The workshop announced the latest findings from the 2025 archaeological excavation, contributing to clarifying the history, scale, and spatial structure of the most important central area of Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
Excavation activities were carried out based on the recommendations of UNESCO/ICOMOS and Decisions No. 46 COM 7B.43 and 47 COM 7B.92 of the World Heritage Committee. Accordingly, UNESCO agreed with Vietnam's proposals on the orientation and vision for research, preservation, and promotion of the value of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel - Hanoi World Heritage Site, and also allowed the dismantling of some modern and contemporary structures obstructing the central axis to facilitate comprehensive research of the Kinh Thien Main Palace area.
Specifically, Decision No. 46 COM 7B.43 permits the demolition of six modern buildings, including the Artillery Building (CT04), the Operations Department Building (CT17), and buildings CT20, CT21, CT24, and CT25. The demolition will be carried out strictly according to the procedures reported to UNESCO, in compliance with the Venice Charter of 1964 and the Vietnamese Law on Cultural Heritage of 2024, ensuring the principle of controlled preservation.
Based on that, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, in coordination with the Institute of Archaeology, and following the direction of the Hanoi People's Committee and Decision No. 1344/QD-BVHTTDL dated May 13, 2025, of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, conducted archaeological excavations in the Kinh Thien Palace foundation area on the central axis of the Imperial Citadel, covering a total area of 580m². The excavation pit was opened at the location of the Artillery Building (CT04) foundation after this building was dismantled.
Associate Professor Dr. Tong Trung Tin - President of the Vietnam Archaeological Association - stated that preliminary results show the excavated area has a stratigraphic layer approximately 6 meters thick, comprising 6 continuously superimposed cultural layers dating from the Pre-Thang Long period (7th-10th centuries) to the modern period (19th-20th centuries). Of these, the Le Dynasty cultural layer is the thickest, nearly 3 meters, encompassing layers from the Early Le and Later Le Dynasties.
Corresponding to the cultural layers is a rich system of architectural remains from many historical periods. Notably, there is a row of red bricks from the Tran Dynasty (13th-14th centuries), a row of gray bricks from the early Le Dynasty (15th-16th centuries), the stone paving of the Imperial Road, and 14 architectural foundations of the Kinh Thien Main Hall from the Le Trung Hung period (17th-18th centuries). Including excavations in 2011, 2023, and 2025, 30 out of 36 column foundations of the Kinh Thien Main Hall have been unearthed to date, including both single and double foundations.
Furthermore, archaeologists also discovered two water conduits and 26 out of 64 pillar foundations of the Long Thien Palace architecture from the Nguyen Dynasty (19th century). The remains of the Long Thien Palace perfectly match the East-West boundary of the French-era Artillery Building, allowing us to confirm that this structure was built by King Gia Long in the "double-tiered roof" architectural style, consisting of a front hall and a main hall placed on the same foundation, connected by an auxiliary hall.
The excavation also shed light on the scale and architectural foundation of the Kính Thiên Palace during the Lê Dynasty. Accordingly, the palace's foundation was entirely artificially constructed using clay and broken materials, before the column foundations were planned. The column foundation system of the Lê Trung Hưng period was very large, with single foundations ranging from 2.8-3.5m wide and double foundations up to 5.4-6.1m wide, created by 81 layers of compacted material approximately 4m thick – the largest column foundations ever recorded in the history of Vietnamese architecture. Based on the excavated foundations, it can be determined that the Kính Thiên Palace had a scale of 9 bays in the East-West direction, while the North-South boundary still needs further research.
Notably, this is the first time that authentic cultural traces from the Ly, Tran, and Pre-Thang Long dynasties have been discovered in the Kinh Thien Palace foundation area, confirming the continuous layering of architectural structures from Dai La to the Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen, and modern dynasties.
According to scientists , the 2025 excavation will yield important new insights, clarifying the location, structure, and sacred nature of the Kính Thiên Palace in the history of Thăng Long - Đại Việt. This provides a solid scientific basis, crucial for future research, preservation, and restoration strategies of the Kính Thiên Palace, while fully meeting the recommendations of UNESCO/ICOMOS and contributing to a clearer understanding of the outstanding global values of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel - Hanoi World Heritage Site.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/phat-lo-ro-dau-tich-3-cung-dien-o-hoang-thanh-thang-long-2477084.html
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