HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội’s ancient Thăng Long Imperial Citadel has launched a night tour for foreign tourists.

Visitors to the capital can enjoy a 120-minute night tour, which begins at 6 pm every Tuesday and Thursday, or during a pre-booked tour schedule.

The Thăng Long Imperial Citadel was placed on the UNESCO list in August 2010. — VNA/VNS Photo

The tour will start from Đoan Môn (Main Gate), the entrance to cấm thành (Forbidden Palace), where the Emperor’s residence was. Attendees can take photos with the 'guardians' and 'palace maidens' before enjoying an art performance featuring ancient dances on glass floors at Đoan Môn archaeological site.

The tour then takes tourists to the gallery "Thăng Long – Hà Nội, A Thousand Years of History from the Underground", which gives them a chance to offer incense to the 52 kings at Kính Thiên Palace – the main spot of the ancient citadel. The tour members can have a chance to learn about artefacts from the Lý, Trần, and Lê dynasties presented at the gallery.

Visitors to the capital can enjoy a 120-minute night tour, which begins at 6 pm every Tuesday and Thursday, or during a pre-booked tour schedule. — VNA/VNS Photo

The tour also includes a visit to the Archaeological Site on 18 Hoàng Diệu Street, which has millions of artefacts dating back 1,300 years, contributing to the great value and uniqueness of the relic.

Tourists then will join to play the game "Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long”. Several signature artefacts of the citadel will be shown by laser on archaeological remains for visitors to decipher.

In addition, foreign tourists will enjoy a royal meal under the old Bodhi trees. Joining the tour, they will be given souvenir gifts representing luck and prosperity.

Last April, when Việt Nam fully reopened tourism, the Thăng Long – Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre launched a night tour for domestic visitors every weekend, a move that attendees praised.

The Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, a complex of imperial buildings, was first constructed in 1011 under the reign of King Lý Thái Tổ of the Lý dynasty (1009-1225). It was placed on the UNESCO list in August 2010. It was a power centre for over a thousand years of Vietnamese history and unique evidence of Vietnamese civilisation during the development of monarchies in Southeast Asia and East Asia. — VNS