Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The central province ofThua Thien-Hue has put many efforts to preserve and restore relics of the UNESCO-recognisedComplex of Hue Monuments in Hue City, the former royal capital of Vietnam, overthe past two decades.

Establishedas the capital of Vietnam in 1802, Hue was the political, cultural andreligious centre under the Nguyen Dynasty until 1945. Many of its palaces,temples and pagodas remain almost intact, although some were bombed and ruinedin the Anti-American Resistance War.

The province has allocated over 1.46 trillion VND (64.24million USD) for funding the relic preservation and restoration between 1996and 2017, including 933 billion VND (41 million USD) for the 2010 – 2017period, according to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee NguyenDung.

The Prime Minister has approved an Adjusted PlanningFramework for the Complex of Hue Monuments from 2010-2020 in June 2010, layinggrounds for the province’s preservation work, Dung said.

As the result, more than 170 relics have been preserved, repairedand restored so far, including Ngo Mon (Meridian Gate), Dien Thai Hoa (Palaceof Supreme Harmony), Hien Lam Cac (Pavilion of Radiant Benevolence from On-High), The Mieu (Complex of theTemple for the Worship of the Nguyen Emperors), Cung Truong Sanh (Truong SanhRoyal Palace), Dan Nam Giao (Esplanade of Sacrifice to the Heaven and Earth), Tombof King Gia Long and Chua Thien Mu (Celestial Lady Pagoda).

The monuments have been touched with care, guided by the1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,the National Heritage Law and a number of other regulations, in an attempt toavoid rebuilding them completely and ensure their authenticity.

The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has carried outseveral studies to learn about ancient brick flooring, wells and history ofeach monument inside the complex. It has also collected royal decrees of theNguyen Dynasty, produced publications on royal records and heritages and madearchives of Nha Nhac (Royal court music), recognised as UNESCO intangibleheritage in 2003.

The centre has been supported by internationalfoundations, institutes and organisations from Japan, the US, France, Germanyand Poland, which provided funding for the conservation and training for itsstaff to improve their capacity.

Japan hasprovided aid for relic conservation in Hue (the central province of ThuaThien-Hue) since 1990. The first large-scale project with Japanese funding,100,000 USD, was to restore the Ngo Mon – the main gate to the Hoang Thanh(Imperial City) and a symbol of Hue.

A team of experts from Germany helped restore frescos inAn Dinh Palace while those from Poland have supported the province in white antprevention and restoration of To Mieu Temple Complex.

Thanks to suchefforts, more than 2.5 million tourists were lured to the Complex of HueMonuments in 2016, with half of them being foreigners, rising from only 2,000in 1996.-VNA