Nine projects will be implemented in 2017 to conserve and restore relics in the Complex of Hue Monuments, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, according to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

The relics subject to conservation are Ngo Mon (Noon Gate), Tho Ninh Palace, Bi Dinh (Stele Pavilion) at the Tomb of King Tu Duc, the worship and tomb areas at the Tomb of King Duc Duc, the walls and gate of Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Purple City), the arena of Ho Quyen, Nghinh Luong Dinh (Nghinh Luong Pavilion), Long Chau Temple, and the technical infrastructure at Hoang Thanh (Imperial Citadel).

In 2016, the centre restored 18 structures at a total cost of nearly 177.9 billion VND (7.9 million USD). They included the Duc Lang corridor, Thai Binh Lau (Royal Library), Thieu Phuong Garden, Phu Van Lau (Pavilion of Edicts), and the tombs of Kings Thieu Tri, Dong Khanh and Tu Duc.

The centre said thanks to the conservation and activities promoting relics’ value, more than 2.5 million tourists visited the Complex of Hue Monuments in 2016, rising by nearly 500,000 from 2015. They included over 1.4 million foreigners, up 15 percent year-on-year.

This year, it will promote the tour of “Hue – one destination, five heritages”, which aims to introduce five UNESCO-recognised heritages in Hue: the Complex of Hue Monuments, Nha Nhac (court music), the Woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty, the Royal Records of the Nguyen Dynasty, and the Literature on Hue royal architecture.

Many Hue monuments are set to open in the evening, from 6:30pm to 10pm, from the second quarter of 2017. They include Ngo Mon, Thai Hoa Palace (Supreme Harmony Palace), The Mieu (Ancestral Temple), Dien Tho Palace, Truong Sanh Palace, and Tu Phuong Vo Su Pavilion.

VNA