Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoicapital city will include the two local heritage sites – the Thang Longimperial citadel and the Co Loa citadel relic – in the curriculum of localschools.

An agreement to this effect was signed betweenthe city’s Education and Training Department and the Thang Long-Hanoi HeritageConservation Centre on September 19.

Director of the Hanoi Education andTraining Department Chu Xuan Dung said the move aims at nurturing children’s interestin history in general and local history in particular, and encouraging them todiscover the heritage of the city where they live.

Under the agreement, Hanoischools will coordinate with the preservation board to organize tours of theThang Long imperial citadel during the school year as an extra curriculumactivity.  

The Thang Long-Hanoi heritage conservationcentre has designed various learning programmes to suit different age groupsand school level. Besides thematic tours and exchanges with historians, theprogrammes arrange for students to try their hands at making traditional handicraftsuch as making paper fans, decorating pottery, printing folk paintings.

Tours of the Co Loa citadelrelics also include folk games such as crossbow shooting, a game associatedwith the legend about the citadel, or tug of war.

Director of the centre Tran VietAnh said the sides will make assessment of the teaching every year based onfeedback from teachers and students.

With the goal of promoting theheritage among the community, the Thang Long-Hanoi conservation centre has workedwith the Hanoi UNESCO Office, the Vietnamese Association of Historical Sciencesand experts to develop educational activities target students.

Last year, more than 3,900students in Hanoi participated in educational activities at the Thang Longimperial citadel, and more than 18,000 children attended side activities suchas Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festivals held at the site.

The Thang LongImperial Citadel was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. At thecitadel, many artefacts and items dating back to between the 6th and 20thcenturies were excavated in 2004, including foundations of old palaces, ancientroads, ponds and wells. On top of these discoveries, archaeologists also foundbronze coins, ceramics and pottery from many places in Asia, all of whichdemonstrate a close trading relationship in the area.

Co Loa Citadel wasbuilt during the end of the Hong Bang Dynasty (about 257 BC), about 20km to thenorth of today’s Hanoi.

It is a place of worship for King An DuongVuong and Princess My Chau, who are mentioned in the legends that have beenpassed down many generations.

According to folklore, An Duong Vuong foundedthe ancient Vietnamese state of Au Lac and chose Co Loa as the capital city.-VNA