Thang Long Royal Citadel in desperate need of protection Historians, heritage experts and archaeologists have made an urgent call for the protection of Thang Long Citadel in Hanoi which is being encroached upon by new construction projects.   Flooded excavation The Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences, the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and the Vietnam Archaeology Association sent the request to authorities, describing the damage that has been done to the citadel and underlining the necessity of preservation efforts. They stated that the current plans to build the National Assembly offices and the new Ba Dinh Hall will encroach on the landmark, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Construction on these projects has appropriated around 450 square metres of land belong to the heritage site. The Hanoi municipal government’s Council for Scientific Consultancy, along with the three associations, has made strong oppositions to these projects and claimed them to be in violation the Law on Cultural Heritage and UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention. Due to the the urgent need for the completion of the NA offices, the council proposed building a minor boundary between the NA offices and the heritage site and construction should require any digging of no more than one metre in depth on the site.   Untidy mobile toilets at heritage site In addition they asked that construction at the C-D areas of the site strictly comply with the Law on Cultural Heritage and be closely supervised by relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the heritage site. The current violations at the areas are the result of lax management by relevant authorities, they said. They proposed that the government assign an inspection team to find out how this situation came about. They would also like the prime minister or the deputy prime minister to preside over a meeting on the issue so as to clarify responsibility for any violations and work out a solution. They also proposed that the government allow the Institute of Archaeology, under Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, in coordination with the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre to conduct a study at flooded and damaged excavation areas and fill them with sand to preserve their contents. VOV