Piece of history: The 500-year-old Tay Dang Communal House in Ba Vi District has been listed as one of the Special National Relics of Ha Noi. — Photo hanoi.gov.vn

HA NOI (VNS)— Five famous historical sites and sightseeing attractions in Ha Noi have been granted certificates as Special National Relics, in a ceremony that took place at Ly Thai To Square on Saturday night.

The sites include the Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, which was built on a small island in the middle of the lake; Hai Ba Trung Temple in Me Linh and Hat Mon Temple in Phuc Tho suburban districts.

While the temple in Me Linh is Viet Nam's second largest one – after Hai Ba Trung Temple in inner capital city – housing the worshipping of two sisters Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, who defeated northern invaders in the 1st century, the temple in Phuc Tho is considered the site where the two sisters hosted a sacred ceremony before going into battle with their troops.

The Phu Dong Temple in Gia Lam, worshipping St Giong, who is considered the nation's guardian, and the 500-year-old Tay Dang Communal House in Ba Vi District, which displays the specific rural architecture style of the North, were also placed on the "Special National Relics" list.

The recognition of these five sites has increased the number of the city's "Special National Relic" locations to nine.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and several high-ranking cultural officers attended the certificate-granting ceremony, which was followed by a special art and music performance dedicated to the more than 1,000-year-old history and culture of the city.

Over the last year, with an aim to preserve and promote the historic and cultural values of the city's relics, Ha Noi spent nearly VND1 trillion, some US$47.6 million from city and social budgets, for upgrading projects at 600 relic sites.

Ha Noi is home to nearly 1,200 national relics. — VNS