Hanoi capital city will include the two local heritage sites – the Thang Long imperial citadel and the Co Loa citadel relic – in the curriculum of local schools.

The city’s Education and Training Department and the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre sign the agreement on September 19

An agreement to this effect was signed between the city’s Education and Training Department and the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre on September 19. 

Director of the Hanoi Education and Training Department Chu Xuan Dung said the move aims at nurturing children’s interest in history in general and local history in particular, and encouraging them to discover the heritage of the city where they live. 

Under the agreement, Hanoi schools will coordinate with the preservation board to organize tours of the Thang Long imperial citadel during the school year as an extra curriculum activity.  

The Thang Long-Hanoi heritage conservation centre has designed various learning programmes to suit different age groups and school level. Besides thematic tours and exchanges with historians, the programmes arrange for students to try their hands at making traditional handicraft such as making paper fans, decorating pottery, printing folk paintings. 

Tours of the Co Loa citadel relics also include folk games such as crossbow shooting, a game associated with the legend about the citadel, or tug of war. 

Director of the centre Tran Viet Anh said the sides will make assessment of the teaching every year based on feedback from teachers and students. 

With the goal of promoting the heritage among the community, the Thang Long-Hanoi conservation centre has worked with the Hanoi UNESCO Office, the Vietnamese Association of Historical Sciences and experts to develop educational activities target students. 

Last year, more than 3,900 students in Hanoi participated in educational activities at the Thang Long imperial citadel, and more than 18,000 children attended side activities such as Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festivals held at the site.

The Thang Long Imperial Citadel was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. At the citadel, many artefacts and items dating back to between the 6th and 20th centuries were excavated in 2004, including foundations of old palaces, ancient roads, ponds and wells. On top of these discoveries, archaeologists also found bronze coins, ceramics and pottery from many places in Asia, all of which demonstrate a close trading relationship in the area. 

Co Loa Citadel was built during the end of the Hong Bang Dynasty (about 257 BC), about 20km to the north of today’s Hanoi.

It is a place of worship for King An Duong Vuong and Princess My Chau, who are mentioned in the legends that have been passed down many generations.

According to folklore, An Duong Vuong founded the ancient Vietnamese state of Au Lac and chose Co Loa as the capital city.-VNA