Thang Long Imperial Citadel - An attractive heritage destination

The fan exhibition space at Thang Long Imperial Citadel will open on June 1. Photo: Vu Hai

Experience the ancient palace

For many years, Thang Long Imperial Citadel has regularly organized programs and activities recreating the lifestyle of the ancient royal palace such as: Incense offering ceremony, court ceremony, fan ceremony... Visitors coming here can not only see the royal rituals still recorded in history books but also experience many activities such as wearing ancient costumes, taking check-in photos...

To welcome summer 2024, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center has created the program "Thang Long Doan Ngo Festival of the past" with many meaningful activities for people and tourists to experience, starting from June 1.

According to the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, Tet Doan Ngo (Tet Doan Duong) is a traditional festival of Vietnam and some East Asian countries, taking place on the 5th of May. In Vietnam, people often call it the "insect extermination" festival with many unique customs and rituals.

Historical sources such as Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, Le Trieu Hoi Dien, Lich Trieu Hien Chuong Loai Chi... all show that in the royal court during the Le Dynasty, Doan Ngo Festival was a regular court ceremony, the emperor was mandated by heaven to perform a number of rituals such as worshiping the previous emperors, holding banquets and giving fans to civil and military mandarins... Although Doan Ngo Festival in the royal court and among the people has different rituals and customs, it is an occasion for descendants to return to their roots, remember the merits of their ancestors, pray for health, peace, and bountiful crops.

This year's "Tet Doan Ngo of Thang Long" program is part of a series of activities on the occasion of Tet Doan Ngo 2024 and International Children's Day June 1, including: Displaying traditional folk customs, rituals in the royal court on Tet Doan Ngo such as the custom of eating fruit, eating banh tro, eating sticky rice wine (on June 1)... In addition, the program also practices two special rituals on Tet Doan Ngo in the royal court: the ancestor worship ceremony and the fan ceremony; performing and exchanging the art of tea drinking (on June 5 and 6).

Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center Nguyen Thanh Quang said that the unit regularly conducts research from historical documents and consults with historians and cultural experts to organize activities and events to honor the historical and cultural values of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage. Many activities reenact the rituals and festivals of the ancient royal palace, helping people and tourists better understand a part of the nation's history as well as promote the destination value of the World Heritage.

Impressions of the Imperial City at night

Currently, in addition to organizing events and sightseeing activities during the day, night tourism products at Thang Long Imperial Citadel are attracting a large number of visitors. The night tour “Decoding Thang Long Imperial Citadel” takes place every Friday and Saturday evening and has been maintained regularly for nearly 2 years now.

Nguyen Minh Thu, Head of the Tour Guide and Interpretation Department of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, said that each week, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel attracts 250 - 300 visitors to experience the night tour. Of which, the number of young visitors and international visitors accounts for a high proportion.

The Thang Long Imperial Citadel Night Tour is built with two versions to serve a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Tourists can not only visit the unique architecture of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, admire national treasures, enjoy royal music, water puppetry, but also practice incense offering rituals, visit the excavation site, and get water from an ancient well dating back to the Tran Dynasty. In addition, tourists can also participate in the game of decoding puzzles about Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Trang (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi) shared that she has experienced both the day and night tours at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, each time having different emotions. “The night tour is designed with many interesting activities that bring a very new experience. The games associated with the program have high educational significance,” Ms. Thu Trang expressed.

According to Italian tourist Antonio Citterio, the night tour at the Imperial Citadel is quite interesting, different from the feeling of going during the day. The night tour not only provides information about the history and culture of Vietnamese dynasties but also helps visitors have a very comfortable relaxing time.

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, Thang Long Imperial Citadel is always an attractive destination of the capital. During holidays and Tet, the number of visitors here increases, contributing effectively to attracting domestic and foreign tourists. Typically, during the recent April 30 and May 1 holidays, Thang Long Imperial Citadel was one of the destinations with the highest number of visitors, with 31,400 visitors.

With many attractive programs taking place from June 1, Thang Long Imperial Citadel promises to be an attractive destination for tourists this summer.

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