Hue to restore five Nguyen Dynasty monuments

Thua Thien-Hue Province, home to the former imperial capital of Hue, will renovate five downgraded vestiges of the Nguyen Dynasty over the next five years.

The Nguyen Dynasty was the last of Vietnam’s royal rulers.

The cost of restoring the five relics – the Hue High School for the Gifted, the Can Chanh Palace, the Nam Giao Esplanade and tombs of two Nguyen Dynasty kings – is estimated at over VND460 billion ($20.17 million).

The Hue High School for the Gifted, one of the oldest education institutions in Vietnam built during the reign of King Gia Long, will be restored with total investment of VND60 billion.

Built in 1806, also during King Gia Long’s reign, the Nam Giao Esplanade, where Nguyen kings offered their annual prayers, has seriously deteriorated over the last two centuries. The province will spend VND40 billion on restoring it.

The restoration of Can Chanh Palace where Nguyen Kings held court, received envoys and organized the royal family feast, is estimated to cost over VND200 billion. The once-glorious palace is virtually a ruin now after it was destroyed in 1947.

The tomb of Thieu Tri, the third Nguyen Dynasty king, which lies in Huong Thuy District, around eight kilometers from downtown Hue, has also suffered severe deterioration. The province will spend at least VND60 billion on restoring it.

At the foot of the Vong Canh Mountain around seven kilometers from downtown Hue, Khiem Lang, or the Tomb of Modesty, the resting place of King Tu Duc, will be restored with an investment of over VND99 billion.

Hue, the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty, is home to royal tombs, ancient palaces and pagodas that attract millions of foreign visitors every year.

By Vo Thanh – VnExpress.net – October 18, 2021