The cultural-historic spaces of Hanoi and the resolution of interactions between preservation and urban development

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Key theme: 04 Abstracts for which the authors did not indicate a key theme
Date of reception: 05/12/2008

AUTHORS (*Main author)

VAN QUAN, Vu * (Viet Nam) - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi VNU; Faculty of History

ABSTRACT

The current capital of Hanoi could be considered as of three "layers": the traditional urban, the administrative unit directly under the central government, and the planned capital-region including many surrounding localities. In those layers, there are many "small regions" as the cultural-historic spaces which have special meaning to the capital in particular and to the whole country in general. In the future, Hanoi should consider these issues to have sustainable development with the harmonious combination between tradition and modern.
For these reasons, the paper focuses on two following issues:
1. Recognition of the "layers" and the "cultural-historical spaces" of Hanoi.
2. Development of Hanoi as the urban-location with central administration and politics of the whole country and resolving the problems of interaction between preservation and development.
The paper idea: with the function of administrative and politic centre of the long historical country and with the location in the midst of the Red River delta, Thang Long-Hanoi is the reflective and focus point of the Vietnamese history and culture. In respect of heritage, exceeding particular tangible and intangible values, they are cultural-historical spaces which have both aspects: common aspects of Hanoi and their own ones. To become the modern urban, Hanoi has to reach to the balance of development and heritage preservation in these particular spaces.

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