Dinh Tien Dung, secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, urged local authorities on April 18 to start the restoration plan for Kinh Thien Palace in 2026.

Visitors at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

The Hanoi Party chief said the plan must be in line with science and history, taking into account the advice of domestic and international experts.

He said the restoration of the Kinh Thien Palace would greatly impact the capital's tourism and cultural industries.

"Drawing up the restoration plan must be completed by the end of 2025 so that construction can start the following year," the official said at a meeting on heritage preservation.

Hanoi also plans to spend VND14 trillion (US$596.2 million) on the reconstruction and conservation of heritage sites in the city.

In addition to Kinh Thien Palace, city authorities plan to build the temple of Ngo Quyen, the Vietnamese monarch who ended over 1,000 years of Chinese rule in 938, and other projects in the area of Co Loa Citadel, the legendary imperial city associated with tales of King An Duong Vuong and his multi-shot bow.

"Preserving heritage sites, completing projects on time, and making culture a driver of Hanoi's sustainability requires strong determination," Dung added.

Nguyen Thanh Quang, director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, said the center will "focus on finalizing the restoration plan for Kinh Thien Palace and submitting it to higher authorities."

"We expect to submit the restoration plan to the World Heritage Center in the third quarter of 2023 and complete land clearance in the surrounding areas within this year," he said.

At the meeting, Quang reported that more than 386,000 tourists had visited the imperial city and the Co Loa Citadel relic since the beginning of the year.

Total income from ticket and souvenir sales at the two relics is VND5.62 billion (US$239,300), accounting for 80% of the full-year target, Quang said, stressing that the relics welcomed 300 international guests during the 12th Vietnam-France Decentralization Cooperation Conference last week.

"The center and the Dong Anh District People’s Committee, the administrator of the Co Loa Citadel relic, are developing some activities to improve the preservation of the two heritages," he said.

Hanoi is home to more than 1,200 national-level relics, accounting for a third of the total in the country. With a history background of more than 1,000 years, Hanoi possesses a vast amount of both tangible and intangible values to the nation.

Hanoi has more than 1,200 national-level relics, accounting for one-third of the country's total. With a history spanning over one thousand years, Hanoi brings a wealth of material and immaterial assets to the nation.

At the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic, more than 16.6 hectares, or 91% of the relic's area, have been explored. The city is looking for ways to remove houses in the surrounding area.

Hanoi became the capital of ancient Vietnam in 1010 under the Ly Dynasty with the toponym Thang Long (Flying Dragon). The city was renamed Hanoi in 1831 under the reign of King  Minh Mang.