Hanoi mulling over restoration of Thang Long Imperial Citadel TP, dtinews.vn   The Ministry of Construction has submitted to authorities in Hanoi a detailed plan to restore and preserve the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic site. The work will continue through 2020 and beyond if necessary.   An overview of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long by 2020 The plan was made by the Vietnam Institute of Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning (VIAP) following the prime minister’s request last November on the preservation and restoration of the site. “More efforts should be made to help visitors see the ancient Citadel of Thang Long,” said Vu Hong Khanh, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee. The plan would focus on the restoration of the ancient and typical architecture of the site, including Hanoi Flag Tower, Bac Mon and Hau Lau. The land lot behind the Stone Dragon in Kinh Thien Palace would be cleared away to allow visitors to see the dragon's tail, which is currently hidden. The scheme also plans to restore two staircases linking Bac Mon,  as they are, at this time, made of steel as a temporary measure. A part of the support structure and French architecture would be removed thus returning the space to the ancient site. More trees would be planted in the front yard of Doan Mon, which would then act as a historic square at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and would be a venue for future events of various types. Under the plan, they proposed the construction of a tunnel under Hoang Dieu St. to link two antique areas with an open area of over 18,000 square metres in the Citadel. To Van Dong, Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism disagreed, saying, “Such a solution is infeasible as the tunnel construction would affect several underground relics.” Currently, visitors can only imagine the ancient Citadel of Thang Long based on some archaeological holes and some remaining relics like Kinh Thien Palace and Bac Mon. So, municipal authorities have requested that the restoration must ensure the Citadel looks as much as possible as it looked originally.