Vietnamlawmagazine

The main gate leading to the special national relic site of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital__Photo: VNA

“The task of conserving traditional cultural heritage values will be performed in a harmonious and uniform manner with tourism development for sustainable development. The Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Historical and Cultural Relics Conservation Center had paid due attention to the conservation of the nation’s traditional cultural values, protection of, and the environmental and service quality improvement to turn Hoa Lu Ancient Capital into a prominent cultural, historical and archaeological tourism destination on both national and international scales,” said Deputy Director Le Thi Bich Thuc.

HOA LU ANCIENT CAPITAL - A SPECIAL NATIONAL RELIC SITE

The northern province of Ninh Binh is adopting a series of solutions to promote smart tourism development and effectively conserve and bring into full play cultural and historical values of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital in Hoa Lu city’s Truong Yen commune.

The intensified information technology application and digital transformation in the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Historical and Cultural Relics Conservation Center is a solution to develop smart tourism at the relic site in order to enhance visitor experience and optimize management efficiency. With this solution, Thuc, the Center’s Deputy Director said, visitors can search information about the relic site through the center’s website at codohoalu.vn or scan QR code to access automated tour guide services in four languages - Vietnamese, English, Korean and French. The center has also operated a 3D mapping technology projection system in the “Dinh - Early Le Dynasties’ Cultural Heritage” exhibition house to help audience visualize the historical architecture and space of the site and promote Ninh Binh province’s tourism image. The center plans to develop a relic site map integrated with information on a mobile platform and an interactive website and mobile app to assist visitors with information lookup and ticket booking. In addition, it will intensify the application of virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) technology to recreate historical spaces and narratives based on research and archaeological findings.

Beyond technological advancements, another crucial solution involves fostering strong ties between tourism and the local community. This community-based solution is expected to foster sustainable tourism development and improve local living conditions within the relic site. The locals, especially those in Truong Yen commune, will be encouraged to involve in ecotourism and heritage conservation. The hospitality sector will provide professional training courses for local tour guides and offer eco-cultural tours led by local tour guides to visitors, thus helping them gain a deeper understanding of the ancient capital’s history and traditions. Tour operators will also be encouraged to collaborate with local residents in developing unique tourism products, thereby bringing stable income for locals. Tourist markets will be organized at the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital relic site where visitors can buy farm produce and handicraft items directly from locals and develop a heritage education program for locals, particularly the younger generation.

Dragon-carved royal stone bed at the Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang__Photo: Duc Phuong/VNA

To build and develop the tourism brand of “Hoa Lu Ancient Capital - the capital of Vietnam’s first centralized feudal state” as a national cultural-historical symbol to attract tourists, solutions for preserving and promoting the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital heritage are essential. To the target, the province will focus on preserving the intact state of historical relics, ancient architecture and distinctive cultural space of the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital relic site. It will also upgrade the urban space, maintain traditional architecture, limit modern “concrete” structures that could erode the Ancient Capital’s identity. The province will work with various departments, agencies and localities, and call for support from the State and domestic businesses and organizations to implement a plan on building the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital research center and historical museum. This plan aims to conserve, maintain and promote the historical-cultural values of the relic site, serve archaeological, historical and cultural research, and create an attractive cultural tourism destination connected with the Trang An Landscape Complex.

To better preserve and promote Hoa Lu Ancient Capital relic values, Chairman of the Ninh Binh Cultural Relic Association Nguyen Duc Long has suggested applying software modules for relic management, light detection and ranging (Lidar) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology to pinpoint archaeological excavation sites and 3D printing technology for conserving the relic’s constituent elements. These applications, once adopted, promise to unlock new possibilities for effectively and sustainably exploring and utilizing the relic site, said Long.-