Hanoi seeks cultural artifacts for 1000th anniversary

11 October 2007 (Thanh Nien News) – The 1000th anniversary of Hanoi is three years away, but preparations have already begun. The city is seeking cultural artifacts for a special collection commemorating the city’s long history.

Hanoi seeks cultural artifacts for 1000th anniversary
by Le Nguyen

Hanoi is appealing to Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organizations to join together in seeking out rare and valuable books and documents dating as far back as the year 1010 – the year of Hanoi’s beginning.

The goal of the project is to create a collection, entitled “The 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long,” to help preserve and remember the capital’s cultural values.

The plan has recently received permission from the Prime Minister and will become the first national collection of its kind since the country’s independence in 1945.

Over an 800 year period (1010-1802), Thang Long was the nation’s capital city. Nearly 1,000 years old, Thang Long (Hanoi) has witnessed the ups and downs of many dynasties and foreign invasions.

As a result, a great deal of the capital’s cultural relics have been lost or demolished.

Nguyen Khac Oanh, Director General of Hanoi Publishing House said, “This is a great occasion for everyone to express their love for Hanoi.

Submitted items have so far included various types of books, notebooks, drafts, maps, signals, carved boards, paintings, and photos to name a few. Organizers say any donated relics should reflect the cultural aspects and history of Thang Long – Hanoi.

The collected treasures will be displayed and the best and most interesting artifacts will be selected for long term exhibition and/or publication.

Those interested can send in their actual items or copies of items to Hanoi Publishing House, 4 Tong Duy Tan St., Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi, from Oct. 10, 2007 to Oct. 10, 2009, when the submitted relics will be displayed.

The project will wrap up in the first quarter of 2010 with an awards ceremony.