The Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi, Vietnam is a very significant historical site in the country. Also called the “18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site,” it contains traces of the palaces built by the Ly, Tran and Le Dynasties. Covering 45,380 square meters of area, the site is a sacred ground for important historical relics from millions of years ago. In celebration of Hanoi’s 1,000th birthday celebration on October, the Vietnamese government has agreed to a project proposal to convert a certain area in the site into a cultural and historical park. The proposed project will be a park studded with royal palace relics from the mentioned dynasties. But according to officials, not all of the relics will be dug and displayed. Certain items, especially those which have become extremely sensitive and dangerous to unearth, will be left buried in the ground to preserve their historical significance.

The excavation of these relics took eight painstaking years of research and hard work. It was only opened for public viewing in time for Hanoi’s millennium anniversary. It was closed again in early November for further research and preservation. Thang Long Royal Citadel is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It received its recognition award August of this year. For a certain period of time, UNESCO has been sending scientists from other countries to help preserve and develop the area since the humid and wet weather of the city has destroyed many of the important historical relics.