Vietnam will seek foreign help, particularly from Japanese experts, in preserving the remnants of the Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi, according to a Vietnamese preservation official.

At the first Vietnam-Japan working committee session on March 19, Dr. Nguyen Van Son, Director of the Centre for Preserving Co Loa and Hanoi Citadels, said the Thang Long citadel is part of the Thang Long-Hanoi relic site which will be registered for recognition by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese side asked for Japanese experts' collaboration in working out a plan to preserve the site on Hoang Dieu street with the aim of converting it into a museum. Japan was also asked to help in compiling documentations for the site's bid for a world cultural heritage title.

Vietnamese experts said they also need Japan's assistance in equipment as well as in training technicians in preservation skills.

The Thang Long Citadel was built in the 11th century as a result of King Ly Thai To's decision to move the Royal Court from Hoa Lu (present-day Ninh Binh province) to this area, then the Dai La Citadel. After rebuilding the citadel, he renamed the city Thang Long. The Thang Long Citadel was repaired and re-built under the reign of the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties, with traces bearing the hallmarks of those respective dynasties. (VNA)