NTO - Kinh Thien Power Plant

On December 21, at the conference reporting the preliminary results of the 2023 exploration excavation of the Kinh Thien Palace area and the results of excavation and archaeological research from 2011 to present at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, scientists affirmed that the 2023 excavation work has achieved positive results in identifying traces of the Kinh Thien Palace.

The conference was organized by the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center and the Institute of Archaeology.

Surveying the excavation pit, the international expert team of the World Heritage Center (UNESCO, ICOMOS) and domestic experts highly appreciated seeing with their own eyes that the architectural vestiges of many historical periods were still well preserved under the Kinh Thien Palace. This is a highly authentic scientific basis for the research on the restoration and reconstruction of the Kinh Thien Palace.

In 2023, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center coordinated with the Institute of Archaeology to conduct exploratory excavations in the northeastern area of the Kinh Thien Palace relic site with a total area of more than 1,000 m2 at 3 locations: the Operations Department, the Kinh Thien Palace foundation and Hau Lau.

Visit the archaeological excavation site in the South of Hau Lau Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.

At the excavation pit on the north side of the Operations Department building, some sections of the Dan Tri courtyard as well as traces of the Royal Path were revealed following the excavation results in 2022, the architectural foundation of the Ly Dynasty. At the location on the Kinh Thien Palace foundation, exploratory excavation pits were opened directly on the Kinh Thien Palace foundation.

Up to now, at the location of the exploratory excavation pits, architectural traces of the Nguyen Dynasty (19th - 20th century), the Le Trung Hung Dynasty (17th - 18th century) and the Le So Dynasty (15th - 16th century) have been revealed. Basically, the excavation has provided two important pieces of information about the structure and foundation of the Kinh Thien Palace of the Le Dynasty and the Le Trung Hung Dynasty, 17th - 18th century. Besides the architectural traces, the excavation also collected many types of brick, tile, glazed ceramic and earthenware relics related to the architectural development and life of the Royal Palace here.

From 2011 to present, after the Central Area of Thang Long Imperial Citadel - Hanoi was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center has coordinated with the Institute of Archaeology (Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences) and the Vietnam Archaeological Association to conduct excavation and research in the central area (Kinh Thien Palace area) with a total area of over 10,000 m2.

The excavations have yielded results in understanding the outstanding global values of the World Heritage Site of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi; at the same time, many new documents with high authenticity have been collected, contributing to the research and restoration of Kinh Thien Palace. The excavation results have identified a rich system of relics and artifacts and initially identified a part of the architectural structure of the Kinh Thien Palace area during the early Le Dynasty (15th century - early 16th century) and the Le Trung Hung Dynasty (17th - 18th century), including: Kinh Thien Palace, Royal Road, Dai Trieu yard, gate, surrounding wall and corridor.

The overall structure of the space is arranged: Kinh Thien Palace is the highest and largest, built in the middle and slightly to the North. In the middle of the South is Doan Mon, the last main gate of Thang Long Forbidden City. Connecting Doan Mon and Kinh Thien Palace is the Royal Road, 136.7m long. On both sides of the Royal Road is the Dai Trieu yard, with an area of about 12,000m2. The four sides are surrounded by outer walls. Inside the wall is a corridor to avoid rain and sun, interspersed with entrances and exits.

Display of artifacts excavated at Thang Long Imperial Citadel in 2023.

The excavations also discovered over 70 gilded wooden architectural structures of a high-rise wooden structure of the Early Le Dynasty. A system of blue and gold glazed dragon tiles is represented as a unique embossed dragon found only in Thang Long and Vietnam. A multi-storey glazed terracotta architectural model records the configuration of a roofing style, a wooden structure of the Early Le Dynasty decorated with dragons and lotuses, and a bronze card named "Cung nu xuat mai bai" which was a card issued to palace maids who were allowed to enter and exit the inner palace to trade.

Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center Nguyen Thanh Quang said that the Center will coordinate with the Institute of Archaeology to develop an "Archaeological Strategy in the Central Axis of Thang Long Imperial Citadel"; in which, the focus is on the Kinh Thien Palace and the Kinh Thien Palace space. In addition, the unit will study the Inner Palace area (behind the Kinh Thien Palace) - the King's daily workplace.

According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper

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