• Vietnam seeks further UNESCO assistance

•  Thang Long Royal Citadel introduced in France

His inspection tour was part of activities to mark the 40^th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Mr Rao praised the Centre for the Preservation of the Thang Long- Hanoi Cultural Heritage for its great efforts to preserve and develop the heritage values of the capital city under a Japanese trust funded project.

Since 2010, many seminars have been held to review the results of archaeological work at the Royal Citadel and devise action plans for the 2012-2015 period.

The centre is implementing the government’s commitments in line with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)’s recommendations on preserving the heritage values of the citadel.