Recreating Thang Long Citadel

3:26:19 PM | 7/8/2005

The 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi is just six years away after King Ly Con Uan relocated the capital city from Hoa Lu to Dai La citadel in the Red River Delta. The anniversary will be an important event that will certainly attract many foreign visitors. However, there are few remaining vestiges of the ancient Thang Long capital city. The remnants include the Tortoise Tower, Ngoc Son Temple, Huc Bridge, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature and ruins of the ancient capital city which were recently unearthed in the are previously designated for the new National Assembly building. With such few vestiges, it will be difficult for people to imagine the busy ancient capital city of Thang Long in the 18^th century as reported by Western merchants to their government. Is it possible to recreate the beauty and animation that the ancient capital once embodied?

In late April 2004, experts from the Japan-Vietnam Geo-Information Technology Association worked with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information on the issue and introduced information technologies to recreate the images of the ancient vestiges using 3D design technology. The Japanese experts said that they would call on the Japanese government to sponsor the project. What seemed an almost impossible task may now seem possible using new technology. This July, the Japanese experts worked with the steering board on organising the 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. Tran Quang Dung, deputy head of the administrative office of the steering board, said that the two sides agreed to set up an e-museum to restore 3D images of millions of artefacts and works of Hanoi. The website of the museum will be launched this September. In six months, the Japanese side will cooperate with relevant Vietnamese agencies to collect documents and organise seminars to identify the contents of their works. The board will develop plans and projects to submit to authorised agencies, while the Japanese side will seek partners to implement the projects.

Meanwhile, a private-run film company in Hanoi, namely Areka, is making a 3D cartoon about the relocation of the capital city from Hoa Lu to Dai Lai. Dam Huu Chi, director of the company, said that the recent findings of the vestiges of the ancient capital city helped his company save time thanks to the unearthed artefacts. However, what the public is interested in is not only the recreation of the ancient capital city but also the cultural features under dynasties. How many people still remember the image of the Hanoi Station before it was damaged by a B52 bombing raid in 1972 or the former Hoa Lo prison before it was replaced by the Hanoi Tower? Using information technology and adequate historical documents Vietnam will see the rebirth of its 1000 year old capital.