Priceless antiquities from Toulouse, France, and Hanoi, Vietnam, are revealed at an exhibition at Hanoi's Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Opened on April 13, the event "From the Underground to the Museum: A Journey of Artifacts" highlighted the similarities between Toulouse's and Hanoi's heritage preservation.

The exhibition, organized by the Hanoi People's Committee in cooperation with the Toulouse City Government and the French Development Agency (AFD), is part of the 12th Vietnam-France Decentralization Conference on April 14-16. It shows the connection and history of cooperation between the two cities, heritage conservation, and promotion of UNESCO heritage sites.

Artifacts on display at the exhibition. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

The exhibition explains heritage research and presentation, with the contribution of experts on archeology, history, architecture, design, and museum studies.

The showing includes three themes: Hanoi and Toulouse build a shared and sustainable future; Promoting the value of UNESCO heritage sites; Promoting heritage values: from archaeological excavation to museum.

Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha said that Hanoi and Toulouse, two large dynamic cities, are proud to own an urban heritage that is particularly linked to its history and status as the capital of a region or a country for many centuries.

“In the coming time, Hanoi wishes to have many cooperation projects in many fields, especially culture, tourism, and heritage,” she said.

Since 2016, the new partnership between Hanoi and Toulouse has focused on preserving the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a thousand-year-old heritage recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.

A visitor at the exhibition. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

This is a favorable place to develop cooperation in archaeological heritage management for architectural monuments, artifacts, and museological approaches.

Launched in 2020, the Vietnam-France technical assistance initiative aims to protect and develop the value of the characteristic urban heritage and archaeological treasures of the Thang Long Citadel. It also improves the overall management tools of the citadel, the qualifications of the center's staff, the sustainable development plan for the site in compliance with UNESCO standards, and the promotion of Toulouse's heritage management know-how.

Toulouse Deputy Mayor Jean-Claude Dardelet said Toulouse and Hanoi had effectively co-operated in many fields, especially heritage conservation. “Each heritage has a different value and meaning. The management board of Thang Long Imperial Citadel needs to promote conservation work to create economic and tourism values,” he said.

In addition, it is necessary to focus on training human resources and implementing project results to conserve and promote the heritage effectively.