Tran Quoc Pagoda is depicted in the first episode of the television series, part of the project to develop multimedia maps of Vietnamese relics.

Nhan Dan – Vietnam has around 40,000 relics across the country, including five relics recognised by the UNESCO and 3,000 others classified as national relics. However, not until now, the Institute for Preservation of Vietnamese Relics and its partners have recently started a project to make maps of the country’s relics.

Relics are considered a cultural resource of the nation which helps to attract both domestic and foreign visitors. Along with the development in economics, culture and society, these relics receive more attention from the State and community. Therefore, the demand for information on those relics becomes greater than ever.

To satisfy the society’s demand for a system of relics, the Institute for Preservation of Vietnamese Relics, in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Buddhism Association have recently started the project to set up maps of Vietnam relics.

Under this, there will be a system of multi-media publications, comprising maps, pamphlets, photo books, CDs, VCDs, a website and some TV shows. These works will cover more than 3,000 national-level relics.

A set of maps of pagodas in Hanoi and in Vietnam will be made first. A TV series exploring the nation’s pagodas will also be introduced to audiences in October. Each 20-minute episode will introduce the history, architecture, famous monks and festivals related to a single featured pagoda, such as Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi’s oldest, which will be featured in the first of 180 planned instalments.

Situated on Thanh Nien Road in Tay Ho District, Tran Quoc Pagoda is also referred to as Khai Quoc (Founding of the Nation) and was built by King Ly Nam De (544-548) near the banks of the Red River, according to Viet Nam’s Cultural Relics Dictionary. The name of Tran Quoc has been used since the reign of King Le Hy Tong (1680-1705). The pagoda was recognised as a State-level "cultural historical relic" in 1989.

According to Le Thanh Vinh, head of the Institute for Preservation of Vietnamese Relics Information that the maps provided to people are vast and very easy and effective for researchers, tourists and people to use.

This is the significant cultural product to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.