On 29 September, a ceremony was held in Hanoi marking the start of work to restore the Kinh Thien Palace. It was the principal building of the imperial citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Modern buildings standing in the core of the citadel's protected zone may be dismantled under supervision, so that the historic space of the main palace can be restored step by step.
This decision was preceded by fifteen years of research, archaeological work and talks with international organisations. In the end, UNESCO agreed to the controlled demolition of structures in the core of the protected zone. As the Hanoi press reports, this constitutes a special "exception" in the practice of World Heritage conservation.
The project is intended to restore the historic space of the citadel and, in the organisers' conception, to connect the past, present and future of Hanoi.
Letters