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Decision 46 COM 7B.43
Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi (Viet Nam) (C 1328)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.3,
  2. Takes note with satisfaction of the progress made by the State Party in addressing all Committee’s recommendations made at the time of the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List;
  3. Notes that a vast programme to enhance the property is included in the Masterplan for the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (Decision 696/2012) and in the Detailed plan of conservation, enhancement and promotion of the values of the Central Sector (decision 975/2015), both of which were approved and their implementation initiated without prior notification to the World Heritage Committee, and that if fully implemented they could have a considerable impact on the property, therefore reminds the State Party of the importance of complying with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
  4. Takes note of the State Party’s request to dismantle the colonial 19th-century Artillery Building and the War Operations Department Building, which stand on top of the royal path of the Central Axis of the Imperial Citadel, considering the historical significance of these areas for deepening the understanding of both material and immaterial attributes of the property, where archaeological remains of the Vietnamese dynastic palaces and associated structures, including Kinh Thien Palace space, have been unearthed and considers that the dismantling operations can begin following the positive evaluation of the solid documentation provided by the State Party in line with the recommendations of the July 2023 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission and ensuring that further documentation of the two buildings is gathered, organized and archived during the dismantling process to preserve adequate record of the two buildings and facilitate future study;
  5. Takes note with satisfaction of the Vision 2034 proposed by the State Party for the future of the Central Axis of the Imperial Citadel and supports this in principle, subject to further refinement as excavations are undertaken on the site of the demolished buildings, to further development of the Archaeological Strategy, and to the development of a Conservation and Presentation Strategy for the possible restoration/reconstruction of the Central Axis, based on the detailed delineation of the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and on archaeological and scientific justification, comparative analysis, with these documents being submitted for review of the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, in line with the recommendations of the 2023 Advisory mission;
  6. Takes note of the request for removing four additional buildings (CT20, 21, 24 and 25 as per Appendix 4 to the State of Conservation Report) and considers that:
    1. To ensure the proper controlled dismantling of the Artillery and War Operations Department Buildings, the buildings identified as CT24 and CT25 can be removed, provided that basic geometrical and photographic documentation is gathered and archived before removal,
    2. Before the dismantling of the buildings CT20 and CT21 can proceed, the Vision and the Archaeological Strategy need to be further refined under the guidance of and review by the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS and careful geometric and photographic documentation of these buildings is implemented and reviewed by the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS to facilitate the archaeological research on the Khin Thien Palace’s spaces, as well as to enable the continued expression of intangible values as desired by the communities;
  7. Further considers that the refined Vision, together with the Archaeological Strategy and the Conservation and Presentation Strategy, when presented to the Committee following review by the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS should contain sufficient information to allow understanding of which further buildings, if any, are proposed for dismantling;
  8. Strongly encourages the State Party to establish a coordination mechanism with a view to continue the close dialogue and exchange, by means of consultation, including through meetings and exchange of documents with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS and one or more advisory missions as necessary, before detailed plans are developed to improve the presentation of the Central Axis, after the dismantling of buildings and further excavations and research, and before any irreversible decisions are taken, and to ensure that recommended actions are finalized to the level needed to fulfil their purpose;
  9. Requests that available project documentation of the ongoing rehabilitation works at Vaxuco Building and of the planned open-air museum at 18 Hoang Dieu archaeological site be promptly transmitted to the World Heritage Centre for comments by ICOMOS;
  10. Encourages the State Party to continue its efforts to establish dialogue and cooperation among all relevant agencies to secure agreement and commitment to expanding the buffer zone so that the necessary protection of the property is guaranteed, and the archaeological potential is preserved below ground in the immediate setting of the property.
  11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.
Documents
WHC/24/46.COM/17
Decisions adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session (New Delhi, 2024)
Context of Decision
WHC-24/46.COM/7B.Add.3
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