Kicking off two exhibitions in celebration of the 44th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and Reunification of the country (30/4/1975 – 30/4/2019) and International Labour Day 1 May at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel
On the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and Reunification of the country (30/4/1975 – 30/4/2019) and International Labour Day 1 May, at the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, the Thăng Long-Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre introduces to the public and visitors two thematic exhibitions titled: “The Spring of 1975: From the General Headquarters to the Independence Palace” and “Conferment procedures in the Palace Examination under the Lê Dynasty at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel”
The exhibition space at the revolutionary Building D67.
The first exhibition “The Spring of 1975: From the General Headquarters to the Independence Palace” aims to remind visitors of the proud tradition of the Vietnamese army and people during the American War while introducing to the public two typical relics once considered the nerve-centre of the war during the period of 1968-1975.
The General Headquarters of the Vietnam People’s Army (Building D67 and Bunker D67) were the working venue of the Central Military Commission and the General Command of the People’s Army of Vietnam. It was from the General Headquarters that the most important decisions were made, forwarded to the whole army and turned into revolutionary actions and solidarity which resulted in victories across all the battlefields.
Major General Trần Quang Khánh, former chief of the office of the Central Military Commission sharing memories of a difficult but glorious historical chapter.
The Independence Palace was not only the nerve-centre of the South Vietnam Administration but was also the meeting place and rendezvous of the liberation troops, a destination of victory, where the flag of the National Liberation Front of the South of Vietnam was flown at exactly 11:30 on 30 April 1975, marking the complete victory of the resistance war against the Americans.
Visitors taking part in the exhibition.
From the General Headquarters to the Independence Palace is also an odyssey of over 20 years of struggle for independence, freedom and national reunification, the hard-won victory after which the North and the South were again reunified. Through a collection of 150 photos, documents and objects, the exhibition introduces three main topics: the relics of Building and Bunker D67, the Independence Palace; The Spring of 1975: From the General Headquarters to the Independence Palace; joint celebration of victory in Saigon and Hanoi on the historic day of 30 April 1975.
Visiting the exhibitions, schoolchildren were all proud of and grateful to their foregoing generations.
The exhibition is open to vistiors from 25 April 2019 to 31 May 2019.
Thematic exhibition “Conferment procedures in the Palace Examination under the Lê at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel” introduces the awards granted by the king to the the most successful literati, in order to uphold the spirit of learning avidity and academic tradition, thereby nurturing talent.
New laureates having their names inscribed on gilded board.
The Palace Exam, which was the most high-stake exam in Vietnamese Confucian testing and academic system, was held at the Dragon Yard of the Kính Thiên Palace in Thăng Long Imperial Citadel. This was the most important exam, where the exam papers were set and marked, and the best candidates were picked by the king himself. After the Palace Exam, the top-performing candidates would be given different entitlements by the king, including having their names read out loud and inscribed on the gilded board, being given garbs and hats and silver flowers. They would also be treated to royal banquet and a visit to the royal garden before having their names carved on stone stelae in the Temple of Literature for eternal honour.
A model of the test-taker’s tent and bamboo camp-bed in the past.
As a follow-up to the exhibitions on Palace Exam since 2018, this year’s topic focuses on the king’s conferment procedures for the top performers in the exam, giving the public and visitors a better understanding of the court’s system of talent selection. The exhibition puts on display several restored objects related to exams in general and palace exams in particula, such as the test-takers’ bamboo tent and cambed, boards of successful candidates’ names, parasols used in the glorious return to natal village, brushes, ink-slabs, brush-holders, paper-holding bamboo pipes, books of revision for exams, trunks used to store test-takers’ belongings, book caskets, among others.
A set of palanquin of the Lê dynasty.
A noteworthy exhibit is an original set of palanquin determined to be of the 17th century. The set was related a former lady-in-waiting of the Lê dynasty by the name of Lê Thị Ngọc Tự and is now in the possession of the family of Mr Nguyễn Duy Oánh (Dị Nậu Commune, in Thạch Thất district, Hanoi. As the hammock palanquin was normally used by people of nobility, it can give visitors today an idea of a similar ‘means of transport’ once used in the glorious return to natal village of the successful laureates redolent of the old saying “the spouse’s hammock is preceded by the laureate’s hammock”. The object will be displayed at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel from 25 April 2019 to 25 May 2019.
The exhibition is open to public and visitors from 25 April 2019.
During the 30 April and 1 May holiday, the Thăng Long – Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre also hosts water puppet shows, providing venues for playgrounds and interactions and free-of-charge the exploration room “I’m a little archaeologist” at the 18 Hoàng Diệu Archaeological Site to serve the children.
Time for water puppet shows: On 30 April and 1 May 2019: at 10h00 and 15h00.
Editorial Board
