultural history over 13 centuries; the continuity of the heritage as a center of power over many centuries and the possession of diverse cultural layers, relics and artifacts. This is also the place that bears the mark of cultural expressions and events of great significance. A model in heritage conservation After being recognized by UNESCO, in 2013, the Hanoi People's Committee approved the Heritage Management Plan of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi, together with Decision No. 8038/QD-UBND dated December 31, 2013. This plan has basically met the national and international requirements in the management of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel heritage and has become an important tool for the management, protection and promotion of the heritage value. The plan includes 7 long-term, consistent goals, and 6 main tasks that need to be focused on: Heritage management; Conservation of relics, artifacts and landscapes; Research on heritage; Capacity building for heritage management staff; Promotion of heritage value.

*Relics excavated at Thang Long Imperial Citadel demonstrate the overlapping cultural layers at this heritage site. Photo: Linh Tam*

One of the consistent goals in the management process of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel heritage site, shared by Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center Nguyen Thanh Quang, is to build this place into a cultural and historical park to promote the outstanding global value of the relic site, demonstrating an area of the most important historical significance, existing and developing for thousands of years of the country. This goal is determined in the planning approved by Hanoi city, in which phase 1 (until 2020) will strengthen archaeological research, research scientific data to restore a number of important relics, emphasizing the spatial axis from Ky Dai to Bac Mon; demolish temporary works that have no architectural value or use value, and restore green space to serve archaeological research... Phase 2 (after 2020), implement reconstruction and restoration work based on research from the previous phase; implementing projects to promote the intangible cultural values of the Heritage Site; connecting with neighboring spaces and relics... However, important items that represent the outstanding global value of the heritage site have been preserved but not up to par, typically the Kinh Thien Palace relic and the 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site... For many reasons, the restoration of Kinh Thien Palace cannot be carried out due to difficulties in legal regulations under the Law on Cultural Heritage of Vietnam and commitments under the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Convention 1972). Fortunately, at the 46th session held in July 2024, UNESCO agreed with Vietnam's proposal on the orientation and vision for research, conservation and development of the World Heritage Site of the Central Area of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, including agreeing to dismantle some works of little value built in the 19th century. The reason why UNESCO agreed to the demolition plan is because these works "do not contribute to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and are encroaching on the Central Axis", and from there, move towards restoring the Kinh Thien Palace space. This is also the effort of Hanoi city, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, domestic and international experts and the joint advisory delegation of UNESCO/ICOMOS who visited the heritage in July 2023 to assess the feasibility of these proposals. To receive the hammer of approval from the Chairman of the World Heritage Committee through Decision No. 46 COM 7B.43 approving the proposed contents of Vietnam is a long and elaborate process of preparing scientific documents. Sharing about this issue, Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center Nguyen Thanh Quang said that, in addition to proving to the World Heritage Committee that the Vietnamese Government has complied with and properly implemented its commitments to UNESCO under the 1972 Convention over the past 10 years, the Center has coordinated with domestic and international experts to build a rigorous scientific dossier, demonstrating the archaeological strategy and vision for the Central Axis as well as the reconstruction of the space and main hall of Kinh Thien. Affirming the importance of the dossier, Director of the World Heritage Center Lazare Eloundou Assomo said that this dossier is not only meaningful to Vietnam but also to the world because it is associated with new issues related to the development process of the heritage. He also considered this a model of cooperation between a member country and UNESCO and the consulting agency, and a typical example of world heritage conservation. In order to effectively manage, preserve and promote heritage values in the coming period, the Hanoi People's Committee has issued the World Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the Central Area of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi for the period of 2024 - 2028, with a vision to 2035 and a vision to 2045, together with Decision No. 261/QD-UBND dated January 15, 2024. This plan aims to build a long-term strategy to protect the integrity and outstanding global values of the Heritage Site, synchronously implement solutions to manage, preserve, restore and promote historical, cultural and spiritual values contained in the components of the heritage site; turn the heritage into a cultural symbol of the Capital and contribute to the development of cultural industry associated with heritage tourism. In addition, this plan is also an important legal and scientific basis to help management agencies and relevant parties develop specific policies and actions to effectively implement Vietnam's international commitments and obligations in protecting, preserving, restoring, promoting the value and transferring heritage to future generations in accordance with the spirit of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.