Thang Long imperial city covers about 18 000 square meters and is second in area only by the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. The scale and style are similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Many dynasties built their palaces in Thang Long to run the country for almost thirteen centuries. Given its architectural richness Thang Long won the title of World Heritage in 2010. This site became the number 900 inscribed on the List of UNESCO.
Thang Long preserves relics as the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace, of the Le So dynasty, with stone steps and balconies carved with dragons made in 1467, the door Doan Mon, southern entrance to the Forbidden City, and the Flag Tower, a symbol of the Vietnamese capital. It is said say that when establishing the city, King Ly Thai To considered this site as “an essential meeting place of the four directions,” as “a position between earth and sky”.
The easiest access to this patrimonial site is near the Hoan Kiem Lake, a beautiful lake with a red wooden bridge, a pagoda and interesting stories about a turtle that lives in its waters. Nearby are hotels for all purchasing power as the Hanoi Spark Hotel, very clean and comfortable, with friendly staff and helpful, or the Silk Path Hotel, strategically located in the Old Town area.
Historians and archaeologists believe that “there is an underground Thang Long”, since many relics and artifacts from different historical periods have been found in the subsoil. In the excavation area, currently 33 000 square meters, are overlapped layers of different cultures with samples of architecture, sewage systems, water wells, foundations, pillars and walls. In 1998, during an excavation of exploration in Doan Mon, Hau Lau and Cua Bac, were found many artifacts from the Ly and Tran dynasties.
A decade later, near the Kinh Thien palace grounds were found traces of the Court in front of the royal palace of the Le Dynasty, which was built with wooden bricks, typical of the era. If your interest is military architecture, there are still some works of the French in the late nineteenth century, as the office of command of the French artillery, built on part of the Kinh Thien Palace base.
Thang Long was the center of the Delta of the Red River, home of the wet rice civilization of Nam people. Because of this favorable position and construction efforts of the royal dynasties, became an eternal capital.
The ancient royal city of Thang Long site is a must see for anyone who arrives at the Indochinese nation. Last year more than six million international visitors enjoyed Vietnam holidays, an unprecedented record. The authorities expect the number of tourists exceeded 10 million in 2020.
