Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Hoàng thành Thăng Long

Vietnam · Hanoi

PalaceIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 2010
Approximate period600 CE — 1,900 CEDai La, Lý, Trần, Lê and Nguyễn periods; principal historical layers See on the map ↓

In brief

The central area of Thăng Long preserves the superimposed palaces of different dynasties and earlier Dai La layers. Large-scale excavations that began at the 18 Hoàng Diệu site in 2002 have uncovered structures and numerous artifacts showing its long use as a capital.

What was found?

  • 1Kính Thiên Palace foundation bases

    Excavations revealed the palace's single and paired foundation bases. These foundations, formed from compacted materials, help explain the structure's load-bearing system.

  • 2Stone-paved royal road

    The stone-paved foundation of the royal road was identified. This remnant helps determine the central axis and spatial organization of the palace area.

  • 3Trần and Early Lê brick courses

    Courses of red bricks from the Trần period and gray bricks from the Early Lê period were found in different layers. They allow successive construction phases at the same location to be distinguished.

  • 4Long Thiên Palace foundations and drains

    Column foundations and drainage systems from the Nguyễn period were uncovered. These clarify the location and structural arrangement of Long Thiên Palace within the earlier palace area.

What does it point to?

Superimposed architectural remains show that the same area was reorganized as an administrative center under different dynasties. Foundations and drains indicate the importance of ground reinforcement and water removal in palace construction.

What did it teach us?

  1. It confirmed that traces of earlier periods existed beneath the Lê-period foundations of Kính Thiên Palace.
  2. The column foundations provided tangible data for reassessing the palace's scale and load-bearing system.
  3. It clarified the location and architectural arrangement of Long Thiên Palace during the Nguyễn period.

Images

Main Gate - Citadel of Hanoi
Grenouille vert · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

The 2025 excavation report, published in 2026, reported 14 new foundation bases belonging to Kính Thiên Palace and earlier cultural layers at the same location.

Record

Culture
Dai Viet and later Vietnamese dynasties
First modern dig
2002
Team / historical
Thăng Long–Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre and Vietnam Institute of Archaeology
Coordinates
21.0375°, 105.8386°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. whc.unesco.org
  3. tobunken.go.jp
  4. thanglong.chinhphu.vn
  5. hoangthanhthanglong.com

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