The UNESCO has always kept an eye on the Thang Long Royal Citadel, a world cultural heritage. The organization will inspect the site this June, said Director of the Institute of Archaeology Tong Trung Tin.

Ass. Prof, Dr. Do Trung Tin said that the institute anticipated the possible impacts caused by the construction of the National Assembly building on the citadel before the project was implemented. The institute asked the management board of the National Assembly building project to work together to preserve the heritage.

According to Dr. Tin, the project management board received the institute’s recommendations and warnings but it still carried out the project in its own way.

The board didn’t attend the meeting on April 7 to seek measures to deal with cracks and sinking caused by its project to the ancient citadel, which had representatives of the National Cultural Heritage Council, Hanoi authorities, the Cultural Heritage Department and the Institute of Archaeology.

Tin said that the Center for Preservation of Co Loa Relic and Thang Long Royal Citadel would report the case to the Hanoi government and ask Hanoi to report to the Ministry of Construction and the Prime Minister.

The expert said he is very worried about the ancient citadel because the UNESCO always keeps an eye on every impact to the heritage. “This June, UNESCO will inspect the Thang Long Royal Citadel,” he said.

Prof. Luu Tran Tieu, Chairman of the National Heritage Council, it is necessary to build the National Assembly building and preserve the ancient citadel and to ensure the harmony between preservation and development.

“UNESCO has recognized the citadel as a world cultural heritage but it can revoke the title if we don’t well preserve the relic,” Tieu said.

Vice Chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Young and Children Nguyen Minh Thuyet said said for any reason, the constructor and the management board of the National Assembly building project must seek measures to protect the relic.

“Related sides must sit together to find out a solution for the incident,” Thuyet stressed.

“The title recognized by the UNESCO is valuable but it is more valuable to preserve the relic for the people,” Thuyet said.

According to the Institute for Archaeology, a section of the wall to protect the northern area of the relic collapsed while the structure of soil layers of the relic was broken because of the construction of the National Assembly building.

The Institute said that the landmark of the relic has been broken. The National Assembly House project also  caused  the relic to sink, affecting the preservation of this important relic.

Mud water has also overflowed from the National Assembly House project to the relic.

Excavated in 2003 with hundreds of valuable items of the Dynasties of Ly, Tran, etc., the Thang Long Royal Citadel was recognized by the UNESCO as the World Cultural Heritage in August 2010.

The construction of the National Assembly building began in October 2009. The building is 39m high, with two basements and five floors, totaling over 60,000sq.m. The underground car park will have three stories, to contain up to 500 cars. The investment capital for this work is VND4.797 billion. It is scheduled to finish in 2012.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Nguyen Hong Quan, Minister of Construction at that time, said that the construction of the new building would be harmoniously combined with the preservation of the nearby relic at 18 Hoang Dieu, to make a combination of modern but traditional architectural works.

PV