An incense offering ceremony to commemorate late Vietnamese Kings was held at the Kinh Thien Palace in the Thang Long Royal Citadel on February 16 or the ninth day of the first lunar month.

Politburo member and Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang, representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, other ministries and agencies, and Hanoi leaders joined the event.

The ceremony featured various traditional rituals, including a palanquin procession staged by more than 400 people and incense offerings, along with a dragon dance and a drum performance.

A seal opening ceremony also took place as part of the event. Earlier, archaeologists unearthed a wooden royal seal made under the reign of King Tran Thai Tong (1257).

The Thang-Long Hanoi Relic Conservation Centre aims to make the incense offering ceremony an annual spiritual event to pay homage to the national ancestors while honouring the traditional values of the citadel.

The citadel was built in the 11th century during the Ly Dynasty to mark the independence of Dai Viet, the former name of Vietnam. The central sector of the imperial citadel was listed as a UNESCO's World Heritage Site on July 31, 2010.

Source: VNA