The night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” officially back
Implementing the policy of the new normal, restoring tourism, the night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” officially returned on the occasion of April 30th and May 1st, 2022. A special program marking the come-back of this tour took place on the evening of April 29th, 2022 with the participation of two famous pianist brothers Luu Hong Quang and Luu Duc Anh. In the program, the two talented artists will perform epic songs of victory.
In the sacred space marked by the thousand-year history of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, academic music will give wings to the sacred soul of rivers and mountains in harmony with the sound of the times, giving visitors a new, profound and proud feeling.
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a world cultural heritage in the heart of the thousand-year-old capital of Hanoi. This heritage site has a history of more than 1300 years with unique relics, proving the heroic history of Thang Long – Hanoi and of the Vietnamese people. However, the magnificent palaces of the old Royal Palace are almost gone, leaving only archaeological vestiges in the ground. Therefore, to introduce and tell fascinating stories about an Imperial Citadel that once existed in history is always a difficult task for the Heritage Conservation Center of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” was an initiative to create more attractive tourism products with the same relics that seemed familiar to tourists. Many have visited the Imperial Citadel during the day but experiencing the Imperial Citadel at night was quite different.
Responding to the tourism stimulus program “Vietnamese people travel Vietnam”, the Thang Long Heritage Conservation Center – Hanoi built a tourism stimulus program to support businesses and attract visitors to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. The center also cooperated with Hanoi Tourist Travel Company to standardize the sightseeing route for domestic tourists; built tour desks to support information for tourists and travel agencies; and launched a night tour named “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.” This was a new product that followed the policy of developing the night economy of Hanoi City and aimed at boosting tourism demand, restoring the capital’s tourism.
With the desire to create a new and unique product for the Capital’s tourism, the night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” aims at the special cultural and historical values of the world cultural heritage Thang Long Imperial Citadel, offering visitors different and attractive experiences, highlighting the unique and precious relics of the heritage site.
The night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” lasts about 1.5 hours, starting from Doan Mon – the gate leading to the Forbidden City where the king lived and worked; here visitors visit the old Imperial Citadel, enjoy the royal dance right on the unique archaeological vestiges; continue to admire the precious artifacts and antiquities found in the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in the display house with the theme “Thang Long Hanoi – A thousand-year history in the ground”; offer incense in memory of the ancestors at Kinh Thien Palace.
The last attraction of the night tour is the Archaeological Site at 18 Hoang Dieu Street where, after many years of excavation, archaeologists have found millions of artifacts dating back to 1300 years ago. Hardly anywhere else in the world can we have a capital that still preserves a population of relics with a long history and culture and has overlapping and successive cultural layers like that. This gives great value and uniqueness of the relic.
At the end of the tour, there is a game for all visitors called Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. In this game, some typical artifacts of the Imperial Citadel will be shown by laser on the foundations of archaeological remains or on the ancient river for visitors to find the answer. Interesting details and decoding hints will have been revealed during the tour.
This is an interesting challenge that not only allows visitors a relaxing time, but also serves as a way for visitors to review the information gained during the tour, and challenge their memory. With every correct answer, visitors will receive a meaningful souvenir from the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.
Although having been to the Imperial Citadel during the daytime, visitors of the night tour find this experience special; feeling like being in the royal space, interacting with the palace ladies and guards in old costumes, enjoying lotus tea and royal lotus jam. During the pilot period of the tour, most visitors rated the program as very meaningful and useful, and should be maintained and developed. The night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” made up a cultural story that was both logical and easy to absorb knowledge, and entertaining as well, allowing visitors to enjoy and have new experiences.
In the coming time, Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center will continue to coordinate with the Hanoi Travel Association, Hanoi Tourist Travel Company and related units to perfect this product and conduct survey in order to develop new services and experiences to make the tour program more and more attractive to tourists.
Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center
