REMNANTS OF THANG LONG

At the end of 2002, a few steps away from Ba Dinh Square, where the power buildings (headquarters of the Vietnamese Communist Party, of the government) are concentrated, the work for the construction of the new seat of the Parliament had just begun. In fact, the immense construction site stopped almost immediately: the workers in charge of the earthworks had just unearthed what would turn out to be the structures of a citadel dating from the 7th century. Archaeologists and historians set to work. They were faced with the most important archaeological discovery ever made in the country: what had just emerged were the remains of the ancient Thang Long citadel, with the superimposition of different historical strata, allowing us to go back in time.

According to Vice-Professor Tông Trung Tin, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Archaeology, who presented the discoveries to the public(Le Courrier du Viêt Nam, 13 November 2003): " Archaeologists discovered four strata 2 m underground. Traces of architectural works are perfectly distinguishable, with the system of stone bases and columns, decorated with lotus, on a ground of packed pebbles. It could have been an esplanade of the Royal Court of the Ly, Trân and Lê dynasties, from the 11th to the 15th century. ...] From the objects (discovered), archaeologists have been able to determine the existence of five overlapping cultural layers at this place, namely: the pre-Thang Long culture (7th-9th century), those of the following dynasties: Ly, Trân, Lê and Nguyên. All this constitutes a cultural sequence from the 7th to the 20th century. "In order to protect and enhance this heritage, the authorities have requested foreign assistance.

Vietnamese scientists have travelled to China and Japan, while the École française d'Extrême-Orient is already engaged in a cooperative project to study and develop the site.

The official visit in October 2004 of President Jacques Chirac was certainly not in vain in the involvement of the venerable institution.

In November 2004, not far away, a large stone turtle with a shell in the form of a curved oval, 2 m long and 1.58 m wide, was unearthed. The turtle suffered: the head was missing, as was the left hind leg, which was broken off with a sharp blow. Above all, the stele, which was once sealed on the turtle's back, has not been found. These are all difficulties for the archaeologists, who had difficulty determining the age of this highly symbolic animal. The disappearance of the head deprived them of landmarks such as the shape of the eyes and eyebrows, which are characteristic of a given style and era.

Moreover, the turtle had some peculiarities that were not found, for example, in those who, in the Temple of Literature, supported the 82 stelae erected to honour the winners of the imperial competitions. The tail is rolled up, but instead of hanging down from behind, it rests on the shell. And the legs, with five pointed and curved claws, protrude slightly from the carapace. These distinctive features have allowed the turtle to be dated to the 15th century, a date corroborated by the place of discovery. It corresponds to the village of Khan Son, once located outside Hanoi and listed on a map dating from 1490 (Lê Dynasty).